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Posts published in “News”

Senate committee urges Cannabis Act overhaul to address exclusion of First Nations

Committee chair says situation ‘yet another example of how Indigenous Peoples are being let down by Canada’ Brett Forester – CBC News The federal health minister should amend the 2018 Cannabis Act to recognize First Nations’ right to govern the possession, sale and distribution of cannabis on their lands, a…

Chief Del Riley and panel to discuss rights issues in public meeting at 2pm on May 12th at Westin Hotel

PRESS RELEASE – NEWSWIRE.CA – MAY 9 2023 OTTAWA, ON, May 9, 2023 /CNW/ – Medicine Wheel Natural Healing became the first Anishinaabe sovereign cannabis dispensary in Canada when it opened its doors in Alderville First Nation in 2017. Now, with the support of former National Chief Delbert Riley, Medicine Wheel Natural Healing has opened a new location…

Dispensing Freedom Newsletter #1 | April 12, 2023

Hello readers, and welcome to our new weekly newsletter. We are pleased to share that the Dispensing Freedom website now hosts over 1000 cross referenced articles about Indigenous Cannabis issues, making it the single largest online repository of Indigenous Cannabis news and information. Dispensing Freedom aggregates and categorizes all mainstream…

Brother Processing specializes in providing Interac services for Indigenous dispensaries

Indigenous communities and businesses are often disadvantaged by a lack of infrastructure and business services on reserve. Our family owned business, Brother Processing Services, has been making concrete steps to help Indigenous entrepreneurs across Canada access banking and merchant payment services.

A tribe in northern Wisconsin is pursuing retail cannabis. Here’s why many tribes see the potential industry as a way to diversify revenue.

Some tribal officials are seeking a medical marijuana compact similar to the gaming compact the state has with the tribes. From Green Bay Press Gazette by Frank Vaisvilas March 27, 2023 ODANAH – The Bad River Ojibwe Tribe in northern Wisconsin this month posted a job application for a legal consultant to…

Fighting for sovereign Micmac rights in Ugpi’ganjig

Chris, Kyle and Cody Caplin are brothers who live at Ugpi'ganjig and who have been on the front lines of the Micmac fight for economic sovereignty for years. Like hundreds of other Indigenous entrepreneurs, when Canada legalized cannabis in 2018, Chris and Cody Caplin opened a sovereign trading post to sell cannabis on reserve. With wide ranging support for the use of cannabis as a medicine in the community, five other cannabis shops followed the lead of the Medicine Cabinet, and have helped to build a thriving cannabis economy in the community.  

Why this Mississaugas of the Credit-owned cannabis shop operates without an Ontario license

Mississaugas of the Credit Medicine Wheel rejects “centuries of economic genocide” From The Varsity by Georgia Kelly January 29 2023 At the College and Spadina intersection just off the UTSG campus, a Mississaugas of the Credit (MC) Medicine Wheel cannabis dispensary proudly operates without an Ontario license.  The 289 College Street store…

Cape Breton municipal police trample on Mi’kmaq rights in Membertou First Nation raids

In December of last year, the Cape Breton Regional Police Service carried out multiple raids in Membertou First Nation in violation of the constitutionally protected Aboriginal and Treaty Rights of several Mi’kmaq men. On December 13th, 2022 the municipal police force entered into federal “lands reserved for Indians” and raided the premises of Sully's Trading Post and Belly Busters Pizza & Donair to enforce provincial laws.