The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis

597 Pages·2010·4.09 MB·English

by  Julie Holland M.D.

To the late John Paul Morgan, M.D., chemist, genius, New Yorker, musician,
scientist, professor, and friend, who passed away on February 15, 2008. His
book Marijuana Myths/Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence,
coauthored with Lynn Zimmer, Ph.D., and published by the Lindesmith Center in
1997, helped debunk the following myths:
Marijuana’s harms have been proven scientifically.
Marijuana has no medicinal value.
Marijuana is highly addictive.
Marijuana is a gateway drug.
Marijuana offenses are not severely punished.
Marijuana policy in the Netherlands is a failure.
Marijuana kills brain cells.
Marijuana causes an amotivational syndrome.
Marijuana impairs memory and cognition.
Marijuana can cause permanent mental illness.
Marijuana causes crime.
Marijuana interferes with male and female sex hormones.
Marijuana use during pregnancy damages the fetus.
Marijuana use impairs the immune system.
Marijuana is more damaging to the lungs than tobacco.
Marijuana’s active ingredient, THC, gets trapped in body fat.
Marijuana use is a major cause of highway accidents.
Marijuana-related hospital emergencies are increasing, particularly among youth.
Marijuana is more potent today than in the past.
Marijuana use can be prevented.
The
Pot Book
“The Pot Book traces the secret history of marijuana, examines the disconnect
between seventy years of prohibition and the American public’s personal
attitudes toward pot, and offers a clear-eyed look at all the uses of cannabis,
including the growing list of its widespread medicinal benefits. Consulting
with the top experts in the field, Dr. Julie Holland presents the current science
and makes a compelling case for the need for further research, unencumbered
by anti-drug hysteria, as well as an immediate change to our nation’s
puritanical drug laws.”
JOHN DIOSO, DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR OF ROLLING STONE
“The most-up-to-date and reliable source of information on the exploding
frontiers of cannabis science written by the top experts in the field. I highly
recommend this book.”
STEVEN HAGER, HIGH TIMES CREATIVE DIRECTOR
“Dr. Julie Holland has assembled a virtual dream team of cannabis experts for
this marijuana magnum opus.”
STEVE BLOOM, PUBLISHER OF CELEBSTONER.COM, COAUTHOR OF
POT CULTURE AND REEFER MOVIE MADNESS, AND FORMER
EDITOR OF HIGH TIMES
“Dr. Holland’s brilliant compendium of marijuana facts and cultural insights
from the best medical minds and scientific researchers, while acknowledging
the potential for abuse, makes a compelling case for cannabis as the most
ancient, benign, and uplifting inebriant/sacrament/medicine humanity has ever
known. Just say Know.”
ALEX AND ALLYSON GREY, ARTISTS AND COFOUNDERS OF THE
CHAPEL OF SACRED MIRRORS (COSM)
“The Pot Book reveals the truth about cannabis in one timely, evenhanded
volume. Dr. Julie Holland has brought together the top experts discussing
every aspect of this persistently misunderstood plant. The Pot Book is now the
best single source for information and insights on marijuana.”
NEAL M. GOLDSMITH, PH.D., AUTHOR OF PSYCHEDELIC HEALING
“Are you a lover or hater of the pot world? In either case this book is for you,
if you want to be enlightened. I knew the book was a winner as soon as I held
it and felt the good vibrations. Read it and tell your friends.”
TOMMY CHONG, COMEDIAN, ACTOR, AND CANNABIS ACTIVIST
Contents
Cover Image
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Foreword by Lester Grinspoon, M.D.
Introduction
PART ONE
An Overview of Cannabis
Introduction to Part One
Chapter 1. The Subjective Effects of Cannabis
Matthew G. Kirkpatrick and Carl L. Hart, Ph.D.
SOURCE OF MARIJUANA EDUCATION
SUBJECTIVE EFFECTS IN THE LABORATORY
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL’S HISTORY OF MARIJUANA USE
SUBJECTIVE EFFECTS AND ABUSE POTENTIAL
CONCLUSION
Chapter 2. Early/Ancient History
Chris Bennett
CANNABIS IN CHINA
ANCIENT MIDEAST HISTORY
Chapter 3. Recent History
David Malmo-Levine
