Trial for First Nations unregulated cannabis stores could have larger impacts

By Jacqueline St. Pierre  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter SUDBURY-next week, the Ontario Superior Court will hear a precedent-setting case involving 10 First Nations defendants facing cannabis-related charges dating back to the early days of the legalization of recreational cannabis. Ontario made the substance legal on October 17, 2018. The caveat on the legalization was that permits from the Ontario provincial government must be filed for and granted to business owners. The constitutional challenge initiated nearly four years ago has faced delays in reaching trial, with the pandemic and a general backlog contributing to the prolonged process. All 10 defendants logged into a virtual trial of the Superior Court of Justice on Monday, January 15. Nine of the 10 who stand accused owned or worked at a cannabis dispensary on a…

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