Is Ketamine Legal in Canada?
Yes, ketamine is legal for medical use subject to regulation. It is not legal for recreational use.
Ketamine is generally prohibited under Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. However, it is permitted for and common in medical use, being regulated pursuant to the Narcotic Control Regulations. It also has the distinction of being the only psychedelic substance (other than cannabis) currently permitted for therapeutic use in Canada, with clinics operating in Toronto and other Canadian cities.
The popular ketamine nasal spray Spravato was approved for use in Canada in 2020.
What is Ketamine?
Often used as a medical sedative and anaesthesia for both humans and animals, ketamine can also be used to induce a psychedelic experience that, depending on dosage, may last up to 90 minutes. The effects are often described as being dissociative, numbing, and euphoric, with some experiencing hallucinations. It can be consumed in a number of ways, including by being smoked in a cigarette, snorted, mixed with a liquid, via nasal spray, and through injection.
You can find Canada’s webpage on ketamine here.
Medical or Therapeutic Use?
In addition to its well-known use as a sedative and anaesthesia, medical studies suggest ketamine used under proper conditions may prove helpful in treating pain, addiction, anxiety, depression, trauma, and obsessive compulsive disorder. See section below.
Ketamine-Assisted Therapy in Canada
Unlike most psychedelics discussed on this site, ketamine has a long-established lawful medical use. It is an approved anesthetic that licensed practitioners may lawfully possess and administer, and ketamine-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD is offered at private clinics across Canada under medical supervision. Esketamine (marketed as Spravato) is separately approved by Health Canada for certain forms of depression. Because ketamine is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, however, any possession, sale, or use outside this medical framework remains illegal.
The clinic landscape has consolidated significantly since the early psychedelic-investment boom. Field Trip Health, once one of the highest-profile ketamine-therapy chains in Canada, collapsed into creditor protection in 2023 after burning through roughly CA$100 million, and its Canadian clinics were subsequently acquired by the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Healing. Prospective patients should confirm a provider's current operating status and the credentials of its supervising physicians before booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Ketamine is a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, making non-medical possession and sale illegal. However, ketamine is an approved anesthetic that licensed medical professionals can lawfully administer, and ketamine-assisted therapy is legally offered at clinics across Canada under medical supervision.
Reviewed by Marc Z. Goldgrub, Founding Lawyer, Green Economy Law Professional Corporation (Law Society of Ontario; New York State Bar) · Last updated: 2026-08-06
Stay updated on the firm’s work and psychedelic law developments in Canada and elsewhere.