N.S. RCMP say officers faced racist comments during raid at Indigenous cannabis store

An RCMP manager in Nova Scotia says he takes issue with officers being called white supremacists and Nazis during a recent police raid of an Indigenous-run cannabis dispensary.

Supt. Jason Popik with the Southwest Nova District RCMP says the remarks that officers heard during a Jan. 30 police search near the Annapolis Valley equate to racist commentary.

Cody Ward is a Mi’kmaq man from Sipekne’katik First Nation who filmed police searching a truckhouse-style cannabis shop in Welton Landing, N.S., operated by his uncle.

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Ward, who asserts he has a treaty right to sell cannabis, can be heard on video saying the RCMP members are behaving like Nazis following orders.

In an interview today, Ward said the officers carrying out the provincial government’s wishes to crack down on illegal cannabis are taking part in racist action against Mi’kmaq businesses.

The provincial government issued a directive on Dec. 4 for police to prioritize the enforcement of illegal cannabis and penned a letter to 13 Mi’kmaq chiefs asking for their co-operation.

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Indigenous leaders hold meeting on cannabis dispensaries in N.S.