If—like many of us—you’re less than excited by the prospect of enforced alone time this year, we’d like to take a moment to remind you of some of the brighter sides of self-quarantine. It’s a great time to focus on our inner lives, and that includes rekindling our love of one of life’s great quiet pleasures: reading.
Better still, the flood of historical, social, and medical research has unleashed numerous great cannabis books. From newly reprinted classic texts to innovative cookbooks and beyond, there’s plenty of reading material to keep you entertained, educated, and delighted this season. Here are a few of our top recommendations.
Cannabis Books: From Classics to the Cutting Edge
The Emperor Wears No Clothes: Hemp and the Marijuana Conspiracy by Jack Herer
Already an underground classic when it was published in 1985, this encyclopedic volume details the political and commercial efforts to squash cannabis and hemp in the United States. Required reading for serious students of cannabis, The Emperor Wears No Clothes is entertaining and compelling enough to recommend to anyone with an interest in the history of cannabis and its long road towards mainstream acceptance.
The Little Black Book of Marijuana: The Essential Guide to the World of Cannabis by Steve Elliott
A concise (but by no means skimpy) overview of marijuana culture, history, identification, and even recipes, The Little Black Book is a great starting point for those wanting to dip their toes into the wide world of cannabis. Special bonus: The mouth-watering full-color photos of different cannabis strains!
Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational and Scientific by Martin Lee
A must-read for those wanting to understand marijuana’s complicated (and utterly fascinating) social history, Smoke Signals traces the story of cannabis through its history as a widely accepted folk medicine through the era of prohibition to its startling triumph over political opposition to become a multibillion-dollar industry. Better yet, it’s available as an audiobook, so you can listen at your leisure to a bedtime story of a very different kind.
A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis: Using Marijuana to Feel Better, Look Better, Sleep Better–and Get High Like a Lady by Nikki Furrer
This comprehensive guide is fun and entertaining, but it also delivers the goods. More practical than historical in focus, it’s packed with advice on how to get the most from cannabis depending on your body’s specific needs, be they relieving anxiety and depression, fighting inflammation, or mitigating the signs of aging. There’s solid information on cannabis fundamentals such as cannabinoids and terpenes, but the tone is always light and readable. It’s a real pleasure to (finally) read an authoritative cannabis book aimed at women.
The Medical Marijuana Dispensary: Understanding, Medicating, and Cooking with Cannabis by Laurie Wolf and Mary Wolf
A joint collaboration (no pun intended) by the owners of the award-winning cannabis company Laurie and MaryJane, this encyclopedic manual is equal parts medical marijuana reference manual and cannabis cookbook. For those of us who don’t have access to trusted cannabis pharmacists and physicians educated in marijuana-based care, this authoritative cannabis book is an invaluable resource. Plus, the dynamite recipe section—encompassing both sweet and savory dishes—will have you filling your larder with irresistible cannabis-infused treats.
Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed by Editors of MUNCHIES
Based on the popular Viceland / MUNCHIES television series, this cannabis cookbook bills itself as the Joy of Cooking for a new generation. Whether or not a book named after a bong will replace Julia Child is an open question, but props to this book for taking cannabis cooking way beyond dry and crumbly dorm room brownies. You learn about the science of infusing oils, milks, and more for maximum potency, the art of pairing specific strains for optimal flavor combinations, and probably have a lot of fun along the way!
