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…
Dispensing Freedom
Richard Cuthbertson · CBC News · Posted: Apr 02, 2024 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: April 2 Some unauthorized store owners are asserting they have a treaty right to sell cannabis Thomas Durfee, right, the founder of Amu Leaf, is shown outside provincial court in Dartmouth, N.S., with Del Riley, who was the…
From WTMJ Wisconsin’s Radio by Jack Graue April 1 2024 MICHIGAN — Wisconsin is flanked on all sides by states that allow medical and recreational marijuana, but does not legally allow the use of the plant. A legislative effort to bring restricted medical marijuana to Wisconsin fell apart in early 2024. Now,…
MARCH 31, 2024 | DAVID BROWN New Brunswick says it is unable to enforce its provincial cannabis laws on First Nations land, while other provinces take a different stance. The new comments come following proposed changes to the province’s Cannabis Act and stand in contrast to statements and actions taken by other…
MARCH 27, 2024 | DAVID BROWN The head of Toronto’s licensing and standards department says the city needs more money to enforce the law against a growing number of illegal cannabis stores operating there. In an interview with City News, Carleton Grant, Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards at City of Toronto, says…
MARCH 26, 2024 | DAVID BROWN Ontario is planning to add $31 million to its budget to address illegal cannabis stores and websites operating in the province. As part of Ontario’s Budget 2024, it says it plans to provide the funds over three years to the Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team…
March 23, 2024 Jared Big Canoe By Mike Anderson After his Indigenous pot shop on High Street was raided by York Regional Police earlier this month, Jared Big Canoe says he’s looking forward to his day in court. Big Canoe wants the charges dropped and the cannabis and cash seized…
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.”
The sanctity of Native American religious rites involving peyote faces new risks from not only recreational users, but pharmaceutical companies. From High Times by Benjamin M Adams January 26 2024 Native American and preservationist advocates are sounding the alarm about an imminent “peyote crisis.” The crisis started decades ago, but recently has…
From The Penticton Herald by Jaquelin St. Pierre January 24 2024 SUDBURY—Next week, the Ontario Superior Court will hear a precedent-setting case involving 10 First Nations defendants facing cannabis-related charges dating back to the early days of the legalization of recreational cannabis. Ontario made the substance legal on October 17,…