KAMLOOPS, B.C. — British Columbia is coping with a complex shift in policy as recreational marijuana is legalized but the province has passed one significant hurdle with its online sales system, says the public safety minister.
The online site went live at midnight and Mike Farnworth says it recorded about 1,000 sales in the first hour.
"It did not crash," he told a conference call just hours after the site opened.
"So far, it is performing as we hoped it would."
Farnworth said business remained steady through the early morning hours, although he did not have specific figures.
He also explained the rationale behind the price of marijuana listed on the government website, which ranges from $6.99 to just over $16 per gram.
"People are prepared to pay a premium for knowing that they have a product that they can trust," he said.
"We are confident that our pricing is competitive and that it is products that people will want."
Several customers stood in line before sunrise waiting for B.C.'s only recreational cannabis store to open in Kamloops. The government-run outlet is in a strip mall. Its windows are frosted and a security guard paced outside.
Blain Lawson, CEO of the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, said the store's windows meet a Health Canada regulation that prohibits product being visible from the street.
"We're making sure that it looks nice from the outside, but children won't be able to see into the store," he said.
Becky Prete, who works at cannabis company Tweed Inc. and is in her 30s, drove from Kelowna and stayed overnight in a hotel before arriving at the store at 6 a.m. Bundled in a blanket and sipping a coffee, she was first in line and said she couldn't wait for the doors to open.
"I have a feeling I'll be mildly overwhelmed because I'm going to want to look at everything, but I'm just excited to check it out," she said.
Craig McCarthy drove for two hours from Chilliwack, arriving at about 2 a.m., but his decision to nap in his car made him second in line. He has been smoking cannabis for 20 years and normally purchases shatter from an illegal dispensary.
He said he didn't mind that the government-run store doesn't carry the concentrated product, which is still illegal, and he'll buy marijuana online from now on instead of purchasing it illegally.
"I'm just happy it's finally here," he said. "It'll absolutely change my life. It's like a feeling, a weight lifted off your shoulders, when you're constantly hiding it to a degree."
The store has a clean, streamlined layout with white walls and glossy shelves. Mounted electronic tablets with touch screens display strains of marijuana available for purchase and prices.
Consumers can take a whiff of each strain from a clear plastic "smell jar" that has a small piece of bud inside. Staff carry small flashlights to help customers take a closer look at the nuggets, but otherwise the product is not openly displayed.
Some 92 products from 40 licensed producers are available, but only about seven per cent come from B.C. Kevin Satterfield, director of cannabis retail operations for the distribution branch, said he hoped to increase the amount of locally grown marijuana over time.
"It's going to be, for lack of a better term, a growth industry," he said.
In addition to artwork featuring weed leaves and colourful glass bongs, shoppers are greeted by a number of signs informing them about cannabis with safety advice. The signs explain the types of cannabis plants, the dangers of consuming while pregnant and other safety concerns.
Satterfield said about 20 people have been hired to work at the store and they looked for staff with awareness of cannabis. All underwent criminal background checks, but a small pot possession conviction would not necessarily disqualify them from being hired, Satterfield said.
Farnworth said 173 applications for more stores are being considered.
He said part of the delay in opening stores was due to the provincial pledge that local governments will make the final decision about the types of stores — whether public or private — as well as locations and the number of retail cannabis outlets that will be allowed in their communities.
"Many communities have said they are ready to deal with processing applications ... but they want local government elections out of the way," he said.
Municipal elections will be held across B.C. on Saturday and Farnworth said he expected more cannabis stores will open in the coming months.
In Victoria, where city council issued business licences to marijuana dispensaries before legalization, several stores were closed Wednesday but others were open for business.
UEM Cannabis Victoria posted a notice on its front door that read: "It is our goal to always be here for our members and we thank you for your understanding and patience during the switch over to legalization."
The Latest: Recreational marijuana becomes legal in Canada
The latest on the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada (all times Eastern.)
4:45 p.m.
Ontario has passed its cannabis legislation, firmly establishing the right to smoke marijuana in public in the province.
The bill was put to a final voter this afternoon, hours after recreational use of the drug became legal across Canada.
The legislation loosens regulations established by the previous Liberal regime, allowing Ontario residents to smoke recreational cannabis wherever tobacco-smoking is permitted.
For now, cannabis can only be purchased through the government-run online portal, and private retail pot stores are set to open in the province in April.
4:30 p.m.
Police forces across the country are reminding Canadians about the risks of cannabis now that the drug is legal coast to coast.
While most forces have simply mounted public awareness campaigns largely focused on the dangers of driving high, police in Winnipeg say they've issued their first ticket for consuming cannabis in a motor vehicle.
