More and more, when surveying news articles about medical marijuana, words that apply to the business world come up. That's the approach Ferris takes.

"I do spend a lot of time at meetings," he says. "What we do is important not just to our industry but to our states. Look at California; look at the money it brings to that state, a lot of that could come to Michigan. It is an industry without a question. If you counted up the jobs that this law has given this state, you're getting into the tens of thousands. I don't think I'm exaggerating at all — caregivers, lawyers, doctors, the schools. There are a lot of people involved in this industry and a lot of people who want to be in this industry." (For the record, state officials say they've given out roughly 36,000 patient ID cards and have a three-month backlog.)

There is and always has been a lot of money involved in the drug war, and those who benefit from it want to hang on to their cash flow. But maybe it's time to see entrepreneurs in the drug business in a different light.

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