Michigan: This joint is rockin'

The marijuana business is blooming in the State Capitol.

Newly released statistics show that the state Department of Community Health registered 5,873 patients as medical marijuana users between April 6 and Nov. 30; in that time, the department has denied 1,867 applications, mostly due to incomplete application or missing documentation.

That’s falling short of the 50,000 people statewide that medical marijuana advocates expected would be smoking the green herb within two years of the April 2009 launch of the program.

But with thousands of state residents embracing medical marijuana, it appears that the once illicit drug is gaining traction as a credible source of medical relief.