Well over a year after cannabis legalization took effect in Canada, Waterloo, Ont. region’s first licensed cannabis store is finally open for business.

The 2,200 sq. ft. Tokyo Smoke shop is scheduled to open its doors today at 9 a.m. at 75 Pinebush Road in Cambridge, Ont. The store will be serving “light refreshments and goodies” to guests and offer a variety of cannabis and infused products like flower, oils, softgels, edibles and vapes, according to a press release.

But although it becomes the first licensed dispensary in the region, the store won’t be the last. Kitchener-based licensed producer James E. Wagner Cultivation recently announced its intent to sell cannabis products via a farm-gate retail outlet at its cultivation facility.

There are also several other retail applications pending in the area, namely for Bud and Sally Cannabis, the proposed location being on Waterloo’s King St., and Meta Cannabis, which is expected to be located on Kitchener’s Fairway Rd.

Another storefront in downtown Kitchener is displaying signs for a business called The Cannabist Shop, but unlike the aforementioned business, it is not listed on the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) site.

Before the opening of the Tokyo Smoke location, the closest licensed dispensary for cannabis lovers in the Waterloo area was located almost an hour away in Dundas, Ont. A now-defunct lottery system and private retail store cap initially overlooked Ontario hubs such as Kingston, Guelph, Windsor and Sarnia.

The lack of licensed retailers drew the ire of local law enforcement, including the local chief of police who referred to the situation as “unfortunate” in an interview with CBC News last year.

“One of the key recommendations of the end of prohibition of cannabis… it was designed to actually create a regulated, controlled and lawful market and so it’s concerning that our community [and] users will not have access to regulated, controlled stores,” said Waterloo Police Chief Bryan Larkin.

The Ontario government has since lifted the cap.