Esterhazy's cannabis store ready to open on legalization day

Lush Leaf Cannabis in Esterhazy is one of the Saskatchewan cannabis retailers that says it will be ready for customers on legalization day.

Valli Kuzub and her husband Jody are the owners of the pot store soon to be open at, of all places, 420 Main Street.

"The only store we actually applied for is Esterhazy," Kuzub said. "We knew we could do it right and handle it properly and it's part of the ground floor of making history and we just wanted to be a part of it."

Esterhazy is roughly 220 kilometres east of Regina and has a population of about 2,300, which makes one of the smaller communities with a legal cannabis retailer.

Kuzub said the community has been supportive, which she takes as a sign that the stigma over marijuana use may be diminishing.

"We are sure that there's going to be a couple of people that maybe have some concerns but we hope to handle the business in a very inoffensive way and we're more than happy to answer questions that people have.

"Overall everyone has been really great and received it very well," Kuzub said. "Our town council did their best to move things on as quickly as possible."

Kuzub said her store will have an online shop, which will be set to sell and ship products on Oct. 17.

Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming said about one third of the 51 Saskatchewan cannabis retailers could be open  Wednesday. Many shops have said construction issues and permits have caused delays.