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Alberta could host 500 cannabis stores within two years, says an official with the provincial regulator that’s been busier than any in Canada approving the outlets.

One year past the end of cannabis prohibition, Calgary already has more cannabis stores — 66 — than any other city in Canada, with Edmonton second at 48.

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Another 154 locations have been approved in Calgary.

And Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis has green-lighted 306 retail outlets across the province, a number that will likely grow by 200 by 2021, said Dave Berry, vice-president of regulation for the AGLC.

He notes the regulator predicted 250 stores opening in the province by now, adding “we’ve been pretty accurate, and we predicted 500 stores at the end of three years.”

“I don’t see anything changing, I still think it’ll come about but the market will dictate it.”

That figure is also consistent with the state of Oregon, with a population similar to Alberta’s, that legalized sale of the drug three years ago.