
Kahnawake Council called out on cannabis
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) must prevent cannabis dispensaries before it's too late, representatives of the 207 Longhouse demanded as hundreds of Kahnawa'kehró:non confronted Council chiefs outside the band office Wednesday.
The call to dismantle plans to introduce three privately run cannabis stores in Kahnawake, with money from a fee levied on non-Indigenous customers flowing back to the MCK, comes as a list of 14 applicants are under review ahead of a lottery to determine who will be permitted to open one of three dispensaries on the territory.
Those who are chosen stand to generate untold revenues from the sale of cannabis. Those who attempt to open unsanctioned dispensaries, on the other hand, would be liable for criminal charges, according to MCK chief Tonya Perron, who leads the portfolio.
According to Joe Deom, spokesperson for the Longhouse, which organized the protest, opponents of the plan have no faith that Council will be able to rein in the cannabis industry once it opens its doors on the territory.
'We understand that the band council is almost to the point of choosing who's going to have a dispensary of cannabis, and before that happens we want to nip it in the bud and prevent it from happening, because once they're in, it's harder to get rid of them,' said Deom.
'Even though they might authorize three dispensaries, the rest of the population here will take it upon themselves to put up their own shop, and there's no means that we can see that the band council can stop that from happening.'
He also cited fears around health and Kanien'kehá:ka cultural values in explaining the Longhouse's opposition to the plan.
While the approach to introducing the cannabis dispensaries to Kahnawake has been several years in the making, going back to when it first became clear the drug would be legalized in Canada, many Kahnawa'kehró:non have pointed to the uncontrolled proliferation of shops in Kanesatake since then as an illustration of their worst fears.
In Kahnawake's sister community, an unregulated cannabis industry has been marred by land grabbing, tree cutting, and fears that some shops have brought organized crime to the territory. In one case, a known gang affiliate, Arsène Mompoint, was murdered in broad daylight in front of the Green Room dispensary.
Just this weekend, residents of Kanesatake described being overwhelmed by an influx of thousands of outsiders attending parties at the scores of shops dotting Route 344 to celebrate 4/20 – the biggest day of the year for cannabis aficianados.
'What we don't want is our community to be overrun the way other communities are overrun by cannabis shops, and that brought in a lot of criminal elements to these communities, especially Kanesatake,' said Deom. 'That's what our main concern is.'
MCK chiefs have argued, however, that regulations and a local police force empower Kahnawake to ensure that the industry is safe and controlled here in town.
'We're in a very different situation than Kanesatake,' MCK grand chief Cody Diabo told the protesters.
When the crowd arrived at the MCK building on Wednesday morning on a march from the greenspace at the Golden Age, 10 Council chiefs were waiting to hear out the protesters, even as no promises were made to change course. Karihwakatste Deer and Kaherihshon Fran Beauvais read out a statement from the Longhouse.
Only Diabo addressed the protesters on behalf of the MCK, frequently receiving jeers from the crowd. He was also the only MCK chief to acknowledge, with a furtive hand raise, that he had voted for the plan, even as he declined to endorse it.
'I'm conflicted as well. I have my own opinions on it,' said Diabo, who suggested cannabis is already purchased on the territory, whether through unregulated transactions or by mail from the government-sanctioned seller.
'What's out there right now that people are consuming? They're going to Oka to get things. It's in the territory. People are selling,' he said.
Health and safety were top of mind for Council, he said, arguing that work to make the regime safe is why it has taken eight years to get to this point. An aspect of the plan, he noted, would be for prevention tools to be boosted by revenues from the sanctioned sale of cannabis.
Students were a major contingent at the protest, even during the middle of a school day.
Layla Phillips is a grade 11 Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) student and a member of the student council there.
'We walked here to make sure we made a statement, because we really truly believe in this, that it shouldn't be here. We don't need this here in Kahnawake. As a student body, we made a decision to come out,' said Phillips.
Phillips' twin and fellow KSS student, Anna Phillips, was also in attendance to show support for the cause. The pair estimated there is virtually no support for cannabis dispensaries among students at KSS.
'We don't want to look at our community and see non-Natives all over the place risking the safety of our children, our cousins, our family members, and having cannabis stores in the community just encourages people to come into it,' said Anna.
'Honestly, it hurts to know that people are so self-involved for something like that to allow it into the community to breach the safety of your family members,' Anna added. 'I want a community that we can be proud of and that's safe. Letting the cannabis stores in is going to hurt that.'
Speaking to Council, Deer argued that the $220 million lawsuit against the MCK by Magic Palace, which was shuttered after allegations of ties to organized crime, is a harbinger of things to come on the cannabis file.
