Canada’s Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke Signs Cannabis Agreement with Health Canada 

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Health Canada to establish its own laws and regulations for the production and sale of cannabis within the MCK territory.

The MOU is the first such agreement between a First Nation and the Canadian government.

Tonya Perron, MCK lead on the cannabis file, called the agreement “an important step in the ongoing work to create a safe, well-regulated industry within the Territory.”

“It sets out the terms and conditions that will govern the sharing of information between Health Canada and MCK, as well as between Health Canada and the Kahnawake Cannabis Control Board (KCCB), with respect to cannabis cultivation and processing licenses. The MOU encapsulates the harmonization of the dual licensing system in Kahnawà:ke, which requires the issuance of a license from both the KCCB and Health Canada in order to cultivate and/or process cannabis legally within the Territory.” — Perron in a press release

The MOU provides for cooperation between Health Canada and the KCCB for cannabis industry inspections, information sharing between Health Canada and the Peacekeepers—the primary law enforcement service within the Territory—and provides assistance from Health Canada to the KCCB in acquiring more expertise in the oversight of the cannabis supply chain.

The Kahnawà:ke enacted their own Cannabis Control Law in 2018 which required an agreement with Health Canada before licenses would be issued.