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Full Description
This fascinating book traces the global history of marijuana, reaching back thousands of years. Noted historian John Charles Chasteen follows the use of the drug since Neolithic times, which makes marijuana among the first domesticated plants. Surprisingly, though, only infrequently has it been used as a recreational drug. Instead, there is a vibrant spiritual dimension to its long history that has been continually ignored. Beginning with the familiar "outbreak" of the 1960s, Chasteen unearths successive layers of marijuana's history. Written with insight, clarity, sophistication, and good humor, this deeply informed work discusses the cultivation of cannabis and its many forms, including hemp, one of the world's principal fiber crops. After a tour of Latin America, Africa, India, and the Muslim world, Chasteen concludes that unlike alcohol marijuana has always flourished outside the mainstream. Its principal users have been creative outsiders of many kinds-mystics, artists, musicians, free thinkers, and spiritual seekers-as well as poor laborers attracted by its low cost. Marijuana, it seems, is a mind-expanding drug after all, and Chasteen explores its rich heritage with captivating insight.
Contents
Chapter OneTrouble with the Police Meet the Cannabis Plant Chapter Two: American Century The Early Years The Marihuana Tax Act, 1937 Rise and Fall of the Counterculture Drug War, Culture War Chapter Three: Atlantic World Hemp and Rum, Strategic Resources Mexico, and a Mystery Colombia and Jamaica Brazil and the African Connection Africa, South of the Congo River Chapter Four: Medieval HashishWine versus Hashish Hashish Eaters God's Unruly Friends The Assassin Legend Not for Everybody Chapter Five: Asian Origins Historic India The Prehistoric Eurasian Steppes The Silk Road and Beyond The Earliest Horizon Chapter Six: Epiphanies Glossary Sources and Asides Index About the Author
