Many people in Hay River joined the rest of Canada on Oct. 17 in welcoming the arrival of cannabis legalization.
Outside the Hay River Liquor Store, there was an almost festive mood as about 25 people waited for the only legal sales outlet in the community to open at noon.
The first person to buy legal cannabis in Hay River was Brad Boudreau.
"It felt good," he said, while adding with a laugh, "It will feel better tonight."
Boudreau spent about $40 to buy some dried cannabis for vaping and some pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes.
"This is going to last me for a while," he said.
Boudreau noted he has not actually smoked marijuana in 25 years.
"I'm getting old, got arthritis," said the 52-year-old. "That's basically what I got it for."
Asked whether he thought he would ever see the day when cannabis would be legalized in Canada, Boudreau responded, "Not really, actually. No."
Kyle Camsell was also on hand for the beginning of legal cannabis sales in Hay River mostly because of the historic nature of the day.
"For the most part, I'm actually just here to observe," he said, noting he only bought some beer.
Camsell said everyone seemed to be smiling as they waited for the doors of the liquor store to open.
"I've got to just say that it's an interesting day," he said. "There are over 200 countries in the world and we're the second one to legalize it. So I think this sets an example, if anything, for not just people but for prime ministers and presidents and whatnot to see if this will work or not. So I feel like we're in a testing phase."
One man, who agreed to comment only if his name was not published, bought some dried hybrid cannabis and some pre-rolled cigarettes, noting the prices were somewhat high.
"They're a little higher than what I expected, but then again it is the North," he said. "Everything is a little more up here. But it is cheaper than the black market prices. So I appreciate that part. I'm going to be buying more here legally than later at night."
However, he said he knows some cannabis users who are just way too addicted, and they'll still go to drug traffickers late at night instead of waiting until the next day to buy from a legal source.
As he was speaking, a woman walked by and glanced at what he had just purchased.
"I wonder if it's good weed," she said. "I'm curious. I can't wait to try it."
Inside the liquor store, there was no display of cannabis products, since they were kept out of sight at the sales counter.
Instead, there was a list of cannabis products for sale, something like a menu, passed through the line-up so people would know what to order when they got to the cashier.
While there were good feelings among purchasers of legal cannabis on Oct. 17, the same cannot be said for Hay River Town Council, which was scheduled to discuss on Oct. 23 proposed municipal regulations against the public use of cannabis.
Based on a candidates' forum on Oct. 10, the members of a new town council – which will come into effect on Nov. 5 – also appear to strongly support municipal rules against smoking cannabis in public.
Some of the soon-to-be councillors, including Robert Bouchard and Jeff Groenewegen, also expressed strong opposition to legalization itself.