British Columbia Premier David Eby faced intense questioning this week regarding provincial funding provided to the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF), following the drug trafficking convictions of the organization's founders.
Convictions and Government Funding
Earlier this month, DULF founders Jeremy Kalicum and Eris Nix were convicted in B.C. Supreme Court on charges of possession of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking. The court heard that their organization operated a "compassion club," purchasing illicit drugs on the dark web, testing them for safety, and then reselling them at cost to its 43 members.
This conviction has drawn direct attention to the provincial government's financial support for the group. When asked if the government sought legal advice before providing several hundred thousand dollars in funding to DULF, Premier Eby shifted responsibility.
Eby's Response and Immediate Action Claim
"I understand that Vancouver Coastal Health was funding that organization," Eby initially replied. He then confirmed the province's ultimate authority, stating, "When we learned that this organization was engaged in drug trafficking, we directed Vancouver Coastal Health to immediately terminate the funding."
However, the premier's claim of "immediate" action is contradicted by evidence presented in court, which suggests the province was aware of DULF's activities for some time.
Court Evidence Contradicts Secrecy Claims
In her ruling, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Murray noted that DULF's activities were never a secret. "They have always been openly and publicly forthright about their activities and their impetus for doing so," Justice Murray wrote.
The judge's decision also highlighted explicit support from Vancouver Coastal Health, its deputy chief medical officer, and other officials. Justice Murray stated, "Vancouver Coastal knew that DULF was distributing tested drugs when they granted the exemption, gave them funding and provided them the storefront in the Downtown Eastside."
The evidence established that there was "no doubt" DULF possessed drugs for the sole purpose of distribution to its members, forming the legal basis for the trafficking convictions and raising serious questions about the provincial government's oversight of publicly funded programs.
