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Legal pot shops in Vernon see surge in customers following recent raids

Cannabis retailers in Vernon, BC, say they have seen an increase in new customers in the days following recent raids of several unlicensed stores operating just outside city limits.  From StratCann by David Brown November 4 2024 Provincial inspectors recently closed down a handful of unlicensed cannabis stores operating on…

Former National Chief joins Mohawk elder in taking a stand for the Indigenous right to an economy in Oshawa

Indigenous supporters of My Legacy cannabis dispensary engaged city officials at the launch of Market at 70 King in downtown Oshawa and secured a meeting with Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter. OSHAWA – Robert Fisher Tehonikonrathe is a Mohawk of the Tehanakarineh Bear Clan from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. In January of…

B.C. raids four cannabis shops on K’ómoks First Nation land near Courtenay

By: Kendall Hanson from Chek News B.C.’s community safety unit (CSU), which is responsible for cannabis enforcement in the province, raided four shops on K’ómoks First Nation land this week. The raids were carried out on Thursday and while no one was arrested, a sizable amount of cannabis and products were seized.…

Ontario is getting serious about cracking down on illicit pot shops — but one shop feels unfairly targeted

From Toronto Star by Josh Rubin April 2, 2024 Province’s budget spends $31 million to battle unregulated operators — an estimated 53 unlicensed stores in Toronto alone. The Ontario government is getting serious about cracking down on grey market pot shops — but whether they’ll be successful or not is another question. The…

Halifax Regional Police trample on  Mi’kmaq Treaty Rights

In an interview with Dispensing Freedom, Mr. Durfee stated that when the Halifax Regional Police/RCMP – led by Detective Constable Jeffrey Seebold – raided Amu Leaf, the officers displayed significant “ignorance and racism” in their conduct. Durfee says that the officers “ripped all of our treaty materials off the walls and shredded them, tore down all our signage from the walls, and smashed all of our security cameras.”

Red Roots Trading opens new sovereign cannabis store in Ottawa; steps up efforts to give back to Algonquin people

There is a new sovereign Indigenous cannabis store open in south-east Ottawa. The Red Roots Trading Co.(formally known as Medicine Wheel Natural Healing – Ottawa) has not only rebranded its flagship store at 196 Beechwood Ave in Vanier, but has now opened up a new location at 1990 Russell Road in Ottawa.

Former National Chief Del Riley to assist Mi’kmaw fisherman in New Brunswick constitutional challenge 

CAMPBELLTON, NB – On October 12th, 2023, Mi’kmaw fisherman Copy Caplin appeared in court to fight an attempt by Crown prosecutor Denis Lavoie to summarily dismiss his constitutional challenge as “manifestly frivolous.” Caplin, a Mi’kmaw man from Ugpi’ganjig Eel River Bar First Nation, has been fighting charges under the Fisheries Act for exercising his Aboriginal and treaty rights to fish for food. 

Is the Indigenous cannabis industry under financial blockade from Canada?

While some Indigenous dispensary owners have had their accounts closed for years, there seems to have been a recent uptick in financial actions taken against Indigenous entrepreneurs, almost to the point of an economic embargo. Many of these actions have taken place against individuals living in territories where Band Councils have passed by-laws acknowledging the sovereign right of their residents to cultivate and sell cannabis and where referendums and surveys have shown community support for the cannabis industry.