The rollout of cannabis legalization has been far from smooth, but as we approach legalization’s first anniversary it’s become abundantly clear that Alberta’s approach is heads and shoulders above the rest of the country.

What’s especially remarkable about Alberta’s success is that despite the acrimony between Alberta’s two main parties on just about every issue, they are more or less on the same page when it comes to legalization.

In arriving at a place of common sense policy, the NDP managed to ignore voices in its own ranks calling for more government control and the UCP ignored those in its ranks who were opposed to legalization in the first place. As a result, Alberta implemented the most efficient and forward-thinking retail system in the country, and the new government wisely took the approach of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Recent numbers released by Statistics Canada offer some validation of Alberta’s approach as our province leads the country in cannabis sales — total sales, not per capita. The $123.6 million in cannabis sales rung up in Alberta from October 2018 to June 2019 exceeds the $121.6 million in Ontario and the $119.2 million in Quebec.

Of course, that isn’t to suggest that Albertans are using far more cannabis than other Canadians. Rather, by leaving retail to the private sector, we ensured that there were far more legal outlets available for consumers to purchase cannabis. The black market still exists, to be sure, but these numbers strongly suggest that Alberta has had far more success in undercutting illegal trade.

That’s not to say that Alberta hasn’t experienced its own bumps along the way. This year began with a freeze announced on any and all new cannabis retail licences, leaving a considerable number of entrepreneurs in a very difficult spot.

But as legalization’s anniversary approaches, those clouds are clearing and things are looking bright for the cannabis retail sector.

By the spring, the province was approving 20 new retail licences per week, and as of last month, the number of cannabis retail stores in Alberta surpassed 250. We’ve already surpassed the province’s own prediction for the number of retail outlets that would be in operation after Year 1 of legalization.

It’s also worth pointing out how little of an impact all of this has had. For all the ominous predictions from legalization opponents about how the sky would surely be falling, virtually none of that has materialized.

For example, we were told by critics to expect all sorts of carnage on the road as a result of what would surely be a wave of cannabis-addled motorists. Yet, as Calgary police reported last month, only a single charge of cannabis-impaired driving has been laid since legalization took effect. One charge. That’s it.

Alberta has also played host to what’s believed to be the country’s first authorized cannabis consumption zones at public events — beer gardens for weed, essentially. The folk festivals in both Calgary and Edmonton had cannabis zones set up, as did Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge. In all cases, the experiment was deemed to have been a success.

Alberta has also managed to avoid the bureaucratic absurdities that have plagued other provinces. For example, Albertans can grow up to four cannabis plants per household, as per federal law — no additional caveats. However, in supposedly progressive B.C., there is a requirement that homegrown plants must not be visible from any public space.

Earlier this summer, a Revelstoke couple had their home raided by RCMP and their three cannabis plants seized after they allowed their garden to be a part of the town’s annual garden and art tour. Because the plants were theoretically “visible” to those on the tour, the heavy hand of the law was deployed.

We haven’t had such horror stories here. For all intents and purposes, the cannabis-related news in Alberta has been quite positive. Smart policy can go a long way, it turns out.