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The Alberta Party says a network of publicly owned cannabis stores will cost at least $168 million, a price it says is too steep to pay when the private sector is lined up to serve the market when recreational marijuana is legalized next year.

The NDP government has mandated that legal weed besold in stand-alone stores but has not yet decided whether to set up government-owned and operated stores or allow private retailers.

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In a news release Monday, Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark pegged the cost of a public system at $168.4 million.

That figure is based on an estimate of 372 stores in the province, matching the number of stores per capita in Colorado, where marijuana has been legal since 2014. Based on estimations of demand for legal pot, the Alberta Party figures each store would have upfront capital and inventory costs of $452,805.

In an interview, Clark said he’s being “very conservative” in his estimates but the price is too high considering private liquor stores have shown their value in Alberta.