{"id":2781,"date":"2021-12-03T16:29:07","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T16:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=186953"},"modified":"2021-12-03T16:29:07","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T16:29:07","slug":"the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=2781","title":{"rendered":"The path to Indigenous Sovereignty isn\u2019t through legal weed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>The path to Indigenous Sovereignty isn&#8217;t through legal weed &#8211; Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.5 (Yoast SEO v17.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <\/p>\n<div id=\"copy_clipboard_success\" class=\"fixed top-0 left-0 right-0\">\n<div class=\"bg-white p-lg container mt-xl flex justify-between elevation-low rounded\"> <span class=\"flex items-center\">     <span class=\"ml-md\">Link copied to your clipboard<\/span> <\/span> <button id=\"copy_clipboard_close_btn\">    <\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>                <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><label for=\"select-province\">Which part of Canada?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__age hidden\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--unavailable hidden\">Sorry, Leafly isn&#8217;t available in your location yet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>Since cannabis was legalized in 2018, industry profiteers in the new multibillion-dollar market have been <a href=\"https:\/\/cdpe.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/dlm_uploads\/2020\/10\/How-Diverse-is-Canada%E2%80%99s-Legal-Cannabis-Industry_CDPE-UofT-Policy-Brief_Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">predominantly white men<\/a>. Meanwhile, Indigenous folks, who have been disproportionately criminalized for possession of cannabis, continue to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/d35eyq\/black-and-indigenous-people-are-overrepresented-in-canadas-weed-arrests\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overrepresented<\/a> in Canada\u2019s weed arrests. <\/p>\n<p>The Cannabis Act enabled provinces and territories to regulate the distribution and sale of cannabis. Meanwhile, the federal government was given the authority to regulate the cultivation of the plant. <\/p>\n<p>First Nations were not granted the ability to regulate the distribution, sale or cultivation of cannabis on sovereign or unceded lands. <\/p>\n<p>In fact, they argue that there was no meaningful consultation with Indigenous peoples in the lead up to the legalization of cannabis at all. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arrowheadcorp.ca\/2021\/05\/long-plain-first-nation-pursuing-access-to-the-cannabis-market-through-its-inherent-law-making-authority\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement from the First Nation<\/a> argued that \u201cCanada failed to consider Indigenous interests when legalizing cannabis.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>This, <a href=\"https:\/\/mjbizdaily.com\/canadas-cannabis-act-is-leaving-indigenous-entrepreneurs-behind-critics-say\/\">critics argue<\/a>, has effectively stopped Indigenous cannabis entrepreneurs from participating in the legal market. As a result, First Nations have been forced to exercise their jurisdiction and fight for access to the market.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In a list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afn.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/FINAL_FederalElection-2021_Platform-Report_ENG_3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2021 federal priorities<\/a>, the Assembly of First Nations called upon the federal government to recognize First Nation jurisdiction over cannabis, as well as remove institutional barriers that prevent Indigenous entrepreneurs from participating in the legal marketplace. <\/p>\n<p>Across Canada, there are more than <a href=\"https:\/\/dispensingfreedom.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">250 sovereign Indigenous cannabis dispensaries<\/a>, according to Dispensing Freedom. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-medicine-wheel-mississaugas-of-the-credit\">Medicine Wheel, Mississaugas of the Credit<\/h2>\n<p>In Toronto, Mississaugas of the Credit Medicine Wheel, an Indigenous-owned and operated cannabis store is addressing what its owner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/gta\/2021\/10\/01\/torontos-first-sovereign-indigenous-owned-cannabis-shop-aims-to-fight-economic-genocide-and-is-operating-withoutprovincial-licensing.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">calls \u201ceconomic genocide<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"747\" alt class=\"wp-image-186994 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>(Photo by Mississaugas of the Credit Medicine Wheel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Medicine Wheel is a sovereign dispensary, meaning it does not operate within the scope of Ontario\u2019s cannabis regulations and does not have a licence.<\/p>\n<p>As the Danforth Avenue store is situated on Mississaugas of the Credit territory, the operator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/gta\/2021\/10\/01\/torontos-first-sovereign-indigenous-owned-cannabis-shop-aims-to-fight-economic-genocide-and-is-operating-withoutprovincial-licensing.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told the Toronto Star<\/a> that this means he is entitled to self-governance on Indigenous land.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-legacy-420-tyendinaga-mohawk-territory\">Legacy 420, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory<\/h2>\n<p>In 2015, Indigenous entrepreneur Tim Barnhart opened <a href=\"https:\/\/legacy420.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Legacy 420<\/a> on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory with the intention of creating a space where medical cannabis was readily available to friends and anyone else who needed it. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cThe fact that cannabis is medicine is one of the only reasons it is as widely accepted as it is in Indigenous communities. Yet it is completely illegal to even infer that it has medicinal benefits.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Jordan Brant, marketing assistant at Legacy 420<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Jordan Brant joined the company a year after launch and now works as a marketing assistant and training coordinator. He has watched the business grow from a small shop to a full-purpose space with an in-house testing laboratory. <\/p>\n<p>Today, the thriving business has a complete seed-to-sale platform, producing most of its retail products on-site. Legacy 420 is one of approximately 30 cannabis retailers located on the territory.