Napanee OPP have charged a man for allegedly buying cannabis from an unlicensed store on Tyendinaga Territory.
On Nov. 21, at 9 p.m. an Napanee OPP received a complaint about a driver on Marysville Road in Tyendinaga Township.
When police stopped the vehicle, they say they noticed cannabis inside the vehicle within reach of the driver. According to police, the driver said he had just purchased the cannabis on Tyendinaga Territory.
Although there are several pot shops on Tyendinaga Territory, according to Canadian law, they are not being operated legally. Nevertheless, some claim that growing cannabis is an important part of Indigenous culture and that Indigenous communities should be able to self-govern their pot sales.
Twenty-seven grams of cannabis were seized from a 26-year-old man from Lansdowne, who was issued two tickets under the provincial Cannabis Act.
The first ticket was administered for driving a vehicle with cannabis readily available with a fine of $215. The second ticket was for unlawfully purchasing cannabis with a fine of $180.