Kenhteke Cannabis Association delivers statement to OPP

Runners from the Kenhteke Cannabis Association deliver a statement to OPP officer Simon Owen on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory on Tuesday morning.

TYENDINAGA MOHAWK TERRITORY – Runners on behalf of a newly formed group of cannabis providers delivered a strong and clear message to the Tyendinaga OPP on Tuesday morning.

Their message came in response to a statement made by Police Chief Ron Maracle who claimed he would initiate “pro-active policing” to shut down cannabis dispensaries on the Territory.

Pauline Maracle, Clint Brant, and Mario Baptiste were selected as runners at a Monday night meeting endorsed by 10 different cannabis related businesses on the Territory. The message they brought to the police indicated that the Tyendinaga cannabis industry is united and will follow their traditional ways in governing themselves.

The statement indicates that the group does not “recognize the authority or jurisdiction of foreign entities such as the Tyendinaga Police or the Elected Band Council” and states that any issues within the community relating to the cannabis industry should be discussed and resolved through traditional means.

Representatives of the group have met with Longhouse leaders in Tyendinaga. The Longhouse has called for a meeting – open to all – at which these matters will be discussed according to traditional Onkwehon:we protocol. The meeting will be held at 5pm on Wednesday, July 19th, at the Sadie’s Lane Longhouse.

The full statement is reprinted below.

A Statement From the Kenhteke Cannabis Association by Real Peoples Media on Scribd

July 17, 2017

A statement from the Kenhteke Cannabis Association

1. We are Onkwehon:we people who provide access to cannabis products and other natural medicines in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
2. We are Onkwehon:we and as such we uphold our people’s traditional decision making process through our Clans, Nation, and Confederacy.
3. We do not recognize the authority or jurisdiction of foreign entities such as the Tyendinaga Police or the Elected Band Council on our lands, culture, economy, and politics.
4. Cannabis is a healing plant and we are providing it as a medicine for people who need it. Our activities heal people and do not cause them harm.
5. As Onkwehon:we people we have an intrinsic right to use natural medicines to heal ourselves, and an intrinsic responsibility to provide medicine to all those who need it.
6. We do not need permission to uphold our responsibilities to be who we are. We have a process for making decisions and resolving our differences through our clans and traditional system.
7. We will not tolerate the Tyendinaga Police or the Elected Band Council encroaching on our rights and responsibilities and trying to usurp the authority of our clans and decision making structures.
8. Any attempt to close down our operations will be treated as a threat to our livelihood and an interference in our way of life and will be dealt with accordingly.
9. We are willing to meet and council with those who wish to discuss this matter further with us.

The Kenhteke Cannabis Association  is made up of the following businesses:

Smoke Signals

Field of Dreams

Buddies Apothecary

Peacemaker 420

The Weed Store

For Ever Green

Big Greens

Rotorri Distribution

Smoke on the Water

Sweetgrass Farms

-30-

For more information or to speak to media representatives for the Kenhteke Cannabis Association, please contact realpeoplesmedia@gmail.com and we will put you in contact.