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A cannabis company based in BC says they have received Health Canada approval to possess, produce and sell cocaine.
Adastra Holdings Ltd. in Langley is owned by Michael Forbes, the creator of Forbes Group— which operates a “myriad” of companies including everything from health care services delivery, advertising and media production, moving and storage and more. He also owns cannabis companies such as Sitka Weedworks and Clarity Cannabis.
Adastra Labs got approval from the health authority on Feb. 17, 2023, after already having received its Controlled Drug and Substances Dealer’s License on August 24, 2022.
With the amended license, Adastra can legally interact with up to 250 grams of cocaine, and will be able to import coca leaves which are used to manufacture and synthesize the drug.
The license also allows Adastra to possess, produce, sell and distribute up to 1,000 grams of psilocybin.
“Harm reduction is a critically important and mainstream topic, and we are staying at the forefront of drug regulations across the board,” said Forbes.
“We proactively pursued the amendment to our Dealer’s License 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.”
In a media statement, the company says that Forbes has “extensive experience” working in the “front lines of addiction medicine as a pharmacist in his multiple methadone pharmacies.”
Adastra added that Forbes piloted a needle exchange program at the direction of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in 2010.
In May 2022, a three-year exemption was put in place on the possession of small amounts (up to 2.5 grams) of controlled substances in BC. The exemption was made to address the ongoing overdose crisis in the province, and will time out on Jan. 31, 2026.
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