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the influx of cannabis shops, Brant says, residents of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory made less than minimum wage. Today, more folks are gainfully employed, making a minimum of $15 an hour. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople can pay their bills now and not wonder where their next meal is coming from,\u201d says Brant. \u201cPeople have been lifted out of desperate situations.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>In addition to providing higher wages for employees, Legacy 420 proudly gives back to the community through its Neighbours Helping Neighbours fund, which provides locals with grocery gift cards, sports and recreation, educational support and medical equipment. <\/p>\n<p>When it comes to the Cannabis Act, Legacy 420 is not in favour. \u201cRarely will you see any alcohol sales, let alone production, in Indigenous communities.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that cannabis is medicine is one of the only reasons it is as widely accepted as it is in Indigenous communities,\u201d says Brant. \u201cYet it is completely illegal to even infer that it has medicinal benefits.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" alt class=\"wp-image-187001 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>(Via Instagram @legacy420store)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cA lot more of the misinformation about cannabis has gotten cleared up. The government wants to make money too, so it can\u2019t go around saying cannabis is the devil\u2019s lettuce anymore. People are waking up to the fact that they were lied to about what cannabis does and its effects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The provision of safe, high-quality cannabis products with medicinal, therapeutic and healing benefits to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike has been a central tenet of Legacy 420\u2019s mandate. <\/p>\n<p>On top of this, the Act has the capacity to allow provincial and federal governments to profit off Indigenous business through the taxation of cannabis and undermine the right to self-determination, which is a \u201cdealbreaker for Tyendinaga.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>A large part of the company\u2019s passion for cannabis as a force for good is the ability to empower Indigenous peoples to become self-reliant outside of limiting, colonial regulatory frameworks.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-medicine-wheel-alderville-first-nation\">Medicine Wheel, Alderville First Nation<\/h2>\n<p>Rob Stevenson is the owner of Medicine Wheel, the first Indigenous cannabis dispensary in Alderville First Nation, which launched on National Aboriginal Day in 2017. The business operates with a seed-to-sale model and has more than 60,000 registered members. <\/p>\n<p>Cannabis has become the First Nation\u2019s major economic driver and Stevenson believes such growth should benefit the community and help it build for the long term. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" alt class=\"wp-image-187018 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-path-to-indigenous-sovereignty-isnt-through-legal-weed-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>(Medicine Wheel, Alderville First Nation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTo reduce colonization, we have to strengthen Indigenous Sovereignty and have meaningful control over our lives and our territories with regards to our traditions, teachings and culture,\u201d says Stevenson.<\/p>\n<p>Medicine Wheel collaborated on the revised 2021 Ailment and Treatment Guide, which showcases Indigenous cannabis products that can help heal and treat more than 20 common ailments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the legal market, you\u2019re not allowed to mention medicinal benefits, you\u2019re not allowed to do nation-to-nation trading, you\u2019re not allowed to put money back into your community through sponsorships and endorsements and you\u2019re not allowed to portray animals,\u201d says Stevenson. <\/p>\n<p>Animals, which play an important role in Indigenous spiritual beliefs and cultural practices, are featured on some of Medicine Wheel\u2019s products. For all of these reasons, Medicine Wheel has remained a part of the Indigenous unregulated market. <\/p>\n<p>In terms of how the business operates, nothing has changed since legalization. Rather, competition has increased as more dispensaries popped up and saturated the market, causing a decrease in sales and revenue.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>Related articles<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cTo become a licensed producer, it costs millions and millions of dollars and most Indigenous people don\u2019t have access to that kind of money,\u201d says Stevenson. <\/p>\n<p>The economic capital required to jumpstart a cannabis company remains out of reach for many, especially those who have been historically persecuted and continue to be, by drug laws. Stevenson wants to see the Cannabis Act amended with economic reconciliation for Indigenous peoples in mind. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cA goal of mine is to get recognized by Canada. We are on different paths but headed in the same direction. Our number one concern on both sides is safety: community safety and consumer safety.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are a lot of similarities that we have and I think we can work together and come up with a plan that is more suitable for First Nations people.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-12-03 23:53:41 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The path to Indigenous Sovereignty isn&#8217;t through legal weed &#8211; Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? Which part of Canada? Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Sorry, Leafly isn&#8217;t available in your location yet. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Since cannabis was legalized in 2018, industry profiteers in the new multibillion-dollar market have been predominantly white men. Meanwhile, Indigenous folks, who have been disproportionately criminalized for possession of cannabis, continue to be overrepresented in Canada\u2019s weed arrests. The Cannabis&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2781\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}