Justice Minister Scott Armstrong held a press conference Thursday to announce the new directive to police. He also sent a letter to the province's 13 Mi'kmaq chiefs saying there are at least 118 illegal dispensaries operating in their communities.

However, when questioned by reporters, Armstrong said he didn't know how many of the 118 illegal stores were actually on First Nation land or elsewhere in the province.

In an email, a Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed the number of illegal stores is at least 118 province-wide, and said the government would correct the minister's letter to the chiefs. But Denise Corra could not immediately say how many of the illegal dispensaries are located on First Nation territory.

Provincial law strictly controls the sale of cannabis, which is done through Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation outlets. There are 51 legal cannabis outlets across the province; one is located on Indigenous territory.

An Indigenous cannabis advocate says the government's crackdown is "blatantly racist" and an attack on Mi'kmaq sovereignty.

Thomas Durfee said Thursday he has a legal right to sell cannabis at treaty truckhouses -- the term used for trading posts in treaties signed by the Mi'kmaq and British Crown in the 1700s. He is currently involved in a legal case moving through the provincial court system following a raid on one of his cannabis outlets.

He said he has repeatedly asked to meet with provincial officials to discuss plans for selling cannabis that meets legal health and safety standards. "As a First Nations entrepreneur I would never risk people's health and safety. We are not here to harm anyone," Durfee said.

"We are ready to sit down at the table with them and take any questions they have," he added.

In Armstrong's letter to the chiefs, which was released to reporters, the minister said the government had received a number of requests from chiefs who are seeking provincial support to run their own cannabis retail system.

"Rather than respond to each of these requests individually, I felt it important to share our government's clear and unequivocal position with all of you today: Given the implication to public health and public safety, all cannabis retail activity, including on-reserve activity, must operate under the existing provincial framework as detailed in the Cannabis Control Act, 2021," the letter says.

Armstrong goes on to say this means that the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation must remain the exclusive cannabis retailer. "I am not aware of an even remotely credible basis for suggesting that use of or trade in cannabis is a Mi'kmaq aboriginal or treaty right."

Some Mi'kmaq leaders dispute this, including Millbrook First Nation council member Chris Googoo.

Googoo said in August the community had asked the RCMP not to enforce the Cannabis Control Act as it works to develop its own independent regulations for selling cannabis.

Speaking at a rally this summer following the raid of an Indigenous-owned cannabis shop, Googoo said, "we're here to support our band member here who exercises his rights by having a treaty truckhouse, which is constitutionally protected because we have a right to trade."

In a minister's directive issued Thursday, Armstrong called on all Nova Scotia police agencies to prioritize cannabis enforcement by focusing on intelligence collection to identify illegal cannabis operations and distribution networks, and to disrupt the sale of illegal cannabis in storefronts across the province.

The directive also calls on senior leadership in municipal police agencies and the RCMP to ensure that all officers adhere to the directive and report enforcement outcomes to the province.

When asked if this police directive is aimed at encouraging more raids to shut down cannabis dispensaries, Armstrong said, "we don't direct police on how they approach doing their job."

"What we're saying to them today is this is also a provincial priority. I'll be working with police to see what resources they need," Armstrong said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2025.