Retail shops selling marijuana may not open in Massachusetts until the middle of 2018 — or later — if lawmakers engaged in ongoing backroom discussions succeed in delaying parts of the legalization measure recently approved by voters, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

Some legislators are also angling to push back the Dec. 15 starting date for when residents could legally grow marijuana at home, the people familiar with the conversations said. It would still be legal to possess and use the drug starting Dec. 15, and lawmakers have not given any indication they plan to change that date.

The discussions mark the first indication of specific delays lawmakers are envisioning, after several state officials expressed concern about the timeline for implementing the voter-approved law.


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