Illicit vape pens and refill cartridges were for sale at four of the six cannabis stores visited by this newspaper at Pikwakanagan First Nation on the shores of Golden Lake, about 150 kilometres west of Ottawa.
Dispensing Freedom
The next federal government needs to amend the Cannabis Act so First Nations can have jurisdiction over the industry on their territories, to seize its economic potential and avoid potential conflicts, according to some Indigenous leaders.
A group of about 30 people marched in front of the Sudbury courthouse for several hours on Thursday, protesting the arrest and incarceration of Derek Roque.
UCCM Anishnaabe Police Drug Enforcement Unit executed a Criminal Code warrant at a residence in Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation based on information that there was an illegal cannabis dispensary located on the property.
The owners of two Wahnapitae marijuana dispensaries are vowing to reopen after raids Wednesday by Anishinabek Police Service shut them down.
Terry Teegee will chair the Assembly of First Nations Chiefs Committee on Cannabis, which is working on a framework to harmonize the First Nation “seed to sale” cannabis industry with the rest of Canada.
The Tseshaht First Nation has opened its own provincially-licensed cannabis store. Orange Bridge Cannabis, according to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, is the first cannabis retail store licence issued by the province to a First Nation
Today there is a barrier to First Nations pursuing the legal cannabis business, even on our own lands. The problem is rooted in the fact that the federal government has delegated cannabis retail licensing authority to the provinces.
Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe lawyer to talk cannabis, tax disputes at Indigenous Law Conference
Canada's First Nations are crafting a plan for a separate cannabis regulatory regime that they will present to Ottawa by the spring no matter which party wins the coming federal election.