Gatineau's 1st pot shop rolls out the welcome mat
Gatineau's first sanctioned cannabis shop opened its doors Wednesday.
More than two dozen people were waiting in line when the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) location opened at 73 boul. de la Gappe.
Unlike some outlets in Ontario, where the job of selling cannabis has been handed over to private operators, the provincially run SQDC store's shelves appeared to be fully stocked.
Last week, the SQDC announced earlier supply issues had been addressed, and all Quebec cannabis shops would be open seven days a week.
This is the 15th shop to open in Quebec since the federal government legalized cannabis on Oct. 17, 2018.
SQDC planning more outlets
Until today, residents of Gatineau who wanted to buy cannabis at an SQDC branch had to travel 150 kilometres to Mirabel, Que.
On the Ottawa side, three outlets for cannabis products opened on April 1.
Éric Lavoie is the owner of Fire and Flower, a pot shop in the ByWard Market in Ottawa. He told Radio-Canada he's not worried about competition from Gatineau because so many Gatineau residents work in Ottawa.
The SQDC said it's aiming to open two more branches in Gatineau in the near future.
