Canada: Sunshine Earth Labs, a Canadian biosciences company, announced that it has received a licence to produce and sell cocaine, reflecting the federal health agency’s efforts to enhance the security of the nation’s addicts.

The licencing agreement follows a bold policy change that decriminalised small amounts of cocaine, heroin, and other hard narcotics in an effort to combat an opioid addiction crisis that has claimed thousands of lives. British Columbia received a criminal code exemption from Ottawa for the three-year experimental project with the intention of eradicating the stigma attached to drug use that prevents individuals from getting help.

Activists have also pushed for the availability of safer drug supplies for addicts who run the risk of passing away from severe drug poisoning associated with illegal street narcotics. Sunshine Earth Labs claimed in a statement that Health Canada has given the go-ahead for it to “legally possess, produce, sell coca leaf and cocaine,” in addition to morphine, MDMA (ecstasy), and heroin.

This announcement comes shortly after Adastra Labs, which had previously concentrated on producing cannabis extracts, received a similar licencing deal in February 2023. According to its authorization, Adastra is also permitted to cultivate and market psilocybin and psilocin, hallucinogens also known as magic mushrooms and having effects comparable to LSD.

“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,” chief executive Mr. Michael Forbes remarked.

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