The wheels of the state bureaucracy turn, albeit somewhat slowly, in support of rules on the sale of recreational marijuana.

According to the state’s Bureau of Marijuana Regulation, a draft set of rules should be ready by summer, perhaps as early as June, regulating the commercial production and sale of recreational marijuana, The Detroit News reported. Medical marijuana has been legal in Michigan for more than 10 years.

Production of the actual rules will probably happen later this year. Michigan voters in November approved recreational marijuana, giving state officials until Dec. 6 to develop administrative rules and begin taking applications, the News reported.

Should the department issue emergency rules earlier, it also could begin taking applications earlier.

“The end goal is ensure the regulated market succeeds because the success of the regulated market is what will cause the degradation of the black market,” Bureau of Marijuana Regulation Director Andrew Brisbo told lawmakers in a Wednesday hearing. Next week, the department will begin a series of work groups with stakeholders for input on potential administrative rules for adult use, the News story stated.

Like it or not, recreational marijuana is coming. And, there are indications it could be decriminalized at the federal level in the not-too-distant future.

The state in general, and a lot of other people we can think of locally, should keep that in mind going forward.

The people have spoken.