Mass. marijuana talks to resume after finishing the budget

Last year Massachusetts voters passed an initiative legalizing cannabis for adults, similar to alcohol, and while since it's been legal to use, possess, and grow marijuana in the state, regulators have pushed back the date to license and open retail marijuana stores. After missing the June 30th deadline, regulators wanted to meet this coming Friday to finalize details, but a new budget deal has been announced that will be discussed in it's place. The primary issues to be decided still are the rates of taxation and acceptable locations of retail cannabis shops, which are planned as the topic of discussion after Friday's budget meeting, though some officials aren't confident in the new deadlines. 

While marijuana use, possession and the right to grow plants at home became legal last year, the Legislature in December delayed other keys aspects of the law -- including the timeline to license retail stores -- by six months to give lawmakers time to reconsider other elements of the law.

The self-imposed deadline that passed last week was put in place in order to make sure that the new regulatory body, which will be known as the Cannabis Control Commission, had a year to get up and running and begin licensing retail pot stores by July 2018.