What’s more, all of this has to be sorted out by January 2014. That’s because if the state fails to start issuing licenses by then as required, the law automatically authorizes local governments to issue their own regulations and licenses after 90 days. It is far from clear whether local governments will be able to navigate implementation if the state can’t, but this is an intentional safety valve built into the law to allow the initiative to move forward in case of political intransigence.