There's a chance Vancouver could see not one, but two legally licensed marijuana shops open their doors over the weekend.
Even though Canada legalized recreational pot months ago, Vancouver marijuana smokers still have to use the province's B.C. Cannabis Store website to legally purchase the drug.
But that's set to change now that the government has granted a total of three licences to local pot businesses.
That includes two for City Cannabis Co.'s Robson Street and Fraser Street locations. Company president Krystian Wetulani told CTV News the licensing process was a slog, but he's excited they've finally been given the green light.
"It was a lot of hard work by our team and being able to actually be one of the first private retails open in Vancouver is a great accomplishment, I would say," Wetulani said.
City Cannabis Co. has put in a product order, and if it's delivered in time Wetulani expects they'll be ready to open up the Fraser Street store Saturday morning.
"That's the last step. If we can get this delivery today we're opening tomorrow. We're ready to go," he said.
The Robson location should follow a few days later, he added.
Meanwhile, the owner of Evergreen Cannabis, a marijuana shop on 4th Avenue that was the first in the city to receive provincial approval, confirmed it will be welcoming customers at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The store was initially scheduled to open in late December before being delayed to Jan. 5.
Many marijuana smokers have been using illegal dispensaries for years in Vancouver, but the number of unlicensed pot shops has been shrinking. Last month, the B.C. Supreme Court ordered more than two dozen owners to close their doors or face potential fines and jail time.
Though a few legal shops will be opening up this month, there remain zero provincially run pot stores in the city. The only B.C. Cannabis Store currently operating is located hundreds of kilometres away in Kamloops.
The province has now approved a total of six private stores, including Tamarack Cannabis Boutique and Earth's Own Naturals Ltd. in Kimberley and Weed Mart in the small northeastern community of Pouce Coupe.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Sheila Scott and Ben Miljure