Narcotic counts for New Brunswick pharmacies: every 3 months

In New Brunswick, a documented inventory count of all controlled substances is done at least every three months.

That means every drug in the schedules of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and its regulations.

New Brunswick College of Pharmacists, Regulations, updated September 23, 2026.

In New Brunswick, “at a minimum, every three months” means the gap between two counts is never more than three months. A count on January 15 makes the next one due by April 15. A fixed rhythm, such as the 15th of January, April, July and October, keeps every gap inside the limit.

Our suggestion, not a rule: count your fastest-moving narcotics more often than that, so a variance turns up while there are fewer transactions behind it.

For other provinces, see inventory frequency in Canada or the guide for each province.

Report any loss or theft of a controlled substance to Health Canada within 10 days of discovering it. That is the federal rule in every province: the Controlled Substances Regulations s. 109(2), in force since October 1, 2026. Investigating does not pause the clock.

In New Brunswick, the pharmacy manager also reports a theft to NBCP.

To trace a count that does not match, see what to do after a narcotic discrepancy. The report itself, step by step, is on reporting a loss or theft.

Set your pharmacy’s province to New Brunswick in Settings and NarcCount schedules a full count every 3 months by default; you can choose to count more often. It also:

• Emails a reminder before each count is due.
• Flags a count as late when it falls behind that schedule.
• Keeps the perpetual inventory from your purchase and dispensing records.
• Keeps an investigation note on every discrepancy line.
• Fills in the Health Canada loss or theft report, and shows NBCP’s own reporting step beside it.

NarcCount assists your reconciliation; it does not replace your professional obligations.