Dozens of people lined up early Thursday morning to be the first to legally purchase recreational cannabis in Red Deer.
The city’s first legal cannabis dispensary – Greentown – opened at 10 a.m. at 5111-49 Street in the downtown area.
Greentown is one of 65 legal cannabis stores currently licensed to be open in Alberta.
“This is unbelievable,” said Tyler Stevens, General Manager of Greentown’s Red Deer store. “We’ve had eager beavers here since 8:30.
“A lot of us, we never thought we’d see the day where we’d have legal cannabis, so this is really a groundbreaking day for all of us.”
Stevens says it’s a little overwhelming right now, not just for them, but for Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (ALGC) and the demand for cannabis across the country.
AGLC announced earlier this week that no more licenses would be issued in this province until they could find a better way to keep up with the demand.
As far as attitudes towards cannabis and if they’re changing are concerned, Stevens believes it will take some time.
“A lot of seasoned cannabis users, they’re ready for this, they’re really happy, but this kind of takes us back to the prohibition of alcohol,” he says. “It might take a while for some of the people who’ve demonized cannabis for a long time to come around, but I feel that once more information comes out, they’ll have a change of heart.”
One such user is Ryan Fiacco, who has consumed cannabis for the last 11 years.
He was one of the first 10 customers inside Greentown.
“It’s been a long time coming. I’m tired of having to travel to Edmonton and Calgary to get my products. This is huge for us as a community,” Fiacco says. “It’s going to hopefully help curb some of the black market and get some healthier stuff out for us instead of having to necessarily lie to get a green card. To be able to get it recreationally is amazing.”
Fiacco said one 3.5 gram item he purchased cost him $55 at Greentown, as opposed to getting the same thing for $30 on the black market, but he says he’s not complaining because its guaranteed to be of higher quality.
On only having one store open in Red Deer, Fiacco added, “It’s going to put a strain on everybody. If you only have one store, then everybody’s coming here and you’re going to have limited supplies. It makes us wonder how long this is going to last.”
According to City of Red Deer bylaw, any recreational cannabis stores which open must adhere to several regulations.
Fire & Flower Cannabis Co. is the next closest legal cannabis store to Red Deer. It opened in Stettler on Wednesday.
