Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to office in 2015 and pledged to legalize recreational cannabis by July 2018, several Indigenous dispensaries have opened shops on Six Nations Territory, with differing levels of openness to the public. Below is a timeline of events at Six Nations.
Spring 2017 – Medixinal Dispensary opens on Brant County Hwy 54, but does not openly publicize its existence.
June 2017 – Paradise Gardens Hydroponics addresses the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC). Members of the National Indigenous Medical Cannabis Association came to speak but were not allowed to address Council.
July 4, 2017 – SNEC releases an official Statement declaring cannabis sales illegal at Six Nations, unless issued under an Ontario government licence, and received with a doctor issued prescription.
July 2017 – Six Nations Police raids Medixinal Dispensary. The owners cease operation.
August 2017 – Mohawk Medicine, a health and wellness centre on Sour Spring Road opens, including cannabis among their medicinal herbs.
August 2017 – Jeff Hawk opens Green Health for Six at the same location as Medixinal.
August 2017 – SNEC releases the results of its community survey (339 respondents) with the following:
Q. 4: Would you like to see Methadone Clinics on Six Nations?
YES: 37.31% NO: 62.69%
Q. 5: Should Six Nations get involved in medical cannabis?
YES: 51% NO: 24.5% I’M NOT SURE/NEED MORE INFO: 24.5%
October 2017 – Jeff Hawk meets with the New Directions Group, the SNEC Health Agency providing addictions services and responsible for wellness promotion. NDG agreed to a second meeting to foster education but failed to follow up.
October 2017 – Ontario Government funded Methadone Treatment Clinic opens at Six Nations offering addictions services and pharmacy.
October 21, 2017 – A public meeting, “Cannabis: an Indigenous Perspective” is booked to take place at the Six Nations Bingo Hall. SNEC bars organizers and participants from using the hall, and forcing them to meet in the parking lot.
November 16, 2017 – Six Nations Police raid Mohawk Medicine, arresting and charging four people. They confiscate cash and cannabis.
December 4-31, 2017 – Green Health for Six runs its Six Nations Medicinal Cannabis Survey, mailing 2300 copies to households, running the survey in both local papers, and making the survey available online.
January 13, 2018 – Initial results of the Six Nations Cannabis Survey (731 respondents) are published online, on the Green Health for Six website.
January 16, 2018 – Six Nations Police raid Green Health for Six Dispensary, arresting and charging owner Jeff Hawk and four patrons, seizing cash and confiscating cannabis.
January 28, 2018 – Public Event discussing survey results to take place at Yogi’s Barn from 1 to 4pm. Facebook Link.
February 28, 2018 – Six Nations Council begins holding community consultation meetings on the topic of cannabis.
March, 2018 – The final charges against all charged in the July 2017 Medixinal dispensary raid are dismissed. After 18 months, the Crown had still not provided disclosure.
[…] For more information about cannabis at Six Nations, please see the following Timeline of Indigenous Cannabis at Six Nations. […]