The first cannabis retailer opened its doors in Fort McMurray just before the Canada Day long weekend, with eight more locations approved by the municipality and awaiting a provincial licence.

More than eight months after Canada legalized the sale and consumption of cannabis, Plantlife Cannabis opened at 4 p.m. on June 26 in Stoney Creek.

“Once we heard legalization was coming, it was a matter of if we should be sitting on the sidelines,” said Mike Wheeler, CEO of The Canadian Brewhouse chain, which is running the stores, at the launch. “We want to be here for a long time.”

More stores are expected to open. As of Plantlife’s Fort McMurray opening, the municipality has approved five applications for spaces downtown and one each in Thickwood, Timberlea and Gregoire. The municipality has also rejected three applications. 

“There is clearly a demand, as we’ve seen with the opening day lineups,” said Ian Scott, operations manager for the Fort McMurray location. “The want is there. The demand is there.”

Since November, the store had been sitting empty when Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis halted issuing business licences for cannabis retailers. 

The provincial body cited supply shortages as the reason for the moratorium. However, the owners of the store had already signed a five-year lease on the location. Moving to another part of the city or leaving Fort McMurray was not an option. 

For Scott, the wait to open was a stressful period for the company and customers. 

However, not opening immediately after legalization may have been good for the company. Almost immediately after legalization, there were issues with guaranteeing a steady supply of cannabis for retailers.

Reviews of the first cannabis products offered were mixed, with many customers complaining about quality and a limited selection. There are still concerns about the amount of plastic packaging that comes with the product. 

Since legalization, more product has become available to licenced stores and Wheeler is confident the supply chain has improved.

“Everyone will look back and they will wish they could have done things differently,” said Scott. 

“Keeping tight regulations is a good thing for quality of product and service,” said Wheeler. “I think the government going a little bit slower here is good as things get figured out.”

As more stores open, the industry hopes to win new customers and attract recreational users away from dealers.

Customer Darian Geldart bought two sativa strands and a pipe about an hour after Plantlife opened. It has been months since he bought marijuana from a dealer, he says, and the first bit of legal cannabis he ordered from the Internet “turned out to be my favourite weed ever.”

“It’s constantly better. I found there was a better percentage of getting higher-quality weed,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a reason to ever go back to a dealer.”