Mayor of Kamloops says ‘history has been made’ with vote on B.C.’s lone pot shop

Mayor Ken Christian announced the approval by saying “history has been made.” (File Photo: Ken Christian for Mayor/Facebook)

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Councillors for the City of Kamloops took less than 10 seconds to unanimously approve British Columbia’s first and only marijuana dispensary.

The store to be run by the province in B.C.’s Interior is opening Wednesday as pot sales become legal across Canada.

Mayor Ken Christian announced the approval by saying “history has been made.”

Christian has said the vote was to be held last week during a regular council meeting but was postponed because of the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Development services director Marvin Kwiatkowski says there were no complaints about the operation and the B.C. government vowed to sign an agreement with the city to ensure safety around the shop.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has said more approved stores will follow in the coming months and the province has received 173 applications for cannabis retail outlets, with 62 of them submitted to local governments for further review.

The Attorney General’s Ministry says in a release that private and public retailers will be allowed to sell dried cannabis, cannabis oils, capsules and seeds that comply with federal requirements.

It says the Kamloops store, located in a shopping mall, will be open at 10 a.m. Wednesday and have “24 cannabis consultants standing by to serve.”

“The store will feature about 85 dried-flower strains of cannabis plus a selection of oils, capsules and pre-rolls approved by Health Canada.”

People who are at least 19 will also be able to legally buy non-medical cannabis online by paying a shipping fee of $10 per order.

The Liquor Distribution Branch has a contract with Canada Post to deliver online orders to customers, and the ministry says anyone taking a delivery will be asked for identification if they appear to be under the age of 25.

The product would be returned to the branch if the person is underage, and a refund would be issued, the ministry says.