Pot Politics: Marijuana and the Costs of Prohibition , by Mitch Earleywine, Editor -

In his earlier book, Understanding Marijuana, Mitch Earleywine forced researchers, policy makers, and citizens to avoid oversimplification, separate empirical findings from their interpretations, and understand that some things may be neither good nor evil. Pot Politics continues with these same themes, showing multiple perspectives from a variety of experts on an important problem with vast implications. The volume presents ethical, religious, economic, psychological, and political arguments for cannabis policies that range from prohibition to unrestricted legalization. By presenting a unique perspective on overlapping issues, each chapter demonstrates how even recognized experts draw markedly different conclusions from the same data. Some contributors evaluate policy by weighing the costs and benefits of control while others eschew policy by presenting moral arguments against our attempts at control. (Amazon description)

Legalizing Marijuana: Drug Policy Reform and Prohibition Politics, by Rudolph Gerber -

"This volume is well written and documented. It comes as a breath of fresh air amid a policy issue that is so often dealt with in an emotional and irrational way - a sane counterpoint to the emotional venting of the pharmaceutical Calvinists. Highly recommended. All levels."– Choice

"Rudolph Gerber, a judge, presents the case in favor of marijuana legalization, at least for medical use, citing a host of research studies, which he claims have been ignored for decades. His discussion of the history of the marijuana debate through presidential administrations since Kennedy is especially enlightening....[d]ebaters on the issue of medical use will find much ammunition in this book."–;Library Media Connection

 "...Scathing legal analysis of the folly of the United States war on pot. The author has concisely depicted the distortions, hypocrisy, and fear mongering of high ranking federal officials who have immeasurably harmed many individuals as well as the integrity of our criminal justice system." - Joseph D. McNamara, Research Fellow, The Hoover Institution Stanford University

Marijuana is Safer: So Why are we Driving People to Drink? , by Steve Fox; Paul Armantano; Mason Tvert; Norm Stamper -

"Marijuana Is Safer is both informative and timely. It explains the effects and actions of marijuana upon the body in plain and easily understandable terms. Most importantly, it shows the reader why the use of marijuana is much safer than the use of many if not most legal substances, including over the counter medications, tobacco, and most certainly alcohol. As a physician and public health educator, I highly recommend this book."--Gregory T. Carter, M.D., M.S., Clinical Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine

"Marijuana Is Saferprovides an informative, enjoyable, comprehensive look at all aspects of the plant from the cellular to the societal. Readers who are new to the topic will find the pithy summaries of this complex literature easy to follow. Experts will welcome the up-to-the-minute references to the latest work on a vast range of topics. Even the most devoted prohibitionists will soon find themselves scratching their heads as they learn the history and rationale behind current laws. Everyone will finish the text convinced that current policies need a thorough and immediate re-examination."--Mitch Earleywine, PhD, author of Understanding Marijuana and editor of Pot Politics

Medical Use of Marijuana: Policy, Regulatory and Legal Issues , by Tatiana Shohov -

In recent years, there has been much debate over whether marijuana, an illegal drug, can provide patients with a level of therapeutic relief comparable to existing pharmaceutical treatments. While this idea is hardly new, it is advanced by some proponents as deserving more scientific inquiry. Advocates for the medical use of marijuana contend that there is already sufficient scientific evidence to justify rescheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, a change that would give it the necessary legal recognition to be used for medicinal purposes. This has already occurred in the case of dronabinol, the synthetic form of the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, which has been available as an oral prescription drug since 1986 under its brand name Marinol. To address these viewpoints, several comprehensive studies were done in the late 1990s to evaluate medicinal claims made for smoked marijuana and determine whether they are supported by convincing scientific evidence. The medical marijuana debate gained attention at the state level in 1996, when voters in California and Arizona approved ballot initiatives allowing doctors to prescribe the drug for therapeutic uses. In 1998, similar propositions were adopted in Alaska, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and reaffirmed in Arizona. Voters in Maine adopted a medical marijuana initiative in 1999. In 2000, medical marijuana was approved by voters in Colorado, reconfirmed in Nevada, and passed by the legislature in Hawaii. Federal health officials assert that these initiatives are part of a strategy to soften the nation's drug laws, and that public policy would be better served if science, rather than the ballot box, were used to judge the drug's utility. This book assesses the current issues and examines the controversies regarding the marijuana legalization issue. (Amazon description)

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World , by Michael Pollan -

Erudite, engaging and highly original, journalist Pollan's fascinating account of four everyday plants and their coevolution with human society challenges traditional views about humans and nature. Using the histories of apples, tulips, potatoes and cannabis to illustrate the complex, reciprocal relationship between humans and the natural world, he shows how these species have successfully exploited human desires to flourish. "It makes just as much sense to think of agriculture as something the grasses did to people as a way to conquer the trees," Pollan writes as he seamlessly weaves little-known facts, historical events and even a few amusing personal anecdotes to tell each species' story. For instance... He evokes the tulip craze of 17th-century Amsterdam, where the flower's beauty led to a frenzy of speculative trading, and explores the intoxicating appeal of marijuana by talking to scientists, perusing literature and even visiting a modern marijuana garden in Amsterdam... Pollan's clear, elegant style enlivens even his most scientific material, and his wide-ranging references and charming manner do much to support his basic contention that man and nature are and will always be "in this boat together." - Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Dying to Get High: Marijuana as Medicine , by Wendy Chapkis and Richard Webb

 "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. WAMM-s history, philosophies, and relationship with local officials are also examined."
- Library Journal

"Chapkis and Webb's new book provides a human element to the history, pharmacology, psychology, and politics of medical marijuana in a way that no other work has. The book is as riveting as a detective novel, as informative as a textbook, and as moving as a romance. I loved reading it and sure wish I'd written it."
- Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D., Author of Understanding Marijuana

Otherwisw Law Abiding Citizens: A Scientific and Moral Assessment of Cannabis Use , by Matthew Stolick -

Matthew Stolick presents a detailed social and scientific exploration of the social history of cannabis, chemical make-up of the cannabis plant, and effects of cannabis use. Applying the moral thought of Aristotle, Kant, Mill, and Christianity, Stolick demonstrates the amoral nature of cannabis use. (Amazon description)