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
- We are Onkwehon:we people who provide access to cannabis products and other natural medicines in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
- We are Onkwehon:we and as such we uphold our people’s traditional decision making process through our Clans, Nation, and Confederacy.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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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.
I stand behind you 100% but I am concerned with people being prosecuted off the reserve for buying it there.
Power to nature’s healing plant!
Good for you.
I will support you in any way that I can. Very refreshing. Stand u our ground. Stand our ground.
Hi .Now i am wondering if the police will be nearby to arrest people leaving any of these establishments. How safe can we feel??
I think the police department has bigger concerns. I know for a fact that a lot of dealers are out of business. In a dispensary, it’s controlled, you know it’s not laced, you’re not selling to kids, it’s a safe place and its helping a lot of people. Not everyone has a doctor that will give them a card. Should those people go untreated, or have to deal with severe sidr effects and pharmaceutical addiction? No one is being harmed, let them be!
We support you every step of the way
I stand by you full heartedly.
I use cannabis as medicine and these shops are a positive impact on the communtiy
I’m a big supporter of medical marijuana and legalizing cannabis in all it’s forms. My only concern is the source of said cannabis and who is actually profiting from it. Some reasons for this movement was to limit the illegal black market and provide a safe product for everyone to consume. These dispensaries are getting their product from all over with absolutely no evidence of product quality in place.
The truth is the members of National Indigenous Medical Cannabis Association and Kenhteke Cannabis Association saw a business opportunity and jumped on it without any concern for public safety or existing laws. If this is really their right to do so as they claim it is, then why only now did they decide to move forward with it? The moment the Liberal government made it their mandate to legalize cannabis the members of the associations suddenly decided that this money making opportunity was their “intrinsic right”.
The Associations have made it clear that they been giving back into the community with their million dollar profits. But it is also clear that they have no problems using their million dollar tax-free profits on enriching themselves and building elaborate buildings for dispensing and manufacturing even more illegal product. (i.e. legacy 420 who made 25 million last year alone).
I wonder whats next…Liquor stores?
One love to all and i feel these places have made it easyier for people with serve problems and to be helped no shipping fees and tax is ridiculous specialy people on fixed incomes how are they supposed to pay for medication when its not covered but every pill out there is id rather use the herb god gave us then then pressed cut the government gives us
I completely agree 100%
Policing /government need to focus more on the bad stuff thats out there killing our children/families…..
Clean the streets up.
This article shows that we are standing up and recognizing that marijuana has all sorts of healing properties and is medicine!
I am not a native person BUT! the healing plants have been on this earth since man was put on earth. The government had legalized tobacco,and booze. Way more harmful to ones health.Go figure. It is just because they,the government, is trying to find a way to screw the public.how can they tell you people that,the treaty says this or that but will not let you give the oil to people in need. They are nuts. I myself and i am 77 years old,take cannabis oil for my arthritis. It has done wonders for me. I do not take it with the stuff that makes you get high. I just need it for the pain. I have used the other one that gives me a buzz but do not like the feeling. I cannot take the traditional medicine for arthritis as i am allergic to it. The oils will not hurt you,cannot o.d on it and so far, NO side effects.hope you win your battle.am with you 100 percent on this one good luck
This is so sad . Does the police not have more important tasks at hand than harassing Dispensaries .Good grief !! I am a 60 yr old non First Nations who has used the Dispensaries on the Territory for the last yr . All my encounters have been positive , staff have been friendly , knowledgeable , respectful & compassionate . Please Chief Maracle focus your attention on crimes that actually hurt people .