Vancouver man plans to sell cocaine and other hard drugs commercially

When former drug addict Jerry Martin heard about Adastra Labs, a Langley-based company, receiving Health Canada approval to manufacture and sell cocaine, he was ecstatic.

While the company has corrected its previous statement to clarify it’s only permitted to sell to other licensed dealers who have cocaine listed on their licences – including pharmacists, practitioners and hospitals – Martin hopes to sell cocaine and other hard drugs, such as heroin, meth and MDMA, commercially. 

He first announced his plans for a brick-and-mortar drugs store in January, despite it being illegal. 

Having lost his brother to an overdose, Martin said there's a huge demand and need to provide a safe supply of hard drugs.

“I lost a brother to an overdose, that'd be seven, eight months ago now, and then my other brother to murder, and all over the same thing: drugs,” he said.

“People don’t have a good safe place to buy these things, you know? They've got to meet in an alley, they've got to meet somebody they don't know, they've got to be afraid to be robbed. Girls have to be afraid of doing something for their drugs whether they have money or not.”

Martin said he’s facing many obstacles, including other drug dealers looking for him.

“I’ve already had death threats," he said. "I'm a little on the move right now to keep myself safe, but that’s not going to deter me from opening.”

He’s also facing financial challenges as he looks for a space to rent out. In the meantime, he’s considering buying a portable store, and has already purchased his store signs.

“I’m constantly getting asked, 'When's your store open?'” he said.

Martin acknowledges that his project is illegal, but he's determined to launch his store even if it means he’ll get arrested.

“I’m fearful of getting arrested and stopped before I get the store open. After I get the store open, I’m fully confident that I'll get arrested and we can take them to court and do a constitutional challenge,” he said.

He hopes to start selling in two weeks in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.