ROCK CITY SET TO BECOME POT CITY

He may even move from Kalamazoo to Detroit, where he thinks the
growth will take off.

"This is a multimillion dollar industry that is just opening up,"
said Francisco, a retired school teacher who insists medical
marijuana isn't the same pot that some smoked in high school or
college. Years of careful cultivation have led to a fluffy, fragrant
variety, he says while opening a medicine bottle.

Medical marijuana is already a flourishing industry that is only
going to get bigger in Michigan, Francisco and other advocates say.
Since November, when voters made Michigan the 13th state to legalize
it, opportunists have been organizing, networking and creating
businesses to grow the crop, deliver it to the patients and
everything in between.

Growers, dubbed caregivers, and their patients must be licensed with
the state. They may supply up to five patients and can earn about
$50,000 annually, estimates Brad Forrester, spokesman for the
Michigan Medical Marijuana Association.

The earning potential for those in ancillary businesses, such as
greenhouse supplies, software or hemp clothing, the earning potential
will be significantly higher, he said.

"There are going to be people who are making millions of dollars,
literally," Forrester said.

The Michigan Medical Marijuana Chamber of Commerce sprouted up in Ann
Arbor in recent months, along with compassion clubs for the 3,000
state-registered patients, 1,100 caregivers and numerous support organizations.

This weekend, 5,000 people are expected at Michigan's first Medical
Marijuana Expo, which will offer information and seminars on the law,
educational opportunities and tools for start-ups.

Now that it can be legally sold in Michigan, Greg Francisco is
looking forward to the prospect of cashing in on the state's emerging
medical marijuana industry.