Tobacco use is widespread in the North so cigarettes are usually available in most stores, but they bear the same inflated price as most other northern commodities. Because of the heavy impact of tobacco use on the health of the local population, there is an ongoing debate with regard to regulating smoking in public places, so smokers should inquire if smoking is permitted in any public building. There is a bylaw in Iqaluit against smoking while in a taxi, as well. As in most countries, the possession or sale of opiates, narcotics and hallucinogens is illegal in Canada. Possession of illegal drugs is a serious offence, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years of imprisonment.
Possession includes having a small quantity intended for personal use.
People from outside Canada who use non-medical steroids should also be aware that these are illegal in Canada. Drug trafficking is the giving, selling, administering, transferring, transporting, sending, delivering or receiving, or offering to do any of those things, of any narcotic, opiate or hallucinogen. The regional centres of Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay, as major transportation hubs with direct connections to southern sources, are at the centre of much of this illegal activity. A common technique among traffickers is to ask someone travelling to one of the smaller communities to carry a package containing illegal drugs to a friend there. If the package is inspected by the RCMP and found to contain illegal substances, the carrier can be convicted of drug trafficking.