A business owner in Vancouver, Canada, says he’s trying to promote safe drug use by opening a brick-and-mortar shop that sells illicit substances.
The Drugs Store opened Wednesday in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, where owner Jerry Martin is selling heroin, cocaine, meth, MDMA and other drugs from a mobile storefront.
Though the province of British Columbia just began a three-year process of decriminalizing minor drug possession, the store is operating illegally.
Martin says he’s willing to risk arrest, however, given the human toll of the drug epidemic. According to Canadian health officials, over 11,000 British Columbians have died of drug overdoses since 2016.
Experts say many of these deaths have been caused by the opioid fentanyl, which has been contaminating drug supplies throughout Canada and the U.S. for years.
“People are dying,” Martin told Vice. “Especially now, they’ve allowed the entire province to do these drugs ... But they’ve provided no clean, safe supply. They’re getting it from the same supply that everybody’s overdosing from.”
Martin says his shop is providing tested, adulterant-free drugs at prices comparable to street value.
There are several other safeguards in place for customers, he said. People will have to verify they are at least 18 years old with a government ID, in addition to signing a waiver stating they have used the substance in the past.
Buyers will also only be permitted to purchase a maximum of 2.5 grams of each drug, the same amount the province’s decriminalization policies allow a person to possess.
While Martin said he was only keeping a “minimal” amount of merchandise on him, it’s unlikely British Columbia’s loosening drug policies will protect him.
Though Canada has embraced progressive drug laws, the maximum penalty for selling drugs like heroin and cocaine is still life in prison.
Vancouver has long been at the forefront of the “harm reduction” movement, which aims to provide support for drug users instead of stigma.
It was one of the first cities in the world to pilot the use of safe sites for injectable drugs back in 2003.
Advocates say drug testing and safe-use sites give people access to life-saving information and social services, like housing and rehabilitation.