KING AND THE ANTI-ASIAN RIOT
CANNABIS: THE MOST POPULAR PATENT MEDICINE?
FLEXNER AND THE CLOSING OF THE PRO-HERB MEDICAL SCHOOLS
HEARST, ANSLINGER, AND MURPHY
FDR, MELLON, AND ROCKEFELLER
IT GOES ON AND ON . . .
THE TREE OF LIFE AND HEAVEN OR HELL
RECOMMENDED READING
Chapter 4. The Botany of Cannabis
Lyle E. Craker, Ph.D., and Zoë Gardner
NOMENCLATURE
BOTANICAL HISTORY
MORPHOLOGY
APPLICATIONS
CONCLUSION
Chapter 5. Cannabis Grow Revolution
Danny Danko
INDICA VS. SATIVA
MALES VS. FEMALES
SOIL VS. HYDROPONICS
VEGETATIVE VS. FLOWERING GROWTH
INDOOR VS. OUTDOOR
ORGANIC VS. CHEMICAL: FERTILIZATION
ORGANIC VS. CHEMICAL: PEST CONTROL
THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA REVOLUTION
THE FUTURE OF CANNABIS
Chapter 6. The Endocannabinoid System
Gregory L. Gerdeman, Ph.D., and Jason B. Schechter, Ph.D.
THE CANNABINOID RECEPTORS
THE ENDOCANNABINOIDS
NEURONAL FREQUENCY AND SYNCHRONY: SETTING TEMPO WITH ECBS
REFRAMING THE DISCUSSION: THE “ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM”
Chapter 7. Anandamide and More
Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D., and Lumír Hanuš
THE PLANT CONSTITUENTS
THE ENDOCANNABINOIDS
Chapter 8. Cannabis Laws in the United States
Allen St. Pierre
LISTING OF STATE-BY-STATE (AND FEDERAL) CANNABIS LAWS AND PENALTIES
Chapter 9. On Ending Prohibition
Ethan Nadelmann, J.D., Ph.D.
PART TWO
Risks of Use and Harm Reduction
Introduction to Part Two
Chapter 10. Medical Risks and Toxicology
William Holubek, M.D.
TERMINOLOGY
PHARMACOKINETICS AND PHARMACODYNAMICS
DRUG TESTING
GENERAL TOXICITY
MANAGEMENT OF MARIJUANA INTOXICATION
MARIJUANA AND CANCER
CONCLUSION
Chapter 11. Pulmonary Harm and Vaporizers
Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D.
LUNG CANCER
LUNG FUNCTION
BRONCHOSCOPE EXAMINATIONS AND BIOPSIES
RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES
HEALTHIER LUNGS FOR CANNABIS SMOKERS
ORAL ADMINISTRATION
VAPORIZERS
HOLDING HITS
RESIN
STRONGER MARIJUANA
ABSTAINING FROM CIGARETTES
CONCLUSION
Chapter 12. Cannabis and Cognition
Caroline B. Marvin and Carl L. Hart, Ph.D.
RELEVANT CANNABINOID NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
DIRECT EFFECTS OF CANNABIS ON COGNITION
LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF CANNABISON COGNITION
CONCLUSION
Chapter 13. Mental Health Risks Associated with Cannabis Use
Cheryl Corcoran, M.D.
CAN CANNABIS USE CAUSE PSYCHOSIS?
CAN CANNABIS LEAD TO ANXIETY?
CAN CANNABIS LEAD TO DEPRESSION?
CONCLUSION
Chapter 14. How Real Is the Risk of Addiction?
Ryan Vandrey, Ph.D., and Margaret Haney, Ph.D.
TOLERANCE
WITHDRAWAL
UNCONTROLLED USE
USE DESPITE PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
CONCLUSION
Chapter 15. Driving Under the Influence
Paul Armentano
DRUGGED DRIVING: TRUE THREAT OR FALSE PANIC?
CRUISING ON CANNABIS: CLARIFYING THE DEBATE
DEFINING A RATIONAL “DRUGGED DRIVING POLICY”
Chapter 16. Arrest Statistics and Racism
Harry G. Levine, Ph.D.
Chapter 17. Getting Busted Is Not So Funny
An Interview with Tommy Chong
Julie Holland, M.D.
Chapter 18. The Collateral Consequences of Cannabis Convictions
Richard Glen Boire, J.D.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CONCLUSION
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
Chapter 19. Harm Reduction Psychotherapy
Andrew Tatarsky, Ph.D.
HARM REDUCTION
ACUTE HARMS
CHRONIC HARMS
FINDING YOUR HEALTHIEST RELATIONSHIP TO MARIJUANA
CONCLUSION
PART THREE
The Clinical Use of Cannabis
Introduction to Part Three
Chapter 20. The Clinical Applications of Medical Marijuana
An Interview with Andrew Weil, M.D.
Julie Holland, M.D.
Chapter 21. Medical Marijuana Research
An Interview with Donald Abrams, M.D.
Julie Holland, M.D.
Chapter 22. MAPS and the Federal Obstruction of Medical Marijuana
Research
Rick Doblin, Ph.D.
Chapter 23. The Government’s Pot Farm
An Interview with Mahmoud a. ElSohly, Ph.D.
Julie Holland, M.D.
Chapter 24. Cannabinoids and Psychiatry
Julie Holland, M.D.
THE PSYCHOACTIVE EFFECTS OF CANNABIS
ANTI-PSYCHOTIC EFFECTS OF CBD: CANNABIS AND SCHIZOPHRENIA
DEPRESSION
BIPOLAR DISORDER
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND OTHER ANXIETY DISORDERS