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Nikki Rose (center) and Ian Power (right) were the first to buy legal cannabis in Tweed, St. John's, Newfoundland just after midnight on Wednesday.
Canada has become the second country after Uruguay to legalize the possession and use of cannabis for recreational purposes.
The national cannabis market opened Wednesday at midnight with many questions about health, law and public safety implications.
Preparations included mailings to 15 million households detailing new cannabis laws and public awareness campaigns.
However, concerns remain, including the willingness of law enforcement to combat drug-impaired driving.
Canadian provinces and municipalities have been preparing for the end of cannabis prohibition for months.
Provinces and territories are responsible for defining a great deal of detail about where cannabis can be purchased and consumed in their jurisdiction.
This has created a patchwork of laws across the country, with jurisdictions choosing more or less restrictive frameworks for the sale and use of cannabis.
Stores in the province of Newfoundland, the easternmost time zone in Canada, opened at midnight, marking the country's first legal cannabis sale.
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Customers line up in front of Tweed in St John's at the midnight approach
How ready is Canada for cannabis?
There are still outstanding questions on some key questions about the operation of legal cannabis in Canada.
A number of analysts predict a recreational marijuana shortage in the first year of legalization as production and licensing continue to grow to meet demand.
And the market itself is still in its infancy.
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Unauthorized clinics appeared in several cities in Canada before legalization
Ontario, Canada's most populous province, will only open stores this spring, but residents will be able to order cannabis online.
British Columbia, one of the provinces with the highest rate of cannabis use, will only have one legal store open on Wednesdays.
Until retail outlets become more widely available, some unlicensed cannabis retailers, which have flourished over the years since the law was first introduced, could remain open.
It is difficult to know if the police will repress them immediately or if they will close their eyes.
What is at stake?
Jessica Murphy, BBC News, Vancouver
The legal issue has been a hot topic in Canada for months, as governments and businesses prepare for October 17.
This day has finally arrived and Canadians will learn how much the new cadre will change the country. But it's not just a domestic matter.
As global trends move away from a strict cannabis ban, the world will be watching this national drug liberalization experience.
The success of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of the 2019 federal election will depend on the fulfillment of the goals he has set: to restrict drug access to youth – who are among the largest users of the drug. Canada – reduce the burden of cannabis legislation on the justice system and undermine the illicit drug market.
And if the results are positive, other countries might simply be more willing to do the same.
Why is Canada legalizing cannabis?
The legalization fulfills the 2015 campaign promise of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, leader of the ruling Liberal party.
The Prime Minister argued that Canadian laws dating back nearly a century to criminalizing drug use were ineffective, as Canadians are still among the world's biggest consumers.
He added that the new law was intended to protect minors from drugs and criminals from profits.
The federal government also plans to raise $ 400 million a year in tax revenue from the sale of cannabis.
Possession of cannabis became a crime in Canada in 1923, but its use for medical purposes has been legal since 2001.
Canada is following in the footsteps of Uruguay, which became the first country in the world to legalize the sale of cannabis for recreational purposes in 2013. A number of US states have also voted in favor of ending prohibition.
Marijuana for medical use is also gaining ground in many European countries.
What are the new rules around cannabis?
Adults will be able to purchase cannabis oil, seeds, cannabis plants and dried cannabis from approved growers and retailers, and may have no more than 30 grams (one ounce) of public dried cannabis or the equivalent.
Edible products, or cannabis infused foods, will not be immediately available for sale, but in the year following the coming into force of the law. This period is supposed to give the government time to establish specific regulations for these products.
It will be illegal to own more than 30 grams in public, to grow more than four plants per household and to buy from an unauthorized reseller.
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Sanctions for certain offenses will be severe. Someone caught selling the drug to a minor could be jailed until 14 years old.
Some critics say the sanctions are too severe and not proportional to laws similar to those governing the sale of alcohol to minors.
What are some of the concerns once it's legal?
The end of the ban will not mean the end of the legal and sanitary concerns about marijuana.
On Monday, the Canadian Medical Association newspaper published an editorial calling for legalizing "an uncontrolled national experiment in which the profits of cannabis producers and tax revenues are outright against the health of Canadians."
There are also some legal issues to resolve.
Canada has introduced new drug-impaired driving offenses, but doubts remain about the reliability of screening technology and the risk of court clogging in driving cases under the influence of drugs. drug.
Federal statistics indicate that about half of cannabis users do not believe that their behavior is impaired after taking marijuana.
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Government officials told reporters on Tuesday that they were considering a fast-track procedure to allow people convicted of possession to apply for legal pardon. At present, some 500,000 Canadians have criminal records in their possession.
The change in national drug policy has also created headaches in the United States, where the drug remains a federally controlled substance.
On Tuesday, the US border protection agency told border guards that "border guards" would have "great latitude" to determine who is eligible in the country.
Border guards can ask Canadians if they smoke grass and deny them entry they think they intend to do in the United States.
Canada has also deployed signs at all airports and borders to warn travelers that crossing international borders with drugs remains illegal.
