The race to open Lake Country’s first cannabis store is suddenly over, however, the first across the finish line made little noise during the race.

On Friday afternoon, Indigenous Bloom opened its shop adjacent to the large blue boat on the corner of Highway 97 at the city limits of Lake Country.

The store is located on Okanagan Indian Band land off Commonwealth Road, but operators refused to comment and details are limited as to whether or not the store has or even requires municipal or provincial approval.

However, that didn’t stop a large line from forming for the new store, whose posted hours promote service seven days a week 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

According to first time buyers who had just exited the store, service was professional and several types of dried bud along with CBD oils where available.

The packaging appears to comply with Health Canada’s strict regulations and features a warning label.

In December, much media attention was given to Starbuds after their application to sell retail cannabis was denied once before being approved by Lake Country city council.

Despite being municipality approved, Starbuds’ doors remain closed as the location awaits approval from the provincial government.

KelownaNow will update this story as more information becomes available...