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British Columbians will be able to buy cannabis online and at least at one B.C. Cannabis Store on the Oct. 17 rollout of legalization, the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch said Friday, while would-be private retailers are still waiting for the province to unveil its licensing regime.

B.C. LDB, the province’s exclusive wholesale distributor for legal, recreational cannabis, announced that it has picked Canadian online-shopping expert Shopify Inc. to build its ecommerce portal, which was a priority for the branch.

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“Having the portal operational before the deadline is more important,” said B.C. LDB spokeswoman Viviana Zanocco. “That means we can provide a safe and reliable and quality product to anybody in the province.

“In terms of the stores, we’ve always said it was going to be a process. You can’t go from zero to 60 overnight.”

While the province hasn’t unveiled its retail-licensing regime, in unveiling guidelines in February, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said stores will have to have the support of municipalities.