Cannabis: A History

(Paperback)

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Description

To some it's anathema, to others it provides relief from crippling pain: to others still, it is a legal anomaly and should be decriminalized. Whatever the viewpoint, and by whatever name it is known, cannabis - or marijuana, hashish, dope, kif, weed, dagga, grass, ganga - incites debate at every level and its impact on the world's cultures and economies is undeniable. Dating back to the Neolithic period, the history of cannabis is a tale of medical advance, religious enlightenment, political subterfuge and human rights; of law enforcement and customs officers, cunning smugglers, street pushers, gang warfare, writers, artists, musicians and happy-go-lucky hippies and pot-heads.

Reviews

Enlightening...a very engaging history. * Daily Telegraph *
Booth tells this story with admirable restraint...this book should be on the shelf of anyone interested in human freedoms and bad laws. * Independent *
So good no one will need to do another for at least fifty years...mesmerizing detail, fantastical digressions, lots of jokes and wry asides. -- James Delingpole * Literary Review *
A testament to the late Booth that he could make such a boring subject so interesting. * Sunday Times *
A colourful tale ... Chronicles the remarkable and often mystifying process through which cannabis became outlawed throughout the Western world, and the devastating effect such legislation has had on the global economy. * Sunday Telegraph *

Author Bio

An internationally known and admired writer and biographer, Martin Booth was also an acclaimed novelist - his THE INDUSTRY OF SOULS having been shortlisted for the 1998 Booker Prize. His penultimate book was CANNABIS- A HISTORY, and he died in February 2004 shortly after completing GWEILO.