March 3, 2025

An Open Letter to Our Supporters: Join Us in the Fight for Harm Reduction

March 3, 2025

Dear Friends, Allies, and Advocates,

Between August 2022 and October 2023, the Drug User Liberation Front’s Compassion Club and Fulfillment Centre (DULF CC&FC) made history. As the first initiative of its kind, we offered a groundbreaking approach amidst an escalating overdose crisis in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES).

Operating as a non-profit, low-barrier, and non-medicalized model, we built on decades of harm reduction strategies by providing rigorously tested heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, at cost, paired with a supervised consumption space. We proved that a regulated drug supply isn’t just a concept; it’s a solution that saves lives.

But our work, and the lives it impacted, remains at risk.

What’s at Stake

DULF co-founders Eris Nyx and Jeremy Kalicum are facing criminal charges under section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) for the compassionate and life-saving work of providing a regulated, predictable drug supply to some of the people most at risk from the toxic drug supply. We are now engaged in a legal battle to defend harm reduction, challenge outdated drug laws, and demand justice for those disproportionately affected by the toxic drug crisis. This legal challenge seeks to prove that section 5(2) of the CDSA is unconstitutional and that its enforcement is killing the very people it purports to protect.

We argue:

1. Section 7 (Life, Liberty, and Security of the Person):
   Criminalizing alternatives to the unregulated street supply of drugs denies people access to a predictable, safer alternative, forcing them to rely on volatile and deadly street drugs. This prohibition is arbitrary, overbroad, and disproportionately endangers lives.
   
   
2. Section 15 (Equality Before the Law):
   This law perpetuates discrimination against people with disabilities, including those living with substance use disorders, by depriving them of safer options and treating their lives as less worthy of dignity and protection.

We will back up these arguments with a large body of evidence regarding the efficacy of safer supply generally and of our compassion club specifically. We will present first-hand evidence about how our program worked and the positive results it achieved, as well as evidence from leading experts in the fields of addictions, epidemiology, public health and drug-checking.

By challenging this law, we’re fighting not just for safer supply but for systemic change. This case has the potential to set a precedent that could save countless lives across Canada.

The Progress We’ve Made

Thanks to your overwhelming generosity, we successfully raised $150,000 in 2024 to cover the initial stages of this legal fight. Those funds have allowed us to challenge these charges and lay the groundwork for this constitutional case.

But the fight is far from over. As we move deeper into this complex legal battle, the stakes, and the costs, are rising.

The Road Ahead

Our case is currently heading to trial in the BC Supreme Court, with the possibility of appeals to the BC Court of Appeal and, ultimately, the Supreme Court of Canada. The timeline is demanding:

• October 6–10, October 14–17 and October 20-24,: Crown’s case on the charges and our exemption defense.
  
  
• November 24–28, December 1–5, and December 8–12: Evidence on our constitutional challenge.
  
  
• January 26-30: Oral arguments on the constitutional challenge.

Our lawyers will need to put a huge amount of effort into preparing and presenting our evidence and legal arguments. They are working at a fraction of their normal rates, but because of the time required the cost will still be very high. To this end, we must raise $350,000 by October 1st, and we need your help to ensure we can present the most rigorous, effective case possible.

How You Can Help

1. Donate Directly Now:
   
   
   • E-Transfers and PayPal:
     Send funds to:
     druguserliberationfront@gmail.com
     
     
   • Bitcoin Donations:
     Send Bitcoin to:
     bc1qhtj9v8tu0vwhwef4p56qn5slwanq0sd5f7tqmj
     
     
   • Monero Donations:
     Send Monero to:
     44nir2Kcv1R9XSTTwpPS1eGna1psMVnEtWoK2BeEe5Ld7TU9BuunLD84gSSgydLPMqa5bb9rKGLw2FywNge4USuoKSZQmvV
     
     
2. Join Our Legal Sustainer Donor Program:
   
   
   • Become a dedicated partner in the fight for harm reduction and legal justice. By contributing regularly through DULF’s Sustainer Donor Program, you help fund critical legal costs, policy reform advocacy, and support for those most impacted by discriminatory drug policies.
     
     
   • Learn more and join here: Open Collective: DULF
     
     
3. Spread the Word: Share this letter and help us rally support for harm reduction and safer supply.
   
   
4. Stay Engaged: Starting March 1, 2025, we’ll provide biweekly updates on our website, and to our mailing list. These updates will track our fundraising progress and any case developments.

This Is More Than a Legal Case

This case represents the front line in the fight against Canada’s toxic drug crisis. Safer supply is a proven public health measure that reduces overdose deaths, challenges stigma, and saves lives. But entrenched opposition, rooted in fear and misinformation, continues to push back against harm reduction with punitive policies that only deepen the crisis.

This is a fight for science, compassion, and justice over stigma, cruelty, and negligence. With your help, we can ensure that life-saving strategies like safer supply are not just defended but expanded.

Let’s Make History Together

DULF’s CC&FC proved that a better way is possible. We showed that compassion, innovation, and evidence-based solutions can save lives and inspire change. Now, we need your help to protect this progress.

Your support got us through the first stage of this fight, now, let’s finish it. Together, we can challenge unjust laws, defend harm reduction, and fight for a future where no one is left behind in the overdose crisis.

In solidarity,
Eris Nyx & Jeremy Kalicum
Co-Founders, Drug User Liberation Front