A Lower Mainland Cannabis company says it has received approval from Health Canada to legally possess, produce, and sell cocaine..Adastra Holdings Inc. in Langley received a Controlled Drug and Substances Dealer’s Licence in August last year, which — at the time — only allowed it to produce and distribute up to 1,000 grams of psilocybin and psilocin, psychoactive compounds found in various species of fungi..Now the company says its dealer’s licence has been expanded to include cocaine, allowing it to interact with up to 250 grams of the drug. This includes permission to import coca leaves to manufacture and synthesize cocaine..“Harm reduction is a critically important and mainstream topic, and we are staying at the forefront of drug regulations across the board,” said Adastra CEO Michael Forbes..“We proactively pursued the amendment to our dealer’s licence to include cocaine back in December 2022. We will evaluate how the commercialization of this substance fits in with our business model at Adastra in an effort to position ourselves to support the demand for a safe supply of cocaine.”.The company highlights Forbes’ experience working the “front lines of addiction medicine" as a pharmacist in his methadone pharmacies among other endeavours, such as piloting a needle exchange program more than a decade ago..British Columbians can carry up to 2.5 grams of opioids, meth, cocaine, and more without fear of criminal penalties due to an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), which is in effect until Jan. 31, 2026 throughout the entire province..BC is the first Canadian province to receive an exemption under the CDSA..READ MORE: Vancouver man to open store selling cocaine, crack, heroin, meth, and more
