Dying to Get High: Marijuana as Medicine (Paperback)

~ (Author), Richard Webb (Author)
Key Phrases: drug czar, botanical marijuana, botanical cannabis, Santa Cruz, United States, Potheads Scamming the System (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sociologist Chapkis (Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor) and educator Webb chronicle the experiences of caregivers, patients and local officials in the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a nonprofit formed in the wake of California's "Compassionate Use Act of 1996" dedicated to education, research and providing cannabis to patients suffering from "chronic and life-threatening illnesses." Focusing on cannabis's benefits to the seriously ill, the authors investigate many aspects of this complicated issue, including marijuana cooperatives versus big pharma, the power of making one's own health care decisions, and the implications of alternative medicine's growing mainstream cachet. Chapkis and Webb rely on "anecdotal patient reports, not clinical trials," noting that the DEA and National Institute on Drug Abuse have for decades successfully instituted a policy of blocking "even carefully designed, FDA-approved research on the medical value of marijuana." While the authors mention arguments against medical marijuana ("'crude botanicals' are not real medicine; marijuana is reduced to and synonymous with smoking...; and 'feeling better' isn't always therapeutic"), patient testimony is largely positive and discussion of adverse effects limited. Still, this volume presents a great deal of information and perspective, and should be of value to the chronically ill and their caregivers, as well as those involved in public policy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A thought provoking portrait of a Santa Cruz cannabis collective."
- The Chronicle of Higher Education

"Dying to Get High: Marijuana as Medicine is an important and accessible book — not heavy on academic jargon, but rather lively and engaging, like a true detective novel — with a broad appeal to those interested in the medical potential of cannabis, an end to the drug war and grass roots activism." [Link to High Times interview]
- High Times

"Chapkis and Webb offer a well-written exposition of the polemics involved in the medical marijuana controversy. . . . Chapkis and Webb have skillfully intertwined abstract concepts with "real life" experiences that exemplify the costs and benefits of the medical marijuana drama."
- Choice

"This is a beautifully written account from the front lines of a struggle between a federal drug war complex determined to keep demonizing marijuana and the growing movement of patients and doctors who have found marijuana to be a valuable medicine. Voters in California and many other states have strongly supported the patients. The moving stories in this book show why."
- Craig Reinarman, co-author of Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice

"Emphasis here is on the human experience—extensive interviews provide a unique look at the day-to-day issues faced by chronic and terminally ill patients who find relief through the marijuana that is grown and distributed to them at no cost. WAMMÂ’s history, philosophies, and relationship with local officials are also examined."
- Library Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 257 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press; 1 edition (August 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814716679
• ISBN-13: 978-0814716670
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #339,376 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compassion and Courage, September 16, 2008

By	raisintoastie (NYC) - See all my reviews

Widely considered the "gold standard" of the medi-pot movement, the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a co-op that distributes free cannabis to seriously ill people, provides the central focus of this book.

The activist founders of WAMM, Mike and Valerie Corral, have tirelessly challenged the federal prohibition of cannabis as medicine. WAMM members are stricken with AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and other ailments, but lawmakers in Washington continue to insist that these patients are simply "potheads scamming the system." Against the backdrop of WAMM's struggles and successes, authors Wendy Chapkis and Richard J. Webb examine the history of cannabis and medicine in America, placing the current controversy in context.

Chapters examining scientific research and legal developments are packed with information, plus the book is interspersed with interviews of patients, caregivers, physicians, police and lawmakers that put a human perspective on the need for truly legal medicinal pot.

"Dying to Get High" addresses many important questions and contradictions in the Federal policy, effectively defusing government propaganda with common sense, scientific facts and the anecdotal evidence recorded by WAMM patients. Compassionate readers will be moved by the stories of suffering, and the book is so well-written and researched that even the most hard-hearted prohibitionist will be persuaded that the laws criminalizing the medicinal use of cannabis need to change.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insider's agree "Dying to Get High" is accurate to a tee!, January 10, 2009

By	Miriam Hill "altgether1" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have spent the past 4 years helping out at the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana and in fact I am the current Webmaster for wamm.org. This book is worth reading if you are interested in any aspect of herbal remedies, cannabis, medicine, sociology, science, drugs, welfare, drug guides or pharmacology. The personal accounts are accurate and heartwarming. Many of the people who Chapkis and Webb interview have since passed. Its about time somebody told their story and exposed the injustice perpetrated upon this healing plant and upon WAMM in particular. Thank you again and again for a job well done. Buy this book and Chapkis/Webb have generously agreed that 30% of all sales will go directly back to WAMM. This book was a labor of love and it shows.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars gripping account, January 6, 2009

By	Brutus (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews

This book is extraordinarily readable and very engaging. The interviews with patients and caregivers are informative and moving, the analysis is right on target, and the many photos give the book an additional layer of texture. I thought I was already well-informed on this subject but I learned an enormous amount from reading this book.