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Marijuana is the No. 1 illicit drug of choice in Michigan, and by a variety of measures, marijuana use is increasing.

Consider:

In 2014-15, 15% of Michiganders used marijuana at least once in the previous year, up from 12% in 2008-09, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

About 10% of Michiganders used marijuana in the previous month in 2014-15, comapred to 7.5% in 2008-09, based on SAMSA estimates.

Almost 220,000 Michigan patients had a medical marijuana card in 2016, a 76% increase from 2012.

About 9.3% of all 2015 arrests in Michigan involved marijuana, up from 7% in 2008.

Michigan voters approved use of medical marijuana in 2008. There currently is a petition drive under way to put a proposal on the November 2018 ballot to legalize use of recreational marijuana in Michigan.

Below is a look at the available data about marijuana use in Michigan.

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Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.com

1. Number of cards has increased 76% since 2012

That data shows there are 218,556 patients with a medical marijuana card as of Sept. 30, 2016, plus 38,057 caretakers with a card so they can obtain marijuana for a designated patient. The number of patient cardholders has increased 76 percent since 2012, the data shows.

The big caveat about the above chart: The decline in 2014 reflects the initiation of a two-year registry program, meaning the 2014 numbers show only some cardholders because previous registrants did not have to re-register during that time period.

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2. Ottawa County has the lowest rate of medical marijuana cards

Montmorency County in the northeast Lower Peninsula has the highest rate of residents with a medical marijuana card and Ottawa County has the lowest. You can click on a county in this interactive map to see the underlying data.

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These numbers are for the fiscal year that goes from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, and starts with 2012-13 and goes through 2015-16.

Source: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

3. 86% of applications are approved

New applications for medical marijuana cards increased 70% between 2012-13 and 2015-16. About 86% of the applications were approved, and it took about 12 days on average to process an application.

Michigan's medical marijuana program brought in $9.8 million in renewal and application fees in fiscal 2016, and the program cost $5.3 million to administer.

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Source; Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

4. Most-common reason for a medical marijuana card: 'Severe and chronic pain'

About 80% of Michigan medical marijuana cards are granted to treat "severe and chronic pain." The above chart shows the 9 most common qualifying conditions for medical marijuana cards. The percentages add up to more than 100 because some patients have more than one condition.

In fiscal 2016, a total of 1,759 physicians wrote medical marijuana prescriptions, up 23% from the previous year.

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Source: SAMSA

5. Michigan ranks 13th in U.S. for marijuana use

Michigan ranks 14th in percentage of residents age 12 and older who used marijuana in the past month, based on 2014-15 health surveys. Michigan had a prevalence rate of 10.1% compared to a national average of 8.3%.

In that ranking, Colorado had the highest percentage, 16.6%, followed by Vermont, Alaska, Maine and Rhode Island.

The lowest rate was in Iowa, at 4.8%, followed by Utah, Alabama, Mississippi and North Dakota.

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Scott Levin / MLive

6. Detroit and Flint areas have highest rates of marijuana use

About 11% of residents age 12 and older in Wayne County and the region formed by Genesee, Lapeer, Sanilac and St. Clair counties used marijuana at least once in previous month, according to 2012-14 health surveys. The lowest rate -- 8% -- was in Oakland County. You can see the results for any of the 10 regions in the state by clicking on this interactive map.

The 10 regions shown in this map:

Region 1 -- Upper Peninsula;

Region 2 -- Northern Lower Peninsula;

Region 3 -- Grand Rapids/Muskegon region;

Region 4 -- Southwest Michigan, including Kalamazoo;

Region 5 -- Mid-Michigan, including Lansing, Jackson, Saginaw and Bay City;

Region 6 -- Ann Arbor and Monroe areas;

Region 7 -- Macomb County;

Region 8 -- Oakland County;

Region 9 -- Wayne County;

Region 10 -- Flint and Port Huron areas.

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Source: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

7. Marijuana use has been inching up in Michigan

About 10% of Michigan residents used marijuana in the previous month, according to the most recent health surveys, up from 7.3% in 2002-04.

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Source: SAMSA

8. Increase is being driven by Michiganders age 26 and o

This chart makes two points. One is the that young adults are, by far, the biggest users of marijuana.

But it also shows the increase in marijuana use is being drive by Michigan adults age 26 and older, according to health surveys.

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Source: SAMSA

9. Whites more likely to have tried marijuana than blacks, Hispanics

This chart shows marijuana use by race among Americans age 12 and older, based surveys of more than 265,000 Americans in 2015.

It shows whites are more likely to have tried marijuana than blacks, Hispanics or Asians, but blacks and people of mixed race are more likely to have used pot at least once in the month before they were surveyed.

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Source: SAMSA

10. Men use marijuana more than women

American men are more likely to have tried marijuana at least once, and are more frequent users than women, based on surveys of more than 265,000 Americans age 12 and older in 2015.

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Source: SAMSA

11. Adults with some college, but not a bachelor's, most likely to use marijuana

The least and most educated Americans are less likely to use marijuana than those with some college, based on surveys of Americans age 26 and older in 2015.

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The "Other" category includes students, persons keeping house or caring for children full time, retired or disabled persons, or other persons not in the labor force.

Source: SAMSA

12. Unemployed most likely to use marijuana

Americans with a full-time job are more likely to have tried marijuana, based on surveys of Americans age 26 and older in 2015. But those who are unemployed are most likely to have used marijuana in the past month.

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Harmful impact of marijuana

Although many people perceive marijuana as relatively harmless, about 1 in 11 marijuana users become dependent on the drug, and there are about 4.2 million Americans who meet the criteria for marijuana abuse or dependence, according to SAMSA. After alcohol, marijuana is the second leading substance for which people receive drug treatment.

Heavy users of marijuana can have problems with attention, memory, and learning, which can affect relationships and mood, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. It can impact the brain development of teen users; may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, irritate the lungs and exacerbate mental-health issues.

As defined by DSM 5, cannabis use disorder is manifested by at least two of the following within the past 12 months:

Cannabis is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended.

There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control cannabis use.

A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain cannabis, use cannabis, or recover from its effects.

Craving, or a strong desire or urge to use cannabis.

Recurrent cannabis use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home.

Continued cannabis use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of cannabis.

Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of cannabis use.

Recurrent cannabis use in situations in which it is physically hazardous.

Cannabis use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by cannabis.

Tolerance, as defined by either a (1) need for markedly increased cannabis to achieve intoxication or desired effect or (2) markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of the substance.

Withdrawal, as manifested by either (1) the characteristic withdrawal syndrome for cannabis or (2) cannabis is taken to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms