NEWS

                   
For Immediate Release
December 16, 2020

MOU SIGNALS COMMON DESIRE FOR INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATION IN REGULATED CANNABIS INDUSTRY

Burns Lake, BC – NATIONS Cannabis and the BC Craft Farmers Co-op (BCCFC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding based on a shared desire for greater Indigenous prosperity and representation within a safe, regulated cannabis marketplace.

The MOU underlines the level of collaboration anticipated between NATIONS, an emerging Indigenous cannabis cultivation company based in Burns Lake, and the BCCFC whose mission is to support small and medium sized producers with a safe, accessible, and sustainable alternative to the illicit market.

“This alliance is significant for both parties,” said NATIONS co-founder and Executive Chairman, Wesley Sam. “From our perspective, it provides an opportunity for a high quality, Indigenous developed and branded product to receive broad support and profile in the marketplace – and through this partnership, demonstrate our support for and commitment to, a regulated system, both on and off reserve.”

“For the BC Craft Farmers Co-op, the MOU signals a truly unique partnership,” said President Bob Davidson. “An alliance with a company that gives an authentic voice to Indigenous Peoples, furthers our desire to broaden the marketplace – and to do so with a partner who shares our desire to move both growers and consumers to a regulated marketplace with safe, high quality products.”

Broad objectives established through the MOU include the following:

1. 1. Public and political advocacy agenda to get more BC craft farmers into the regulated or legal system starting as soon as possible, as suggested in BCCFC’s BC Economic Development and Job Creation Proposal, to support BC’s economic recovery.
   2. Collaboration in the sourcing of land-use solutions that could facilitate micro-production on First Nation land through the establishment of mutually beneficial Limited Partnership agreements.
   3. Public and political support advocacy of each other’s brand, mission and vision.
   4. Joint strategic communication and marketing initiatives to provide additional positive coverage and results.
   5. Development of a processing partnership to help ensure BC craft farmers have reliable access to quality processing services.
   6. Development of supply agreements with individual growers for a fair, market value product.
   7. In association with the BCCFC Quality Standards Committee, collaboration to develop quality micro-production standards, techniques and training programs that ensure consumers in BC, across Canada, and around the world have access to the best quality cannabis.

Over the coming year, both parties will work together to develop a Master Agreement that will define the relationship between NATIONS and BCCFC and their collective quest to provide support to move existing experienced and highly skilled growers to the regulated system.

As a late-stage applicant in the federal licensing approval process, NATIONS’ momentum was halted this year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and construction of its primary cultivation facility was paused. Once work resumes, the process of seeking and securing a federal cultivation and processing license will also continue.

The Memorandum of Understanding is available at: NATIONS MOU

For more information about the BC Craft Farmers Coop, please visit:

https://www.bccraftfarmerscoop.com/

For more information about NATIONS, please visit: https://www.nationscannabis.ca

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Media Contact:
Kelly Gleeson, LBMG
kgleeson@lbmg.ca
604-240-6231

For Investment Information about NATIONS, Please Contact:
Wesley Sam, Founder & Executive Chairman
wsam@nationswellness.ca
Marc Storms, Co-founder & Chief Marketing Officer
mstorms@nationswellness.ca

BC Craft Farmers Co-Op
Bob Davidson, President
info@bccraftfarmerscoop.com