BATH — Those who want to buy or sell recreational marijuana from a retail operation in Bath will have to wait at least another six months.

The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to extend a moratorium on retail marijuana establishments for 180 days.

City Solicitor Roger Theriault said staff needs more time to examine changes in the law passed by the state Legislature before bringing any ordinances to the council.

“So now we’ve got a whole new ball game and there are a whole lot of changes that they’ve made that we need to understand” before making recommendations, Theriault said. “We’re just simply not where we need to be.”

That said, the city does have some structure to begin talking about how it will approach marijuana businesses, and councilors expressed interest in pursuing a workshop on the issue in the coming months. In the meantime, the moratorium gives staff and the council breathing room to consider the issue, said Councilor Susan Bauer.

“I think we need to slow down and give ourselves time and give city staff time to figure out the best way to go about doing this,” Bauer said.

The council enacted a six-month moratorium in March when it was unclear whether the Legislature would pass a bill regulating a new recreational marijuana industry. The extended moratorium will be in effect until February if finalized.