VANCOUVER — One of the founders of a “compassion club” that sold safety-tested heroin, cocaine and other drugs told the British Columbia Supreme Court they feel “invincible” and hope media coverage of their activities will spur public dialogue.
But Jeremy Calicum of the Drug Users' Liberation Front says he now believes the publicity led to their arrests.
He told the court in Vancouver that he and co-founder Eris Nix were uncomfortable talking to the media, but that the club's coverage raised public awareness and was consistent with the club's principles of transparency and accountability.
Calicum and Nix were found guilty this month on charges of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking, but their sentencing was delayed until the constitutional challenge is decided.
Under cross-examination by Crown lawyer Oren Bick, Calicum told the court they knew the club was controversial because the government's involvement brought them to the public's attention and strong public backlash and political pressure led to their closure in October 2023.
The court previously heard the group was funded by Vancouver Coastal Health to test illicit street drugs, but DULF went further by purchasing and testing drugs for distribution to prevent further overdoses.
Calicum said no medicines were purchased with health authority money, drug purchases were financed through donations and sales were made at cost to club members.
He said he now believes that interacting with the media and bringing public attention to the club is what led to their arrests, and he believes they were “thrown under the bus by several agencies.”
Bick questioned Kalicum about the data and research they collected and conducted on the more than three dozen club members who had access to drugs and the club's website, and Kalicum says they published information about the club to be transparent about their work.
A post on DULF's website dated March 3, 2025, said its lawsuit seeks to prove that the section of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act prohibiting possession for the purpose of trafficking is unconstitutional and “its enforcement is killing the very people it is intended to protect.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2025.
