Reversing drug prohibition and legalizing cannabis is a historic feat. But as Boyd points out, before we turn the chapter, drug prohibition needs to be “understood as a social justice and human rights issue. The question is how will the government address the historic violence and injustice of drug prohibition?”…
Posts published in “Issues”
Medicine Wheel was the first cannabis dispensary to open on Alderville’s “Mashkiki Trail” or “Green Mile.” It is a state-of-the-art dispensary, testing site, and production facility established by Alderville First Nation member Rob Stevenson. Inspired by the growth of cannabis dispensaries in nearby Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Medicine Wheel opened its doors on June 21st, 2017.
One Mohawk elder is questioning the validity of bring marijuana to his people.
“It is not in our culture, it is not in our traditions to use something like (cannabis). We call those substances mind-changers,” says Kenneth Deer, a member of the Kahnawake Longhouse. “We’re fine with the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, but not recreational.” Deer is a Mohawk traditionalist and views the…
The Mohawk community will now move forward with its own plan to license and regulate the sale of cannabis within its borders. The South Shore community rejected Ottawa’s cannabis legislation earlier this month, opting instead to create its own laws governing the growth and sale of legal weed in Kahnawake. Christopher…
VICE found that from 2015 to 2017, Canadian government agencies prosecuted minority cannabis users at a much higher rate than their white counterparts. In Regina, police were nine times more likely to arrest indigenous people for cannabis crime than whites. That’s in a city where indigenous people number 9.3 percent of…
The Indigenous cannabis industry in Canada is growing quickly. There are two main aspects of the industry on reserve, grassroots people who are opening up their own dispensaries, and deals made by Band Council leaders with Licensed Producers. The following is a brief summary of some of the latest Indigenous…
Randi Beers • CBC News • Oct 05, 2018 Non-profit group hosts workshop to learn how First Nations communities are coping with legalization Ellen Smith says Fort McPherson isn’t ready for cannabis. That’s not to say it’s bad or harmful — Smith just wants her community to understand what’s coming. She adds the key to getting…
By Nick Westoll Digital Broadcast Journalist Global News, Global News Just two days after cannabis was legalized across Canada, Toronto police say drug squad officers raided five marijuana dispensaries across the city Friday afternoon. “Just as before Oct. 17, we are enforcing the laws and we are continuing to do so. Anybody who remains open is…
Reprinted from CTV News. Video Coverage here. OPASKWAYAK CREE NATION, Manitoba — The drums echoed across the empty muddy parking lot outside the local hockey arena as if a call out to the entire community. Despite the howling winds and subzero temperatures, almost instantly dozens began to arrive. By foot,…