A company has come forward with plans for the first cannabis store in Clearwater.

“Interior Cannabis” is looking to set up shop in part of the town core on Young Road.

“For those who know Clearwater, it’s in the same complex as the Royal Bank and the liquor store and the old Safety Mart,” Clearwater mayor Merlin Blackwell says. “It’s ironic, they’ve put it in a building that already has a large bank vault from the old credit union. So it’ll be safe.”

Blackwell says council has now given support to the company’s request for a provincial sales license.

“There’s a lot of aspects to that because we are such a tourism-oriented town and I think there’s a lot of people from around the world who if they haven’t already sampled, would like to sample. So I think it’s going to more than just a local draw, we’ll go with that.”

Blackwell says at least one other cannabis company has shown interest in opening a retail store. The district’s bylaw says only three cannabis stores can be open at any time.

Right now, no cannabis stores are open from north of Kamloops to the Alberta border. One has been proposed in McLure and supported by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.