Customer Reviews

Cannabis: A History

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pot? Ganja? Marijuana ? The difference...??? Read on...
The author covers the historical development of a very controversial plant delicately.... Cannabis is traced back to ancient times where its usage was (and still is in some parts of the world)more medicinal and related to religious rites as opposed to recreational... The books also delves into the components of the plant itself,optimal growing conditions,growing locations... the active ingredient that gives consumers the BANG!!!

come to the middle of the book we are enlighten with how the move against cannabis was first born.... and later explain the stand of governments on cannabis....

the book covers cannabis from a historical and cultural point of view!!! I enjoyed it!!! a superb history!!!!

By helping us see how we got to where we are today concerning cannabis, Martin Booth enables us to question the government propaganda about this plant, and the unconstitutional and oppressive methods employed to discourage its use, both as a medicine and a recreational drug. This is important, because the War on Drugs has done more to destroy our individual liberties than almost anything else our government does. If for no other reason, that makes this book a vital read for anyone who loves the liberties our founding fathers attempted to leave us.

Whether you are pro or anti legalization of marijuana use for adults or for medical use, it matters not. At least make an educated decision. Booth provides a well researched and engaging narrative on the history of cannabis and the foibles of those raging against the dangers of The Devil Weed, including hashish. Included are ancient times and maritime; prohibitions solely based on racism (Chinese, Africans and Mexicans); "lumping" mary jane in with opium, heroin and cocaine as if they all are the same thing, and the fear mongering of politicos and the press, most often with little or no personal experience or scientific fact. Economics of weed and hemp are also discussed. Easy to read and enlightening - a real eye-opener to the long and bumpy history and use of marijuana for medicinal, religious and recreational purposes over the centuries. Highly recommended.

Cannabis: A History by Martin Booth. Mr Booth is in my opinion offers the best information on this controvercial subject. I am in the process of reading the book at this time, and it offers up more information than anyone who has ever even been in the same room with any Cannabis could ever remember when they try to tell others of this subject. I do read other information on this subject and feel Mr Booth is presenting information which is accurate, if not honest presentation of fact, in that when there is something that is not exactly proven out by these accounts, he will mention the information is possibly correct but not documented in historical fact. A good Read, if not too long for someone who has the known attention span of personal contact with the subject matter. Which is also mentioned several times through out the early part of the book. It portrays how Cannabis is used throughout recorded history, how it was used, where it possibly origionated and who has produced it through out the civilized cultivation on virtually all contenants. If you are interested in gaining some knowledge on Cannabis, Hemp and Pot use, this is for you. I should have been printed on Hemp paper! Rope for Military vessels, Clothing and food, Medicinal use and just to get high, Cannabis has a staying power of a needed plant for all civilizations.

Awesome book to continue your knowledge of the plant. It is for anyone who is interested in the remarkable journey of the cannabis plant and how far it has come.

Cannabis: a History is an invaluable and concise history of cannabis as a drug, and as a literary and historical entity. The book is very well documented; it's notes form a valuable road map to a wealth of historical material. This is truly a job well done.

There were areas I wish he would have went more in depth with, like how the coffeehouse scene in Holland came into existance and other areas I wasn't as interested in, like hippy pop culture. Also he overemphasizes a lot of things that went on in Britain, which historicly isn't exactly the epicenter for Marijuana activity and culture. The author isn't a stoner, or at least doesn't come off as one, but he seems to be pro-Cannabis at least to the extent of showing the stupidity of the law enforcement witchhunts against what is more or less a harmless "drug". Overall a good general history of Cannabis.

It just feels as though his publisher thought this book would sell well after his other work 'Opium', so he wrote it to order. He waffles on about hippies and 1960's counter culture and doesn't address the real issues, namely corruption and multi-national corporations who conspire to keep marijuana illegal. I didn't like his style of writing and found the book a little unstructured, he leaps about a bit as if his research was done on the hoof, as he found something else out he just went of on a tangent. He goes to great lengths to say hes not condoning cannabis use which is just a cop out. There are better books on the subject out there.

I agree with the previous reviewer-- decent read, but mediocre writing and scholarship. I counted 3 consecutive paragraphs in one chapter that all ended with sentences beginning with "It could be said that..." The whole book seems breezy and rushed and one gets the feeling that the only reason it exists is to capitalize on the success of the author's previous pop-scholarly tome on Opium. It is also riddled with the usual BS one finds in books on drug culture written by academics and outsiders-- outdated slang; silly, unsupported anecdotes and hearsay; constant reminders that the author is "NOT advocating for legalization, but...".

This isn't a bad book, and the subject matter is fascinating, but I found the book to be full of questionable research and great leaps in logic. For example, the author says that the expression "chill out" is from chillum, a primitive type of pipe that has been in use for thousands of years. "Chill Out" didn't enter the vernacular until the 1990's. There are many of these instances in the book.