Photos have surfaced of a brick-and-mortar shop in Vancouver selling hard drugs — including meth and crack cocaine — to anyone over 18 in the NDP-governed province.
Jerry Martin, 51, opened his hard drugs store on Wednesday in Vancouver, one block from Hastings and Main.
A sign outside of the shop shows meth, crack, and heroin listed for sale. Martin requires ID from prospective buyers, and apparently ensures he doesn’t sell to anyone under 18.
While British Columbia has safe injection sites, the shop is operating illegally. However, Martin is complying with the province’s decriminalization policy that allows drug users to possess up to 2.5 grams of illegal substances such as crack and meth.
“People are dying,” Martin said.
“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.”
If arrested, Martin says he’ll launch a constitutional challenge.
The Downtown Eastside neighborhood of Vancouver has a reputation for being an area where widespread drug use and homelessness are prevalent.
Since 2016, more than 11,000 people in British Columbia have died from a drug overdose.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre commented on the shop, blaming the NDP and Trudeau government for its existence.
“Wow, Trudeau and the NDP now allow open street sales of cocaine, crack, meth & other hard drugs,” Poilievre said.
”Drugs & disorder. Crime & chaos. 8 years of Trudeau.”
The issue of decriminalization of drugs has become a hot topic in Alberta, too.
Amid the crime surge happening in Alberta with random stabbings and shootings, the UCP recently attacked Rachel Notley’s “extreme activist” NDPs for saying they want to defund the police and give out free heroin to drug addicts
