On December 8, 2022 the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction (M.O. 700/2022) amended the Scheduled Drugs Regulation (AR 66/2007) pursuant to section 34 of the Pharmacy and Drug Act.

The amendment replaces section 1 of the Scheduled Drugs Regulation, which pertains to the designation of Schedule 1 drugs. The amendment designates the following drugs as Schedule 1 drugs: (a) drugs set out in Schedule I of the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities Drug Schedules, other than drugs described in section 31(1)(a) or (b) of the Act; vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus B, measles, meningitis, mumps, rubella and pediatric hepatitis B; diacetylmorphine; fentanyl, remifentanil, sufentanil and any other fentanyl analogues; hydromorphone; morphine; oxycodone. 

• Diacetylmorphine (heroin) is a very efficient prodrug and more potent than morphine, medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Prescribed as a strong pain medication, it is administered via oral, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intrathecal, intranasal or intravenous routes.
• Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Intravenous fentanyl is often used for anesthesia and as an analgesic. 
• Remifentanil is a potent, short-acting synthetic opioid analgesic drug. It is given to patients during surgery to relieve pain and as an adjunct to an anaesthetic.
• Sufentanil, sold under the brand names Dsuvia and Sufenta, is a synthetic opioid analgesic drug approximately 5 to 10 times as potent as its parent drug, fentanyl, and 500 times as potent as morphine. The main use of this medication is in operating suites and critical care where pain relief is required for a short period of time. It also offers properties of sedation and this makes it a good analgesic component of anesthetic regimen during an operation.
• Hydromorphone is an opioid used to treat moderate to severe pain. 
• Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium. Morphine is used primarily to treat both acute and chronic severe pain. Its duration of analgesia is about three to seven hours. 
• Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain.

*Source: Alberta (4/2023) December 8, 2023.