Advertising Controlled Substances: The Rules for Canadian Pharmacies

Pharmacies market themselves online, and the Controlled Substances Regulations, in force since October 1, 2026, draw a clear line for any of that marketing that touches a controlled substance. A controlled substance may only be advertised to an audience that is not part of the general public, and a restricted drug may not be advertised at all (Controlled Substances Regulations s. 235). Health Canada's guidance for community pharmacies (CS-GD-022) applies that to websites and social media in so many words. This page sets out the rule, the narrow audience it permits, and the questions a pharmacy can ask before it publishes.

What counts as an advertisement

The regulation's definition is broad: an advertisement includes any representation by any means for the purpose of promoting, directly or indirectly, the sale or other disposal of a controlled substance (Controlled Substances Regulations s. 1(1)). Health Canada's guidance states that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must not advertise or promote the sale or provision of controlled substances to the general public, and that this includes content accessible through websites, social media platforms, and digital or printed materials. For where advertising ends and other activities begin, the guidance points to Health Canada's own guidance on distinguishing advertising from other activities for health products.

The audience a written advertisement may reach

Under the Controlled Substances Regulations, a written advertisement for a controlled substance appears only in a document distributed to, or a trade publication for, the audiences below, and it carries, in a conspicuous place, a legible and intelligible statement that the substance is a controlled substance (s. 235):

• licensed dealers
• pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and practitioners
• hospitals

Who may see what, in one table

The table sets each audience against the rule. Health Canada's guidance treats content on a public website or social media account as reaching the general public, whoever it was written for.

Questions to ask before publishing

• Does the page, post or flyer name a narcotic, controlled drug or targeted substance, or a product that contains one?
• Does it promote, directly or indirectly, the sale or supply of that substance, for example by naming it beside a price, an offer or an invitation to come in for it?
• Can a member of the public see it, on a website, a social media account or a printed flyer?
• If it is meant for professionals, is it in a document distributed to them or a trade publication for them, and does it state that the substance is a controlled substance?
• Is the substance a restricted drug? Then it is not advertised to anyone.

Describing a service is a different question

The rule is about promoting a controlled substance. Describing a pharmacy service, such as compounding or a medication review, is not the same thing, though where a description becomes promotion depends on its wording and context. Health Canada's guidance on distinguishing advertising from other activities for health products, the provincial regulator's advertising standards and a lawyer are where a borderline case is settled. A pharmacy reviewing an existing website can start with the pages that name a drug, since those are the ones the rule reaches.