'Our own community members are going to sue you, even though you think you're doing this right by making laws and regulations,' she said.
'You could say no right now, and you're choosing not to,' another community member shouted at Diabo. 'It's embarrassing.'
Community member Leith Mahkewa told the crowd that she visited the community she comes from over the weekend, describing what her 10-year-old said when they returned to Kahnawake.
'He said, 'Ista, look,' she said. 'You come into Kahnawake and it says 'Vapes, Vapes, Vapes,' just like back home where it says 'Weed, Weed, Weed,'' she said.
'It's shameful. It's embarrassing. And you're all going to be weeping and regretting and feeling guilty later on,' she said, adding the 'black snake' of the cannabis market will be impossible to control and that those in office will be responsible for the havoc it wreaks for generations.
'My concerns are for all the generations coming up, the young people now, even the young adults, all the younger ones, all the kids in the school, the generations to come,' said community member Eleanore Paul during the march.
'We have enough mind-altering substances going around already that we don't need the sale of this to come into our community and destroy the minds of our people.'
A referendum was broached by some at the protest, though many expressed opposition on the grounds that members of the Longhouse generally refuse to vote. Diabo acknowledged this fact and suggested, in any case, that this route has already been rejected by the community.
'I can't change what was in the past,' he said. 'A referendum was proposed at a community meeting of a previous Council, and they chose to go with the poll.'
One of the chiefs on the cannabis file, Jeremiah Johnson, was long opposed to the stores as a private community member prior to joining Council this term.
'I'm very proud of our community members for coming together and marching and showing that they have a voice and using that voice,' Johnson told The Eastern Door. 'I'm always very supportive of people protesting and voicing their concerns. That's what I'm very proud of most.'
He said Council will discuss the protest that transpired and how to move forward, and he said he will continue to argue for a halt.
'I've always argued to reverse course. Since I first came on Council, it was my opinion that I did not agree with the current direction the cannabis industry was going. I had attempted to call for referendum already. Only myself and one other Council member were in support of that referendum, so hopefully we can make a better argument for it now.'
Short of a change of direction, Johnson said he will do everything he can to try to make sure the industry is compliant with regulations aimed at community safety.
Former MCK chief Gina Deer, who worked on the cannabis file when it first began, was involved in the survey that helped inform the current direction of the cannabis plan. While she said that was the right choice at the time, after several intervening years, it may be time to reconsider.
'We were working with what at the time was the will of the people, but now here we are several years fast-forward, and I thought the mention of a referendum was a good idea because things do change, and Council has reversed things,' she said.
She also argued that if the plan moves forward as is, revenues that are generated by it must benefit the community in clear, tangible ways, unlike with gaming, she said.
Diabo downplayed the possibility of a referendum following the protest, but said it's possible things could change course in some way. 'Really at this point I'd say coin toss,' he said. 'I can't really give a definitive answer on that.'
Perron said that while the protest's message was clear, in 2018 Council was hearing a very different message from a different subsection of the community and that there continues to be a lot of disagreement about the best way forward.
'Their message was 'stay out of it, Council. We should be able to do this. We should be able to sell. It's our right,'' Perron said.
The current policy has grown out of taking into account voices from all sides while emphasizing a prudent approach that will protect the community, she said. She emphasized that her own views are irrelevant and that it is her role to try to represent the community's wishes, even when there is no consensus.
'That's what I've been trying to do for seven years is listen to everybody and ensure there's something that will at least provide for both health and public safety,' she said.
She also suggested that had Council not committed to developing a regulatory framework and providing licenses, a moratorium on cannabis stores may not have worked.
'I truly believe that if we hadn't done any of that, that our community might look different than it does today,' she said.
Perron said that regulation can help ensure a safe cannabis market in Kahnawake and said local authorities are equipped to clamp down on unlicensed shops that could pop up.
'If they have no license, the Peacekeepers will have no choice but to act accordingly because it would be an offence under the criminal law, which, we do apply the criminal law here,' Perron said.
Following the protest, Deom expressed hope that the MCK will be encouraged to heed the call to back down on dispensaries.
'They're not going to make a decision in front of us. They're going to go in, they're going to talk about it. We don't know what they're going to say,' said Deom, who suggested that if Council still decides to move ahead with welcoming cannabis dispensaries, the Longhouse will look at further actions.
