The Pot Book

ENTHEOGENS / POPULAR CULTURE "With marijuana legislation making headlines almost daily, The Pot Book's timing is impeccable. It takes a candid look at all things cannabis from all angles: history, scientific research, medicinal use, our nation's drug policy, myths, and misconceptions. I recommend this book as a comprehensive must-have guide for any library." --Andrew Weil, M.D., author of the bestselling 8 Weeks to Optimum Health and founder of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine "Consulting with the top experts in the field, Dr. Julie Holland presents the current science and makes a compelling case for the need for further research, unencumbered by anti-drug hysteria, as well as an immediate change to our nation's puritanical drug laws." --John Dioso, deputy managing editor of Rolling Stone Exploring the role of cannabis in medicine, politics, history, and society, The Pot Book offers a compendium of the most up-to-date information and scientific research on marijuana from leading experts, including Lester Grinspoon, M.D., Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Allen St. Pierre (NORML), and Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D. Also included are interviews with Michael Pollan, Andrew Weil, M.D., and Tommy Chong as well as an ACLU lawyer and a forensic toxicologist growing cannabis for the U.S. government. Encompassing the broad spectrum of cannabis knowledge from stoner customs to scientific research, this book investigates the top ten myths of marijuana; its physiological and psychological effects; its risks; why joints are better than water pipes and other harm reduction tips for users; how humanity and cannabis have co-evolved for millennia; the brain's cannabis-based neurochemistry; the complex politics of cannabis law; its potential medicinal uses for cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, and other illnesses; its role in creativity, business, and spirituality; and the complicated world of pot and parenting. As legalization becomes a reality, this book candidly offers necessary facts and authoritative opinions to a society steeped in marijuana myths, misconceptions, and stereotypes. JULIE HOLLAND, M.D., is a psychiatrist who specializes in psychopharmacology and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine. An expert on street drugs and intoxication states, she was the attending psychiatrist in the Psych ER at Bellevue Hospital from 1996 to 2005 and regularly appears on the Today Show. The editor of Ecstasy: The Complete Guide and the author of the bestselling Weekends at Bellevue, she lives in the Hudson Valley. Proceeds from the sale of this book will help fund therapeutic cannabis research.