Marijuana (Drug Library) [Library Binding]

Elizabeth Schleichert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1996 | Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up | Series: Drug Library

Examines the history, dangers, and both physical and social effects of the drug marijuana.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10?Each volume covers the history of a type of drug use, placing it in its medical and societal context before going on to discuss specific physical effects and dangers, as well as personal and social impact. The authors are thorough and frank, particularly in describing the "high" obtained from using marijuana or hallucinogens, but equally clear in detailing the dangers of recreational drug use. Their scientific approach is balanced with numerous first-hand accounts and case studies, all well documented, which not only illustrate the personal ruin that often results from drug abuse, but also the hope for recovery that lies in treatment. Significant space is devoted to discussion of why young people become involved in drug abuse and where they can get help. Thought-provoking discussion questions complete each chapter. Careful consideration of the legalization of marijuana is included. Clearly written, both titles will appeal to either interested readers or report writers. The black-and-white photos are for the most part merely decorative. Paula Klevan Zeller's Focus on Marijuana and Jeffrey Shulman's Focus on Hallucinogens (both 21st Century, 1991) are for slightly younger audiences. Sandra Lee Smith's Marijuana (1995) and Peyote and Magic Mushrooms (1994, both Rosen) are also written with a younger audience in mind. Margaret O. Hyde's Mind Drugs (Putnam, 1986; o.p.) offers an excellent treatment of drug abuse in general.?Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Library Binding: 112 pages
• Publisher: Enslow Publishers (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0894907409
• ISBN-13: 978-0894907401
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,256,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Outdated bias, March 23, 2007

By 

M. Vasquez "TruthBeTold" (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marijuana (Drug Library) (Library Binding)

This is the same kind of ignorant, one-sided, biased reading material that they use to "educate" our children with. The majority of this propaganda presents little valid information, if any. Perhaps the only upside is the brief historic indroduction to the hemp and marijuana plants. Other than the first chapter, there is little information provided, if any, that can back up the arguments made by the author.

The worst part, aside from being more opinion than fact, is the way that the author sneaks in bias in to the book. "[Teens] feel helpless to deal with the PAIN that led to the habit in the first place."

Most of the so-called "claims" presented by the author can easily be negated by actual and credible scientific evidence. "Marijuana is, after all, a gateway drug, with a close connection to hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin." says the author of the book in a section entitled "The Case Against Legalization." Yet 8 pages prior, she states that: "Marijuana doesn't have any characteristics that "make" people go on to hard drugs..."

A recent scientific study released by The RAND Corporation, a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces, has proven that Marijuana is NOT a gateway drug.

One of the "true-life" stories involves a young, shy, skinny child, who after moving to California, becomes a popular athletic surfer, a member of student council, and despite his B-range grades, "his parent's were thrilled with how Burt (fake name used by author) had changed." When he tells hit parents that pot is behind the horrible, life-ruining changes, they decide to send him to boarding school but he runs away. The harm caused was not from the Marijuana as the author blatantly states in the book, but from the ignorance and lack of knowledge about the situation from his parents. The same kind of ignorance that this book teaches.

This is the only book that I've picked up and started reading on a random page that actually caused me to get angry and have to close it and put it down. We should approach the subject of drugs with our children through EDUCATION, NOT downright LIES and BIAS. If I could have given this book zero stars, I would have.