Seven Leaf Community Meeting

On Tuesday December 5th, the founders of Seven Leaf Medical Cannabis held an informational meeting for the community of Akwesasne at their establishment on Kawehnoke. Seven Leaf marks several 'firsts" as the first of its kind in the North Country as the first Mohawk owned and operated medical cannabis company, and as only entirely First Nation's owned and operated Medical Cannabis company in Canada. The company is anticipated to open in the first quarter of 2018, upon receipt of their Federal Licensing. The company has had to go through a rigorous process to complete their application for licensing. It has taken Seven Leaf four years to get to where they are now, which is at the final stages pending approval from Health Canada.

The informational meeting consisted of a presentation followed by a Q & A session afterwards. The presentation consisted of information on medical cannabis regulations, licensing status, construction progress, facility security, job creation, economic impact and long term benefits to name a few. A guest speaker was on the agenda to speak on her experience with her husband and the use of medical cannabis, but due to unforeseen circumstances she wasn't able to attend. Gus Pyke, a co-owner and founder of Seven spoke about his experiences helping a community member with stage 4 cancer and how the cancer patient was able to better their overall quality of life.

Seven Leaf expects to create approximately 75 jobs once the establishment receives their first license to operate, 50 jobs immediately upon receiving their license. Although future employees will need to go through a criminal background check depending on the position applied for.

President Lewis Mitchell stated, "Don't count yourself out just because you have an old tobacco charge. A lot of community members think they have a record, and they don't. So look into it, and don't count yourself out. The background check will look at the crime and how it is related to the job you're applying for."

After the presentation was complete the floor was opened to questions. A lot of community members asked questions pertaining to employment. A few voiced their concerns on following federal regulations and allowing the Federal Government to have power over our Cannabis trade, as it is a natural medicine.

Community members asked:

Q. Can you sell to dispensaries?

A: Only if they are federally licensed, and all the provinces have different guidelines for licensing.

Q. If the Federal Government decided to start taxing in the future, will you pay taxes?

A: So far there is not tax on medical cannabis, but Canada is working on forming a tax for recreational use of Cannabis.

Q. If they decide to tax medical cannabis, will you shut down?

A: I don't know, it was not our plan to pay taxes. We will look for other options or transition to wholesale, so it would be on buyers' end.

Q. Do you need a certificate to become a cultavist?

A: A Pharmaceutical certificate did not help me, a cultivation certificate from Canada or US would be preferred, but you can be taught with on-site training in the future.