Saskatchewan’s Conservative justice minister Don Morgan called on the federal government “to take some steps” to intervene and shut down dispensaries in Muscowpetung First Nation and Pheasant Rump Nakota Nation, each of which have introduced their own cannabis regulations independent of the province and federal government.
CBC Saskatchewan
- Morgan told public safety minister Ralph Goodale the First Nations dispensaries were competing with provincially regulated REC stores, and also because the province could not track what the dispensaries sold.
- Provinces do not have jurisdiction over First Nations, hence the call to Ottawa.
- Most are aware an RCMP raid First Nations cannabis businesses operating within regulations imposed by the Nations in question could escalate very quickly into something nobody wants, be it standoff, protracted conflict, or court case. Trudeau is a deeply unpopular figure across most First Nations and a federal raid could open up another front on which for Indigenous critics to attack him.
- Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Chief Cameron argued police should instead be focusing on illegal drugs and gangs. The First Nations dispensaries, he said, “are practicing and asserting their jurisdiction and sovereignty. They’re trying to create employment and generate revenue with what little they’ve got to improve some of the projects and housing on reserve.”
Quick Hits
- Saskatchewan’s Country Thunder doesn’t ban cannabis, but requires attendees to follow the law banning cannabis smoking in places where tobacco can be smoked. Whether you’re going to Country Thunder or another summer music festival, Exclaim! has a guide to smoking cannabis at festivals from province to province.
Global, Exclaim! - BC cannabis law explicitly prohibits REC retail employees from warning anyone about the presence cannabis enforcement officers. The text of the law, I kid you not, reads, “Actions such as announcing the arrival of inspectors, raising or flashing lights, turning down music, playing particular soundtracks (e.g. “Bad Boys” or “Hawaii Five O”), using spotlights, or any other similar actions are not permitted.”
Leafly, Government of BC - It doesn’t matter whether the original plants were blessed by a rabbi, said other rabbis. “Kosher Kush” is not good name for a type of cannabis, even if cannabis isn’t a food product and therefore not subject to Jewish dietary law.
The Leaf
