A British Columbia company that received federal approval to produce and sell cocaine has revised its original statement that outlined plans to commercialize the controlled substance.
Adastra Labs CEO Michael Forbes said in the original statement on Feb. 22 that the company would “evaluate how the commercialization of this substance fits” with the firm’s business model. That reference was removed in the latest statement.
Health Canada approved Adastra Labs’ licence amendment to allow the production, sale and distribution of cocaine on Feb. 17. Under the licence, Adastra cannot produce more than 250 grams of cocaine in 2023.
Trudeau said Friday he was “as surprised as” Eby about Adastra’s plans. He said that the federal government was “working very quickly” with Adastra Labs “to correct the misunderstanding” caused by the company’s statement on commercialization.
“I was as surprised as the premier of British Columbia was to see that a company was talking about selling cocaine on the open market or commercializing it,” he said, adding that Adastra’s licence was “not a permission to sell it commercially or to provide it on an open market.”
Trudeau also said commercializing decriminalized cocaine “is not something that this government is looking at furthering.”
Eby said on Thursday he was “astonished” by Adastra’s plans, and the province had not been notified or consulted by Health Canada on the matter.
“I find it more than a little bit frustrating that Health Canada is not apparently in line with us in terms of the direction we’re going,” he said. “We need to work together on the toxic drug crisis and our response to it.”
In a written statement, Health Canada says it “thoroughly reviews applications” to ensure licensees follow all existing policies on public health and safety.
“Health Canada has contacted the company to reiterate the very narrow parameters of their licence,” it says regarding Adastra Labs. “If the strict requirements are not being followed, Health Canada will not hesitate to take action, which may include revoking the licence.”
It said received an amendment to possess, produce, sell and distribute opium and morphine in January.
On Friday, Sunshine Earth also issued a revised statement, saying the company is licensed to conduct activities with these controlled substances “under tight limitations imposed by Health Canada.”
When asked how many other companies have received similar amendments to their licences, Health Canada said it does not share or publish the list of companies who have received licences, nor does it discuss the status of applications for licensing amendments due to safety, security and privacy reasons.
Health Canada spokesman Mark Johnson said it is “not new” to have companies getting licence amendments such as these, and “some companies have had this substance on their licence for 20-plus years.”
