Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “shocked,” as was the premier of British Columbia, that a company is boasting about changes to its Health Canada license that would allow it to produce and sell cocaine.
Trudeau said Friday the federal government was talking to Adastra Labs, of Langley, B.C., to change the wording of its press releases to avoid any misunderstandings in the future.
The controversy erupted after Adastra Labs announced on February 17 that Health Canada had agreed to amend its license to produce, sell and distribute cocaine. The company had indicated that it was considering commercializing cocaine as part of its business model.
Asked about it in Winnipeg on Friday, Mr. Trudeau assured that there was no question of allowing companies to sell these drugs on the market. He said Adastra was not licensed to sell cocaine on the “open market,” and Health Canada said the company could only sell to other licensees.
Another British Columbia company also recently claimed that it is now licensed to produce, sell and distribute cocaine and ecstasy, although Health Canada says it cannot sell these illegal drugs to the general public. audience.
Victoria’s Sunshine Earth Labs, a bioscience company that “aims to bring a safer supply of drugs to the global marketplace”, says it last year obtained an amendment to its distributor’s license relating to “drugs and controlled substances” to include ecstasy and cocaine.
The company said it received an amendment to its license to possess, produce, sell and distribute opium and morphine in January.
In a written statement, the federal Department of Health says it is “carefully reviewing applications” to ensure licensees adhere to all existing public health and safety policies.
Health Canada says Adastra Labs’ license was issued “solely for scientific and medical purposes,” and that licensees can only sell these substances to people who are authorized to possess them.
“Health Canada has contacted the company to reiterate the very narrow parameters of its license,” the department said. If the strict requirements are not met, Health Canada will not hesitate to take action, which may include revoking the license. »
When Health Canada was asked how many other companies had received similar license changes, the department said it does not share or publish the list of female licensees, nor does it discuss the status of change requests, for safety, security and confidentiality reasons.
No decriminalization in sight
Trudeau said Friday that the decriminalization of the cocaine trade in Canada was not “something we endorse as a country.”
“It is true that Health Canada allows certain pharmaceutical companies, for extremely limited research and medical needs, the use of this product,” said Mr. Trudeau on Friday. But there is no intention, there is no permission to sell this on the market and share this with Canadians.
“It was a lack of understanding, I think, in the press release [de la compagnie] and we are in the process of correcting the situation on this. »
British Columbia Premier David Eby said Thursday he was “stunned” by the news. He then indicated that his government had not been notified or consulted by Health Canada.
Mr Eby assured that this license “was not part of our provincial plan”, referring to the government’s current efforts to stem the death rate from overdoses – an average of six people died from it every day in British Columbia in 2022 .
British Columbia’s drug decriminalization policy, which took effect in late January, allows adults 18 and older to possess up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy without being prosecuted to the criminal. This is a three-year pilot project.
Eby said on Friday he had spoken to the federal government and was “even more disturbed” to learn from Health Canada that Adastra may have “significantly misrepresented the nature of its license”, d an irresponsible way.
“I find it more than a little frustrating that Health Canada apparently doesn’t agree with us in terms of where we’re headed,” he said. We need to work together on the toxic drug crisis and our response to it. »
Sunshine Labs said it “does not engage in promoting or initiating safer supply initiatives” of drugs, and leaves implementation of any policy on the decriminalization of cocaine, opium and ecstasy.
But the company points out that the high overdose death rate in British Columbia coincides with reports from public health officials that the majority of fatal overdoses occur among occasional users.
That means decriminalization might not be enough, Sunshine Labs believes. The company points out that to prevent deaths, experts suggest providing users “an opportunity to purchase certified drugs, with known purity levels and dosages.”
“While this notion may be difficult for some to accept, it represents the rational next step,” the statement from Sunshine Labs said.