The MCK has already begun licensing cannabis growers, but there is yet no date announced for the distribution of dispensary licenses. While the number of licenses is capped at three, the regulations on cannabis instruct that this maximum will be reviewed at least once a year.
marcus@easterndoor.com
Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox News
30 minutes ago
- Fox News
Non-citizen LA rioters could be deported under new House bill
FIRST ON FOX: Some House Republicans are now considering whether non-citizens who are found to have participated in violent anti-law enforcement riots have a right to stay in the United States. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, is leading a bill that would make non-U.S. citizens convicted of "actual or attempted assault, battery, or use of force" against any law enforcement officer eligible for deportation. Any immigrants deported under the legislation, if enacted, would be permanently barred from the United States. "The thing about breaking the law is, there's effectively a waiving of your constitutional rights that's sort of inherent in our system, right? When you go to prison, you're losing your liberty," Crenshaw told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday. "So this is a very normal thing, and in the case of say, people who are here legally, but then committing acts of violence – in this case, we're being really specific, during a national emergency, committing assaults against police officers, and destruction of property – that should have an effect and be on the list of things that allows for revocation of your status." Early bill text obtained by Fox News Digital shows the bill would apply to legal permanent residents, people here illegally, and beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. It would go into effect when presidents, governors or local leaders make emergency or major disaster declarations. It comes amid continued tensions in Los Angeles, where protests against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operations turned violent across the city this weekend. Rioters were seen burning American flags and cars stood on the street in flames, while police used pepper spray and rubber bullets on crowds outside federal buildings. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard despite the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and ordered 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles as well. Those Marines will be training in Seal Beach for a few more days before deployment, a U.S. defense official told Fox News. Democrats have accused the Trump administration of escalating violence in Los Angeles, while Republicans argue that federal action is necessary based on the state's handling of the situation. Crenshaw said his legislation would help the administration restore order during such times. "What it would do is, it would give the administration the option to say, yeah we've rounded all these people up, half of them are U.S. citizens, okay, you're going to jail for rioting. Maybe another quarter are illegals, well that's easy you can deport them," he said. "But what about the other quarter? You know, that might be…a number of legal aliens here rioting against America for enforcing our immigration laws. In our minds, you've violated that sort of social contract with the United States at that point." Crenshaw said he spoke with the White House and that officials there were "excited" about the bill. The White House said it would not get in front of the president on legislative matters when reached for comment by Fox News Digital. Currently, legal U.S. residents, including green card holders, can have their status revoked by an immigration judge if they are found guilty of certain crimes or are found to have fraudulently misrepresented themselves in their application for residence. Crimes that would make legal U.S. visa holders and green card holders eligible for deportation currently include murder, drug trafficking and rape.


The Hill
32 minutes ago
- The Hill
Ahead of UN climate talks, Brazil fast-tracks oil and highway projects that threaten the Amazon
MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — Months before hosting the U.N.'s first climate talks held in the Amazon, Brazil is fast-tracking a series of controversial decisions that undercut President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's lofty environmental rhetoric and show widening divisions within his cabinet. The country's federal environmental agency approved plans for offshore drilling near the mouth of the Amazon and rock blasting along another river in the rainforest, while Congress is moving to make it harder to recognize Indigenous land and easier to build infrastructure in the rainforest. These efforts would be controversial in normal times. But on the eve of the COP30 climate summit, environmental advocates say they're undermining Lula's claims to be an environmental defender whose administration has made headway in slowing deforestation in the Amazon. 'What will Brazil show up with at COP30 in November?' asked Cleberson Zavaski, president of the National Association of Environmental Public Servants. 'Will it be, once again, a list of commitments that contradict what the country itself is putting on the table today — such as expanding the highway network and oil exploitation?' Protecting the environment was a central part of Lula's presidential campaign in 2022, when he ran against President Jair Bolsonaro, who presided over increasing deforestation and illegal activities in the Amazon, such as gold mining and land-grabbing. But when Brazil's environmental protection agency rejected the bid of Petrobras, the country's state-run oil company, to conduct exploratory drilling in an about 160 kilometers (99 miles) off Brazil's Amazonian coast, Lula supported the company's appeal and in February criticized the agency for taking too long, saying it 'seems like it's working against the government.' On May 19, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources or IBAMA, approved an emergency plan to allow the drilling. A week later, IBAMA approved a rock-blasting operation along 40 km (25 miles) of the Tocantins River to enable year-round navigation, despite criticism from local grassroots organizations. The river, which cuts through the Amazon rainforest, is set to become a critical waterway to ship soybeans, mainly to China. The Federal Prosecutor's Office said the authorization was illegal because it failed to address issues highlighted during the environmental study, and filed a lawsuit seeking to have it overturned. Since taking office in 2023, Lula has argued that Brazil can both further its development while protecting the environment. 