B.C. man who opened store selling tested hard drugs died of an overdose, family says

The man who opened a mobile store in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to sell tested drugs such as heroin, meth and cocaine has died, his family reported. He was 51.

Loved ones are remembering Jerry Martin as a passionate person who cared deeply about helping others.

Martin was a former drug addict who had been clean for 15 years. He also lost his brother to an overdose. As such, he was a staunch advocate for safe supply.

“This particular project that he had taken on, he knew it was something much greater to bite off. And you know, I do remember him telling me at one point that if this was the last thing he did before he died, he would be happy,” Krista Thomas, Martin’s partner, told CTV News.

Martin opened The Drug Store after B.C.’s three-year pilot project decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs came into affect.

“He was really concerned when B.C. decriminalized these hard drugs without first providing the safe supply,” Thomas said. “He immediately saw that there would likely be an increase, not a decrease in overdoses and overdose related deaths.”

Martin sold the drugs that had been decriminalized in the policy, in the exact quantity allowed for possession, 2.5 grams. However, selling the drugs remains illegal.

Martin was arrested less than 24 hours after he opened the mobile shop, which was the goal in the end, Thomas said.

He and his lawyer, Paul Lewin, hoped to launch a constitutional challenge that could change the law around the sale of a safe supply of drugs.

Lewin previously explained to CTV News that an argument for legalizing the sale of a safe supply of drugs could be made under Section 7 of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which enshrines the right to life, liberty, and security of the person and says that the government can not pass laws that infringe on those rights arbitrarily.

“He got the ball rolling while he was here with us, it's really unfortunate that he didn't get to finish that,” Thomas said.

She is hoping that others can finish what he started to carry on his legacy.

Thomas said in the coming weeks, as Martin’s loved ones grieve and process their loss, they will think about continuing the constitutional challenge, and more lawyers have expressed interest in the case.

“I really think that there's opportunity and there's people out there that are passionate enough about this that we can still pull it off in his name,” she said.

‘HE WANTED TO LIVE FOR WHAT HE DID’

Thomas said that after his arrest, Martin’s mental health began to decline. She said his car and passport were taken away, and a combination of tight finances and a loss of independence took a toll.

She received a call from police on Tuesday that Martin had been found unresponsive. He suffered brain damage and was taken to hospital and put in a medically-induced coma.

Doctors said that Martin would likely not regain most of his functions, so his family decided to take him off life support on Friday, Thomas recalls.

“He wanted to live for what he did, for the work that he did. And if he couldn't do that in some form, I know that he wouldn't want to be here,” she said. “And so we decided that we would remove the remove the machines and let him pass away peacefully.”

According to Thomas, Martin suffered an overdose and fentanyl was found in his system.

“What I can confidently say about Jerry is that he knew his supply. He knew his products. He would not have had anything on him that he didn't know had fentanyl in it,” she said.

“I do think that he would probably want to clarify that he would not be in the hands of something that hadn't been tested and could have been cross contaminated. And unfortunately, that does lead us to question why he left us that day, but I can only hope that he found peace and that he's proud of what he set into motion.”

‘A BEAUTIFUL HEART’

Mayleen Martin, who married Jerry’s dad in 2003, wants him to be remembered as a generous person who fought hard for change.

“He is a man who is trying to give back after many years of struggling in life,” she told CTV News from her home in Florida. “He was always on a mission to help others. His altruism left a fingerprint on each of our hearts.”

She said Martin was a loving brother and son, who always helped family when they needed it.

“Yes, we know that Jerry made mistakes along the way like everybody else. But he tried to make an impact, leaving a legacy behind so I have a great honor and I really respect him for that,” she said.