Saying Massachusetts has already missed out on $16 million in marijuana taxes, officials behind the 2016 legal marijuana ballot question on Monday pointed to staffing levels and bureaucracy at the Cannabis Control Commission as potential reasons for the slow rollout of retail marijuana outlets in Massachusetts.

“The Cannabis Control Commission needs to pick up the pace,” said Will Luzier, who managed the successful 2016 marijuana legalization ballot campaign in Massachusetts. “We’re not here for cannabis operators, we’re here for the consumers and voters of the commonwealth who don’t understand why this is taking so long.”

Nevada and California voters approved adult use marijuana laws in November 2016, at the same time the ballot question passed in Massachusetts, and retail shops opened in Nevada in July 2017 and in California in January 2018, Luzier said.

The fiscal 2019 state budget counts on $63 million in marijuana tax revenues and the spending plan was assembled based on the state meeting its July 1 target date for retail sales. Many prospective businesses have applied for the retail licenses needed to open shops, but the Cannabis Control Commission has yet to grant any final approvals.