Indigenous-led grassroots cannabis gathering coming to Penticton

The Okanagan Cannabis Council is hosting the Grassroots First Cannabis Gathering with hopes to share information about cannabis and First Nations communities.

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First Grassroots Cannabis Gathering

On Sept. 26 and 27, the Okanagan Cannabis Council is hosting an event to share as much information as they can about the cannabis industry. The event, which they are calling the Grassroots First Cannabis Gathering will be held on Penticton Indian Band. 

“We created it to educate all of our communities,” says Cory Brewer, a member of the council and local business owner. “Our communities need to be educated in the right way to get off the stigma that cannabis carries right now.”

The event will be open to 20 people, in order to follow COVID-19 protocols. 

“We’ll be providing a lot of information for people who are interested in growing, interested in the medicinal aspects of the plant, or distribution,” Brewer says. 

“We really want to show people the power of the plant.” 

Part of a larger vision

The Okanagan Cannabis Council was created this year by a group of Syilx dispensary owners in the Okanagan who felt that it was time to come together to continue to make progress in this space. 

When cannabis was legalized by the federal government in Oct. 2018, they failed to consult with First Nations. As a result, now some First Nations communities are creating their own cannabis legislation, including the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) which passed their Cannabis Control Law in May, 2020.

First Grassroots Cannabis Gathering
Timixw Wellness, one of the cannabis dispensaries owned by Cory Brewer that was recently licensed under the OKIB’s Cannabis Control Law. Photo by Kelsie Kilawna.

OKIB is now issuing licenses to operate cannabis businesses on reserve. 

This is something that Brewer plans to discuss at the gathering. 

“We’re going to be introducing the [OKIB Cannabis Control] Law and what we’ve done to everybody that shows up there,” he says. 

“We see our law as sitting at a federal level not a provincial level and it’s just a bit crazy that we’ve had to make this law because [the government] didn’t.”

Overall, Brewer says he hopes that, “everyone can come out and enjoy it because it’s going to be a great time and a lot of learning.”

Author

Kelsie Kilawna, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

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