The very first sovereign Indigenous cannabis dispensary In Toronto, Canada, opened on Oct. 1st. Before the grand opening, Real People’s Media interviewed a representative from the Mississaugas of the Credit Medicine Wheel to help us get a better understanding of what they’re all about.

Across Canada, there are hundreds of sovereign Indigenous cannabis shops open and running on reserves. Now, Toronto’s first sovereign Indigenous dispensary will sell a wide variety of cannabis products, many of which don’t comply with Canada’s regulatory system on unceded Indigenous lands.

Back in October, Mississaugas of the Credit Medicine Wheel held its official grand opening with drums, dancers, a moment of prayer, and a feast. The festive affair served items like venison, corn soup, and fry bread while also holding promotions and giveaways.

Located at 1176 Danforth Ave. in Toronto’s east end, the dispensary gave away pre-rolls to the first 1000 customers and informed guests of their promotional deal; two ounces of quality cannabis for the low price of $100.

Now that we know the business side of the Mississaugas of the Credit Medicine Wheel, let’s get to know why the dispensary is up and running in the first place.

In an interview with Real People’s Media, a representative from the dispensary said that he was inspired to create the storefront in Toronto since cannabis stores currently overrun reserves across Canada.

He continued that Toronto’s Danforth Avenue is an “unsurrendered piece of property of the Mississaugas of the Credit, so I decided to open a store here. Simple as that. I felt I had a right to exercise my rights, and I’m doing it here on my traditional territory.”

The anonymous representative hopes that by opening Toronto’s first sovereign Indigenous cannabis dispensary, more of his people would band together and do the same outside of indigenous reserves. “We shouldn’t confine ourselves to the reserves. It’s our country, but they’re using it. The Canadian government and the Crown need to realize that they have to make room for us. It’s our land!”

For the Mississaugas of the Credit Medicine Wheel, the new dispensary isn’t just about cannabis; it’s about having the right to sell whatever they please.

He continues that the dispensary will positively affect the collective Indigenous community. “As a collective, those processes were destroyed by the Crown through cultural genocide, economic genocide, social genocide, just genocide itself. They’ve taken it all away. Now we’re coming to get it back.” And so they should.