A raid on an unlicensed cannabis store in Windsor, Ontario led to one arrest and the seizure of cannabis and cash.
The Windsor Police Service say they have arrested a 24-year-old man and seized over $200,000 in cannabis following the search of an illegal cannabis dispensary on May 29, 2025.
In a press release on June 2, Windsor Police says members of the Windsor Police Drugs and Guns Unit (DIGS) assisted the Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team (PJFCET) and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in executing a search warrant at an unlicensed cannabis dispensary located in the 100 block of Tecumseh Road West.
The store was closed pursuant to an interim closure order under section 18 of the Cannabis Control Act. The man was charged with ·Possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling, Possession of illicit cannabis, and Possession of proceeds of crime.
The store in question, Rose City Kush, was located at 125 Tecumseh Rd. W. in a location that previously held a licensed cannabis store called Green Light District. Rose City Kush identifies itself as an Indigenous owned store, and a sign on the store says it opened in 2024.
A sign on the window also claims that the store is operated by sovereign people on sovereign land and is protected by Sections 25 and 35 of the Canadian Constitution Act. Section 35 of the Constitution Act says that the existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada are recognized and affirmed. Section 25 ensures that the designated rights and freedoms of Indigenous peoples are protected.
Some Indigenous store owners and other legal experts have argued that federal and provincial cannabis laws don’t apply to Indigenous-owned cannabis businesses. While the majority of these stores have opened on recognized treaty territories, some have opened on traditional lands outside of those treaty territories. The latter tend to be more likely to face enforcement by police or bylaw officers.
The Ontario Provincial Police-led Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team (PJFCET) and the Windsor Police Service shut down an unlicensed cannabis store in the city in March called Kush City Trading Post.
