Saskatchewan Bill Would OK Cannabis Licenses for First Nations
High Times

The provincial government of Saskatchewan, Canada announced on Tuesday that it has introduced legislation designed to give the province’s First Nations regulatory authority over cannabis operations in the areas they govern. The first of two bills, The Summary Offenses Procedure Amendment Act (SOPA) of 2022, will provide a legal framework that First Nations communities can use to enforce laws and bylaws on reserve lands, while the second piece of legislation establishes the provincial legal framework for First Nations to license and regulate the distribution and retail sales of cannabis. “The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to take this important step as part of our ongoing work with the Muskoday and Whitecap Dakota First Nations,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Bronwyn Eyre said in a statement from the provincial government. “These amendments will allow these and other First Nations communities in the future to use the more simplified summary offenses procedure, instead of the long-form process under the federal Criminal Code, to issue tickets and fines such as those issued for traffic violations and other provincial offenses.” The second bill, The Cannabis Control (Saskatchewan) Amendment Act of 2022, establishes the provincial legal framework for First Nations to license and regulate the distribution and retailing of cannabis on First Nation reserve lands. Under the legislation, First Nations will be subject to existing provincial and federal legislation to establish a local authority to self-govern cannabis operations. Retailers conforming with the regulations, which have not yet been written, will be able to purchase from cannabis producers regulated by the federal government. Legislation Follows Memo Of Understanding The new legislative amendments follow a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed by the Government of Saskatchewan, the Muskoday First Nation, and the Whitecap Dakota First Nation in October 2019 to address longstanding issues concerning sovereignty and the…

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Source : Saskatchewan Bill Would OK Cannabis Licenses for First Nations

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