Political sparks fly in the legislature after police raid on Vancouver drug activists

The Drug User Liberation Front, or DULF, in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside was public about buying hard drugs—including cocaine and heroin—on the dark web, before it tested them and distributed them to its members.

On Wednesday, police raided the compassion club, arrested two people and seized drugs.

“While DULF’s acts were intended to reduce the impacts of the toxic drug supply, we have always warned that anyone who violates the Criminal Code or the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act should expect to face enforcement and criminal charges,” said Insp. Phil Heard, with the Vancouver Police Department at a press conference on Thursday.

The club invited CTV News to view its operations back in March 2022, and has been upfront about its activities for more than a year—helping users access a safe supply.

DULF has been funded by the province—Vancouver Coastal Health giving it $200,000 a year for testing, a fact that sparked a heated exchange in the legislature on Thursday.

BC United MLA Elenore Sturko expressed her anger about the funding.

“To hear that this government is saying that we have to do everything that we can because they’re trying to save lives, and that would somehow justify supporting organizations that are putting money and guns into the hands of people that kill British Columbians through gun activity,” said Sturko during question period.

Solicitor General, Mike Farnworth, was passionate in his response to criticisms of the government’s role funding the club.

“The contract was for drug testing and to somehow suggest that government authorized or wanted funds to go to buy illegal drugs is just straight nonsense, and they know it Honourable Speaker,” he said.

Vancouver Coastal Health confirms that on Oct. 2, the province directed it to end its contract with DULF—and it did so—with the contract set to terminate on Oct. 31.

“Even though they were doing that important life-saving work, they were breaking the law and we can’t have it,” said Premier Eby Thursday.

The Opposition says the funding for DULF should have ended long ago, and Kevin Falcon, BC United leader, questions how the government didn’t know about DULF’s practises sooner.

“It’s important to recognize that the government knew what was going on with the Drug User Liberation Front -- there was an article in the Economist Magazine a year ago,” said Falcon.

Safe supply advocates, including Leslie McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm, point to more than 1,600 toxic drug overdose deaths through August of this year alone, and worry the raid and arrests leave users even more vulnerable.

“DULF is providing the service that our provincial government is not providing,” said McBain. “They’re saving the lives of people who use drugs.”

Police have not identified the two people arrested, who had not been charged by Thursday afternoon.