Indigenous cannabis brands to support today (and every other day)
Today is Canada’s first national Truth and Reconciliation Day. The public holiday is intended to recognize the ongoing injustice that First Nations, Métis and Inuit are facing in our country.
Many Canadians wonder how they can support indigenous communities today and for the other 364 days of the year. In addition to self-education, such as reading the truth and reconciliation report, we can also show support through financial donations.
Reconciliation involves reparations, so Canada supports these indigenous companies in the cannabis industry.
Seven sheets
Licensed manufacturer of medical cannabis
Twitter: @ 7evenLeaf
Instagram: @ 7evenleaf
Seven Leaf is Canada’s first First Nations land medical cannabis producer licensed by Health Canada. They are located in the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory on Cornwall Island, Ontario.
Seven Leaf offers high quality medicinal cannabis as well as opportunities for economic reconciliation within their community, a model they hope will be adopted by other First Nations communities.
We present you Strawberry Diesel 🍓 ⛽️ Our breeding team has collected over 100 seeds and identified the owners of this variety. Head to @alcanadalabs to determine cannabinoid profile and terpene levels and to ensure our product is contaminant free. pic.twitter.com/8oI9Z06fE1
– SevenLeaf (@ 7evenLeaf) January 15, 2021
Seven Leaf is headed by former Akwesasne Police Chief Lewis Mitchell, who is already seeing the benefits of a reserve facility. The company has grown successfully since it was founded in 2018 and has set itself the goal of being a role model for Mohawk leadership and self-sufficiency for the First Nations.
“We are very proud of our First Nations Territory and believe in providing advancement and growth opportunities for a strong, prosperous future,” said Mitchell. “We create quality jobs – where our college and university graduates have something to come home for and stay for.”
Brands from the red market
Licensed cannabis producer
Twitter: @redmarketbrand
Instagram: @ red.market.brand
In Canada, we often refer to the illegal market as the “gray market,” referring to the hazy rules that preceded federal legalization. In indigenous communities, these unregulated companies and products are referred to as the “red market”.
The goal of Red Market Brands is to bring the red market into the regulated area. Her team is passionate about creating a platform for indigenous people to take their place in the regulated industry.
“[Cannabis] has the opportunity to improve reconciliation, ”Isadore Day, CEO and co-founder of Red Market Brands, told Leafly. “Not as a mind-altering chemical, but rather as a tool for economic development. An instrument for a cycle of continuous sustainable income back to our communities. “
“This company in the mainstream market will be critical. As part of the regulated cannabis market, we can bring revenue sharing back to our communities and support grassroots development. “
The company was founded earlier this year on National Indigenous Peoples Day and will launch its first cannabis products in October 2021. Co-founders Isadore Day and Christian Sinclair are committed to returning 25% of their individual profits to their communities.
Their first release will feature two cannabis strains: Chi Miigwetch and Miigwetch, and they will add Nischin and Niichii in November. In the new year they will be offering a press ice hash and live resin cartridges.
Kana leaf
Retail cannabis store, Ontario
Instagram: @kanaleafcannabisnb
Kana Leaf was the first indigenous-owned cannabis store to receive a retail license for a First Nation reservation in Ontario. They offer a full range of cannabis products in Nipissing First Nation, from flowers to concentrates.
The retail store serves three First Nation communities and provides easy and safe access to cannabis. Kana Leaf worked closely with the community leadership council to create the locally established Nipissing First Nation Cannabis Act.
The family run business offers competitive pricing, a VIP loyalty program and price adjustments.
Pineapple buds
Licensed cannabis producer
Twitter: @BudsPineapple
Instagram: @pineapplebuds_
Pineapple Buds is an indigenous company in the Okanagan Valley. Founded by Kyra Horvath, Master Grower and COO, together with Laine Keyes as CEO, the micro-cultivator is small but powerful. The couple pride themselves on their individual genetics and have a number of pineapple strains that they have developed over the years.
