The RCMP are dismissing recent claims made by the Nova Scotia government that unregulated cannabis dispensaries are selling guns and women.
The remarks, made by Nova Scotia Minister of L’nu Affairs Leah Martin, are the latest in a series of unsubstantiated claims shared by members of the provincial government after it directed police to crack down on illegal dispensaries last December, urging First Nations leaders to co-operate to stop this activity in their communities.
Martin made the comments during a legislative committee meeting.
“We’ve had nine deaths in our community in the last month. And I say: ‘Okay, so and so, where did they get the stuff?’ Like, ‘Well, at the shop.’ And I know what all this means. And I’ve seen raids that have come out with this, that, and the other,” she said on March 27.
“We all know some just sell unregulated product (cannabis), some sell much more than that. We’ve seen some that sell guns, some that sell mushrooms, some that sell cocaine, women,” the minister added.
While Martin’s comments appeared to fly under the radar, some First Nations leaders have said the government’s ongoing rhetoric is villainizing Indigenous communities by using outdated colonial tactics and undermining their treaty rights.
Premier Tim Houston has previously said fentanyl was found in unregulated cannabis, while Justice Minister Scott Armstrong has said the unregulated drug market is linked to human trafficking. Police have said they have no evidence to support either of the claims made by Houston and Armstrong.
The comments are feeding into a volatile political environment as the government comes under fire for a series of police raids in recent months that have mostly targeted dispensaries in First Nations communities. The raids have also prompted fierce opposition, including two temporary blockades of Nova Scotia highways that caused traffic slowdowns ahead of the Easter long weekend.
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