Over the last 30 years, millions of people have come in contact with cannabis, but there is surprisingly little information available that examines the drug as a whole—its medicinal properties, its function as a commodity traded on a global scale, its role in religion, the many ways it can be cultivated, and its effect on body and mind. In Cannabis Culture, journalist Patrick Matthews finds that researchers have unraveled the complexities of the plant, uncovering in the process much of the chemistry of our minds and emotions. In addition to scientists, Matthews meets a colorful mix of characters—connoisseurs, criminals, and cultivators—who together make up the new cannabis culture.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
This is neither a glorify-the-weed article from High Times nor an antipolemic from a neo-Nancy Reaganite. Matthews (The Wild Bunch), an award-winning British writer on wines, presents a straightforward account of what he sees as the culture of cannabis (a culture as discernible as that of wine), including its history, horticulture, politics, and place in society. Let's face it, though, the stuff is illegal in most of the world, and it's hard to write dispassionately about such a subject. So, even before the postscript, the reader knows that the author, while conceding such positions as the possibility that marijuana is a gateway to the harder stuff, is not about to advocate spraying cannabis fields with paraquat. A bit too technical in places for lay readers, a bit too British for others, this will still be a good buy for academic and larger public libraries.AJim Burns, Ottumwa P.L., IA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
British wine columnist Matthews turns his skills to marijuana and its attendant culture. He disses white Rastas and fortyish to fiftyish American potheads (he thinks Brit weeders carry it off better), so don't think this is some boomer self-congratulatory, feel-good manual. There is much discussion of "The Hard Science," especially in the chapter so titled, and pithy comparisons of weed and wine connoisseurship. Matthews observes, for instance, that whereas wine fanciers comment first about taste and later about effect, weeders do the reverse--that is, if they consider taste at all. A sweeping judgment, that, and there are others. Hey, the guy's a professional wine snob! He knows his grapes and herbs, he is judgmental, and he speaks freely, hence this book. Matthews sets a new standard for serious critical writing on cannabis. Although his writing commits the insurrectionary gesture against the war on drugs of being mildly pro-pot, it deserves a place in the public forum. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Big "ahaa",
By A Customer
This review is from: Cannabis Culture: A Journey Through Disputed Territory (Paperback)
This is a balanced, sober and neutral book on the cannabis culutre, if there even is a culture, and if so how is it and which similarities does it have with other cultural subjects. When reading it I had a lot of "aha"-experiences, because the book is full on interesting facts and information, all backed up by footnotes telling you how to check up on the given information. Not a book for anyone who wants a book worshipping hemp, but defenately a book for the knowledge-wanting smoker (you're mentioned in the book more than once). The book also explains a lot of other cultures, and gives historical, scientific and legal information which can be very desired if you're interested in it. Not a book to read when you're influenced by the drug, but absolutely a book to talk about and refer to when you are.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Overall a Job Well Done,
By Cwn_Annwn (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cannabis Culture (Paperback)
Matthews does a good job with this book for the most part. He covers a lot of bases for a book that weighs in at 250 pages. Among other things chapters on medical Marijuana, Amsterdam, Hemp, hysterical Marijuana witchhunts and propaganda, profiles of Amsterdam breeders, an account of his trip to the biggest Hashish producing area in Morocco. The account of the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam was somewhat humorous with his observations about it almost seemed like a tribute to black American/Carribean culture with old hippies singing old blues songs, young hippy "Rastas" and white hip hoppers, but yet the attendees of the Cannabis Cup were virtually all white.
One not surprising thing exposed in this is the Partnership for a Drug Free America(they are the ones that put out the idiotic "public service" spots with the egg frying saying this is your brain on weed) gets millions of dollars from big Pharma companies, Dupont, Anheuser-Busch, big Tobacco and Whiskey makers. I was shocked to find that the billionaire scumbag banker funded a conference thats main purpose was not whether or not Marijuana should be legalized but what is the best way to go about legalizing it. Who knows what shady motivations Soros has for funding the conference. The faults Cannabis Culture has are for whatever reason Matthews idioticly goes out of his way to attempt to debunk Jack Herers uncovering of the anti-Hemp conspiracy involving the Hearst media empire, Dupont Chemical, the Federal Treasury and high level law enforcement officials. Even though its only a few years old some of this book is a little outdated because things are moving so fast lately on the Marijuana front. Another fault is its too Britcentric (yeah I know he's a Brit and thats why, but still) Britain has never been the epicenter of Cannabis activity. It lags behind North America and the rest of Europe. The UK is full of garbage "soapbar" Hash and the average British stoner is a total tool. Referring to any strong weed as "Skunk", no matter what strain it happens to be. So yeah there are a few things I didn't like about this book but for the most part its a good, interesting and worthwhile read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new point of view,
By
This review is from: Cannabis Culture (Paperback)
A new point of view about cannabis and his culture
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