Pineapple Buds started with humble roots: they went from being a barn to being a purpose-built hydroponic plant. The Pineapple Buds team tells Leafly that Health Canada’s Indigenous Navigator Service was extremely helpful in obtaining their license.
Keyes says he got his business will from his family’s legacy and wants to secure it for future generations.
“For Pineapple Buds, truth and reconciliation mean helping to restore identity, language and culture,” they wrote in a statement. “We are here to listen and learn about experiences, challenges and traditions that one may have had and to encourage progress for the future.”
Her first varieties, Pineapple Party and Hawaiian Pineapple, are available in select provinces.
Costa Canna
Retail cannabis stores, British Columbia
Twitter: @costa_canna
Instagram: @ costacanna.ca
Costa Canna is part of the Cowichan Tribes, the largest single first nation band in British Columbia. They started off as a single location on Vancouver Island in 2019 and now have four booming cannabis retail stores.
In addition to their retail locations, Cowichan Tribes is also trying their hand at cultivation. Earlier this year, Costa Canna signed a one-year contract with the province that allows it to both grow and sell cannabis.
The Cowichan tribes hope that these cannabis opportunities could help transform the entire economic framework of their nation. Costa Canna works to build stronger and healthier communities through economic development in the cannabis field.
FN Cannabis Co.
Retail cannabis store, Saskatchewan
Instagram: @fncannaco
FN Cannabis Co. received one of only 51 permits issued in the Saskatchewan Province of approximately 1,500 applications to open a retail cannabis store. FN Canna Co. is wholly owned by three contracting states of the six treaties: Sweetgrass First Nation, Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation and Moosomin First Nation.
FN Cannabis Co. sells a full range of regulated cannabis products, from edibles to pre-rolls. One of their goals is to make buying weed in their community easy, safe, and reliable. April 2020 they officially opened their doors in Nipawin, Saskatchewan.
Day
Licensed cannabis producer
Twitter: @msikuofficial
Instagram: @ msiku.official
Msiku is a brand of cannabis manufactured by AtlantiCann Medical, a Health Canada licensed manufacturer that is majority-owned by the Mi’kmaq First Nations of Nova Scotia.
Msiku (m-see-goo) is the Mi’kmaw word for grass. Humor is very important in the Mi’kmaq culture. We are sure that you will see and appreciate how this tongue-in-cheek name reflects that humor!
– Msiku website
The brand celebrates the Mi’kmaq heritage and pride in the east coast. Msiku cannabis is grown with care and hand-trimmed indoors to create terpene-rich products of artisanal quality.
Her Instagram page is jam-packed with links for people to support indigenous communities across Canada.
Ekosi health
Medical cannabis clinic
Twitter: @ekosihealth
Instagram: @ekosihealth
Ekosi Health is an Indigenous-run medical cannabis clinic in Manitoba serving all of Canada. The clinic has a team of three doctors who offer in-person and remote patient consultations. The health team provides data-driven, science-based information about cannabinoid therapy to patients.
According to the Ekosi Health team, education is key. They work extremely hard to provide credible information about the cannabis industry, the cannabis plant, and how medicinal cannabis interacts with the human body. In this way, patients are empowered to make their own decisions and take control of their health.
“For us, truth and reconciliation are inexorably and inseparably linked to our goal. National Truth and Reconciliation Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on how we can support reconciliation efforts with boarding school survivors and all those affected by the tragedy [of colonialism]“They write in a statement.
“We celebrate this day to honor the survivors of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis, their families and their communities, and to ensure that public commemoration of their history and boarding school heritage remains an integral part of the reconciliation process.”
Ashley Keenan
Ashley Keenan is Leafly’s Canada Editor and a freelance journalist, consultant, and patient advocate in the cannabis industry. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @askcannaqueen for hot insights into cannabis and chronic diseases.
View article by Ashley Keenan
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