Jerry Martin’s makeshift hard drug stand in Vancouver JENNIFER GAUTHIER (Portal)
Jerry Martin’s business adventure lasted only 24 hours, but he hopes his gesture will have an impact on his country’s laws. Martin, 51, opened a mobile drugstore Wednesday in downtown Eastside, a Vancouver neighborhood hit hard by Canada’s overdose wave. On Thursday, the police of this city in the province of British Columbia announced his arrest. The establishment offered heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA to its customers.
Health Canada launched a three-year pilot on January 31 to decriminalize possession of various hard drugs in British Columbia, the first such initiative in the country. The authorities allow adults a maximum of 2.5 grams of substances. The measure is part of the strategy to reduce overdose deaths. In 2022 alone, this Canadian province had 2,720 such deaths.
Regarding Jerry Martin’s arrest, Vancouver Police said in a statement, “We support the decriminalization of possession of small quantities of drugs, but sale or trafficking remains illegal and we remain committed to law enforcement.” Martin was released, while a date for a court hearing was set. They are also barred from the Downtown Eastside.
In his mobile store, Jerry Martin sold small bags of drugs weighing no more than 2.5 grams, the British Columbia project found. In addition, these drugs had been tested to rule out the presence of fentanyl, the main cause of the overdose wave. In an interview with Global News, Martin said his initiative aims to stimulate reflection on a safer supply of medicines. “People don’t even know what they’re consuming,” he said.
Jerry Martin has indicated that his arrest – also part of his plan – was aimed at sparking a serious national debate about safe and legal access to these substances. For him, the current legislation favors a supply chain with devastating consequences. He also claimed that he planned to use the profits from his business to fund an awareness campaign. Martin suffered from drug problems and lost a brother to an overdose.
Some Canadian doctors are licensed to prescribe diacetylmophrine (pharmaceutical-grade heroin) to addicts. However, federal authorities have indicated that over-the-counter sales of hard drugs is not on the table. In early March, Adastra Labs announced that it had received permits to manufacture, sell and distribute cocaine in British Columbia. Health Canada was quick to clarify that the company was authorized to do so for scientific and research purposes only. Adastra Labs needed to correct the information.
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