'France, the U.K., Norway and the U.S. also produce oil. And Brazil has the cleanest energy mix in the world: 90% of our electricity comes from renewables,' Lula said in an interview to French newspaper Le Monde published last week. Brazil gets most of its own electricity from hydropower and other green energies, while its oil exports, a major source of income for the country, are on the rise. Emails to the president's chief of staff seeking comment were not answered. On May 21, the Senate approved sweeping legislation that weakens federal agencies' environmental licensing powers. Among other measures, the bill streamlines review for projects deemed priorities by the federal government, reducing the approval process from three bureaucratic steps to one and imposing a one-year deadline for review. It also elimates reviews for upgrades to existing highways, which could clear the way for to pave the whole of BR-319, a highway that runs about 900 kilometers (560 miles) through the western part of the Amazon. Environmentalists argue that the paving will lead to mass clearing of a pristine area of rainforest. The bill is opposed by Lula's Workers' Party, but it's expected to pass the lower chamber of Congress. Lula could veto all or parts of the bill, but according to press reports he is expected to support of the bulk of the changes with only minor adjustments. Lula has said he has no position on the environmental bill. Meanwhile, Congress has also approved rules that make it harder demarcate Indigenous lands and is moving forward with legislation to weaken licensing rules that, among other impacts. The bill is opposed by Lula's Workers' Party, but according to several press reports Lula will support of the bulk of the changes and will only negotiate minor adjustments. 'It's the perfect combo to wipe out environmental protections and Indigenous land demarcations in the country, accelerate the tipping point of the world's largest tropical forest and set off a carbon bomb against the global climate,' Climate Observatory, a network of 133 environmental, civil society and academic groups, said in a statement. Former U.S. Interior Interior Bruce Babbitt, who sits on the board of the nonprofit Amazon Conservation, said in a statement that the bill 'will lead to massive destruction of the Amazon rainforest. It should be opposed by all Brazilians and friends of Brazil in the international community.' The licensing bill has also deepened internal divisions within Brazil's government. Environment Minister Marina Silva said the law will end one of Brazil's crucial mechanisms of environmental protection, but she appears increasingly sidelined in the administration. Local media have reported that Lula's Chief of Staff Rui Costa promised the bill's sponsor that Lula would not oppose changes to licensing rules, and Minister of Transportation Renan Filho said in a social media post that the bill is 'excellent' news that will get the highway project moving. At a press conference last week, Lula praised Silva, calling her 'loyal' and adding that it's normal to have friction between the environmental and other ministries of government. But many see echoes of Lula's previous administration, during which Silva resigned from the same post after being marginalized by the rising influence of agribusiness. João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary of the environment ministry, reiterated her criticism of the bill in a speech last week, calling it a 'real risk of setback.' He added that Silva is working with Lula's cabinet toward 'a point of convergence between those who seek efficiency — and deserve a response — and the need to preserve the system without dismantling environmental licensing.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Reddit (NYSE:RDDT) Appoints Adam Collins As First Chief Communications Officer
Reddit saw an 8% increase in its share price over the past month, coinciding with several developments. The appointment of Adam Collins as the Chief Communications Officer could improve the company's communications strategy, potentially enhancing investor confidence. Additionally, integration with Smartly's platform might bolster advertising capabilities, aligning with the company's growth objectives. While Reddit's price movement is consistent with broader market gains seen in the tech-heavy indices, which are benefiting from ongoing trade discussions between the U.S. and China, these internal changes could have added weight to its upward trajectory. We've discovered 1 risk for Reddit that you should be aware of before investing here. The end of cancer? These 23 emerging AI stocks are developing tech that will allow early identification of life changing diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. The recent appointment of Adam Collins as Chief Communications Officer and the integration with Smartly's platform could significantly influence Reddit's international growth narrative by enhancing communication strategies and boosting advertising capabilities. These developments are expected to drive user engagement and advertiser expansion, particularly in key non-U.S. markets. Over the past year, Reddit's total shareholder return was a considerable 97.10%, suggesting strong performance. This highlights the company's ability to capitalize on market opportunities despite challenges, outperforming the US Interactive Media and Services industry's 12.7% return for the same period. With revenue forecasts predicting a 21.3% annual growth and earnings anticipated to increase 36.9% annually, the introduction of advanced ad solutions and data licensing could further strengthen financial projections. These initiatives align with Reddit's strategic goals, potentially enhancing its profitability margins and positioning the company for sustained growth. The current share price of US$110.86, compared to the analyst price target of US$149.28, reflects a 25.7% discount, suggesting room for appreciation as Reddit continues to execute its strategic initiatives effectively. The valuation report we've compiled suggests that Reddit's current price could be inflated. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include NYSE:RDDT. This article was originally published by Simply Wall St. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data