MARIJUANA

by Eve & Albert Stwertka Stwertka ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1979

Of the current crop of pot and drug books, this goes to the greatest lengths to assume a stance of objectivity. A little botany, a little history of world cannabis use, even a little agricultural practice, are all dished up as if this were any other dull, school-report topic--and, in the end, there is a factual summary of American marijuana laws. (This isn't the sort of stone-turner that would look into, say, the dynamics of internal or international pot politics.) On chemical and health considerations though, the Stwertkas are less objective than they seem: they use addict-associated terms such as ""user's need,"" ""necessary supply,"" and ""strung out""; they mislead on the frequency of ""bummers"" and the phenomenon of tolerance; and they dig up a spectrum of one-time findings of adverse effects, acknowledging that other experimenters have been unable to repeat the findings but neglecting to point out the dubious status of unrepeatable findings. Despite all this, the Stwertkas provide a broader basis for discussion than does Woods (below)--but it's disappointing that (except for stating that cannabis contains more carcinogenic chemicals than tobacco) they never get back to their early and relevant question: ""Is marijuana more harmful than alcohol and tobacco?

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1979

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Watts

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1979

Categories: NONFICTION