Toronto police, meanwhile, sent out a series of jocular tweets advising residents to stop calling 911 for now-legal activities such as smoking in private homes or growing less than four pot plants.
4:15 p.m.
Canadian investors had few reasons to celebrate the first day of cannabis legalization.
Some of the industry's biggest names saw their stock prices fall on a down day for Canada's main stock index.
Shares in Canopy Growth Corp. and Aurora Cannabis Inc. were down 4.3 and 2.9 per cent respectively.
2:30 p.m.
Weed may be legally available across the country, but unlicensed dispensaries in Toronto are still doing business.
While many have closed up shop while they await permits to operate as government-sanctioned retailers, several are still greeting customers.
Some of those making purchases say they prefer the wider array of products on offer at the dispensaries, or else don't yet trust the official online distribution channels.
1:45 p.m.
Early predictions of high demand for legal cannabis appear to be coming to pass.
Retail stores in Winnipeg say they're selling out of some of their products and expect more shortfalls if demand keeps up at its current levels.
Provinces including Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia are reporting tens of thousands of sales, largely through online portals, as Canada's first day of offering legal pot enters its second half.
Online sellers have reported few technical glitches so far despite high traffic.
1:30 p.m.
All legal means of acquiring marijuana on the first day of cannabis legalization are officially up and running.
While online stores opened across the country just after midnight local time, the last of a handful of brick-and-mortar stores that were ready for opening day greeted its first customers in B.C. at 10 a.m. P.T.
That store, located in Kamloops, is the only legal retail location currently approved in the province.
12:15 p.m.
Numbers rolling in on the first morning under Canada's new regime suggest there's considerable demand for cannabis products across the country.
Shopify, which is powering many of the provincial online stores, says it is seeing more than 100 cannabis orders per minute.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province's government-run online store had processed 38,000 orders by mid morning.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick's Cannabis NB reports an average of 700 live users each hour viewing its website and a few hundred purchases in the first few hours.
11:45 a.m.
American officials say the legalization of marijuana in Canada has not had any impact on traffic flow at U.S.-Canada border crossings today.
Christopher Perry with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency has told a news conference in Detroit that officials don't anticipate asking Canadian travellers routine questions about their pot use.
Perry says U.S. border agents could wind up making inquiries based on unusual behaviour from travellers or alerts from the canine unit.
He also says that Canadians caught bringing pot into the country risk having it confiscated and could face fines.
10:40 a.m.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government's relaxed pardon laws for simple pot possession will be of particular benefit to young people from racialized or other minority groups.
Trudeau says people in those demographics were disproportionately affected by marijuana possession convictions, and that the new rules should remove a barrier for them.
He also celebrates Canada's new drug policy era on Twitter with a post that reads "Profits out of the hands of criminals. Protection for our kids. Today #cannabis is legalized and regulated across Canada."
9:30 a.m.
Stocks for major cannabis companies took a hit on the first day of legalized marijuana.
Canopy Growth Corp. stocks dropped seven per cent when the TSX opened for the day, while Aurora Cannabis tumbled 10 per cent.
9:30 a.m.
The federal government says it will be making it easier for people previously convicted of simple pot possession to obtain a pardon.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced the easing of pardon procedures at a morning news conference alongside three of his fellow cabinet members.
Goodale said the new rules will allow people with pot possession convictions on record to apply for a pardon, for free, as soon as they've completed their sentence.
7:15 a.m.
A longtime cannabis user and advocate is among Canada's first celebrity legal pot customers.
Cape Breton-born fiddler Ashley MacIsaac was first in line on Wednesday at the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. branch, in Sydney River, N.S. the only legal place to buy recreational marijuana on Cape Breton Island.
MacIsaac said he wrestled with feeling like a criminal for 25 years, but no longer feels that way now that "my dealer is the Prime Minister."
6 a.m.
Canada finds itself in an unfamiliar place this morning -- on the home pages of major media outlets from around the world.
The BBC, Al-Jazeera, France's Le Monde and the Times of India are among those taking notice as recreational cannabis becomes legal nationwide.
5:24 a.m.
Residents of Canada's most populous province are now able to buy weed from the provincial government.
The Ontario Cannabis Store's website went live around midnight Wednesday as recreational cannabis became legal in the eastern time zone.
The website offers a selection of cannabis products — including dried flowers and oils — as well as accessories such as grinders, rolling papers and vaporizers.
10:39 p.m. (Tuesday)
Canada has officially become the second country in the world to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana.
Newfoundland and Labrador was the first province to kick off the sale of cannabis, just after midnight local time.
Some pot shops in the country's easternmost province opened their doors at 12:01 a.m. to commemorate the historic event.
Canada joins the tiny South American country of Uruguay in an exclusive club of nations that allow the sale of recreational pot.
