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.
Dispensing Freedom
After eight years of hard work lobbying, development, outreach, and planning, the Shinnecock Nation celebrates the opening of Little Beach Harvest with a ribbon cutting. This is the first cannabis dispensary owned by the Nation, and the first in the county. This 5,000-square-foot, two-story retail space is on traditional Shinnecock lands in…
Quebec decision on Mohawk tobacco trade a ‘game-changing advancement’ in Aboriginal law, says lawyer
Quebec decision on Mohawk tobacco trade a ‘game-changing advancement’ in Aboriginal law, says lawyer
Court proposes new test to determine existence of Aboriginal right based on Indigenous legal system From Canadian Lawyer Mag by Aidan Macnab November 7 2023 A Quebec court has proposed a new test for determining the existence of an Aboriginal right based on whether the right was protected in the…
Little Beach Harvest is owned and licensed by the Shinnecock Indian Nation and is the first tax-free cannabis dispensary on LI. From Patch News by Lisa Finn November 6 2023 SOUTHAMPTON, NY —Just in time for Native American Heritage Month, a new day is set to dawn on the Shinnecock…
The second annual National Indigenous Industry and Policy Summit convenes Tribal leaders, advocates, and policymakers to discuss cannabis legalization and Indian Country From Cannabis & Tech Today by Patricia Miller October 24 2023 Washington DC, Aug. 15, 2023 — The second annual National Indigenous Cannabis Policy Summit, hosted by the Indigenous Cannabis Industry…
Some Indigenous people believe they have constitutional right to sell cannabis without government approval From CBC News by Erik White October 20 2023 After seeing how much it helped his father-in-law deal with Stage 4 cancer, Cecil (Junior) Shawana decided to get into the cannabis business. Shawana and his wife opened…
Following medical cannabis legalization in 2021, the tribal police commission recently held a meeting to discuss medical cannabis cards, product transport, and the progress of their cultivation site. From High Times by Nicole Potter October 18 2023 The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is continuing its path toward cannabis…
From National Indigenous Times by Giovanni Torre October 12 2023 The NSW/ACT Aboriginal Legal Service has welcomed the NSW government’s new drug legislation as “a welcome step towards sensible, fair and evidence-based drug policy”, and encouraged stronger reforms. On October 12 ALS noted the proposed diversion scheme relies on police…
A First Nations-owned cannabis producer and retailer is now taking what they say is a “hybrid approach” to cannabis sales on their reserve lands. From StratCann by David Brown October 10 2023 Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) is the signatory of the first government-to-government agreement with the Province of British…
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.