British Columbia cabinet ministers defended the provincial government害羞草研究所檚 pace in approving marijuana stores as they toured the only brick-and-mortar shop in Kamloops Friday.

Attorney General David Eby and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth visited the new BC Cannabis Store in the province害羞草研究所檚 Interior. The Liquor Distribution Branch is currently engaged with a number of municipalities about opening additional stores, Eby said.

害羞草研究所淭he key for them is what we found in Kamloops, which is a municipality with clear guidelines, with an intent to work with the (branch) in establishing a store,害羞草研究所� he said.

害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 no question that over the next period of weeks and months, they害羞草研究所檙e going to see more and more stores coming online, both public and private.害羞草研究所�

The managers of two illicit pot shops that were raided by RCMP in Port Alberni on Wednesday have criticized the province for not processing applications more quickly. Both stores have applied for provincial licences and are waiting for approval.

While B.C. only has one legal store and a website, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick have 20 stores each and Alberta has 17. Ontario, on the heels of a recent provincial election, has no physical stores.

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Farnworth said other provinces established stores with very little community consultation, but B.C. made clear that local governments could decide what kind of stores, if any, they wanted.

The province also has local government elections on Saturday and many communities have said they want to deal with licences and locations afterward, Farnworth added.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e taken an approach that was very much collaborating with local governments and we believe that was the right approach to take.害羞草研究所�

Farnworth also said the province could not legally issue private retail licences until after the federal Cannabis Act came into force on Wednesday. He wouldn害羞草研究所檛 explain when asked why the act was a roadblock for B.C. but not for other provinces.

A spokesman for the attorney general害羞草研究所檚 office said in an email that the province could legally create the regulatory framework to allow provincial licensing before legalization.

害羞草研究所淗owever, it could not issue a licence to sell cannabis (which is an official instrument of government) while it was still federally illegal,害羞草研究所� he said.

Alberta issued interim licences to 17 retailers by early October that allowed them to order product and get stores ready for legalization. Stores with interim licences that fulfilled all conditions were issued a sales licence on Wednesday so they could open to the public.

In B.C., the provincial government forwards applications to municipalities, which review them and make a recommendation to the province. The province then decides whether to issue a licence. Some municipalities have also established their own business licences in addition to that process.

Jag Sandhu, a City of Vancouver spokesman, said the province has notified it of eight applications for stores. Seven applicants have previously been issued development permits, the first step that needs to be completed, and must now post a sign on site for 14 days notifying the public they intend to obtain a provincial retail licence.

Once the provincial licence is granted, the operator can apply for a municipal business licence, he said.

害羞草研究所淲e do not have a timeline on when the first store will open as it will depend on the applicant completing the process and fulfilling all provincial and municipal requirements,害羞草研究所� he said.

The City of Surrey has banned any business growing, producing or storing cannabis, and plans to tackle retail marijuana after the local election.

害羞草研究所淐ouncil endorsement of the specific details of a Surrey framework, including retail sales, has not occurred. This will be an issue that the new Council will review once they are in office. Until then the existing bylaw is in place,害羞草研究所� said Terry Waterhouse, general manager of public safety.

Most B.C. residents who purchased legal weed this week did so online. There were 9,175 sales online and 805 purchases at the province害羞草研究所檚 only physical store in Kamloops on Wednesday, according to the Liquor Distribution Branch.

But on Thursday, sales slid nearly 70 per cent, with 2,563 online transactions and 521 at the BC Cannabis Store.

The branch is not releasing the total value of the sales, which it says is its policy for liquor store sales as well.

Laura Kane, The Canadian Press

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