A newly-transplanted cannabis cuttings grow in pots at a medical marijuana cultivation facility in Massachusetts, July 12, 2018. AP PHOTO/Steven Senne

BOSTON — The state’s top marijuana regulator says final inspections of prospective marijuana businesses have begun, but the question remains: When will Massachusetts’ first pot shops open?

Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman said Thursday that he could not offer a date for the start of retail sales but expressed confidence it would happen this fall.

Hoffman acknowledged that many consumers are impatient with the slow rollout of recreational marijuana businesses. But he says regulators are committed to a safe and thorough process.

The commission approved provisional retail licenses on Thursday for proposed stores in Ayer, Hudson, Pittsfield and Salisbury.

That brings the number of provisional licensees to 15 — but none have final licenses.

The stores, when they finally do open, will be the first in the eastern United States.