“AGLC opened up its application process for retail locations on March 6, earlier this year, and all applications are processed on a first come first served basis. So, while there has been speculation that perhaps certain larger city centres were being accommodated beyond others, it’s certainly not the case.”

The numbers on the AGLC website ( www.aglc.ca) are being updated hourly as new licenses are granted.

Oct. 17, there were 17 licensees in business, and the number of approvals as of Friday afternoon was 27. Holmen says there could be between 80 and 100 licenses granted by the end of October.

“Certainly, province-wide we’ve received almost 800 individual applications and considering each application is more than 50 pages, in addition to all the information that’s required for it…our background checks alone can take two to four months.”

For those cities and municipalities where stores are not yet open, the AGLC runs a website where those over the age of 18 can purchase recreational cannabis in several forms, including rolled joints, buds, flowers and oil. However, more than half a dozen products have already sold out.

While Holmen says they only kept statistics on visits, from 12:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Oct. 17, the site received more than 84,000 visits that day.

More than 8,000 orders were also placed on the website the same day. The first several hundred packages ordered have since arrived at their destinations.