Marijuana: A Short History (Book Review) PDF

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Into. to American Politics Prof. Gerson December 7, 2018 Book Review of !Marijuana: A Short History by ! John Hudak Within !Marijuana: A Short History, !author John Hudak takes readers through the evolution of marijuana reform, exploring how this plant has become a !remarkable social, economic, and political force over time. Hudak presents readers with the history of marijuana, beginning in an era of refusal and rejection in 1906, to a time of acceptance and appreciation in 2016 (when the book was published). John Hudak uses his expertise in this field of public and political policy, from his background a!s a deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management and a senior fellow in Governance Studies. Hudak utilizes his knowledge from his main focus of research, on campaigns and elections, and state and federal marijuana policy to explore past and present views on the racialization, prohibition, and legalization of marijuana. The book finishes eloquently by describing the potential place for marijuana in the future of society. Hudak separates this text into five informational and easily understood parts. The parts go in order as “Part I: A Weed by Any Other Name,” “Part II: The Government Steps in,” “Part III: Pot, The Public, and the Powerful,” “Part IV: Marijuana Reform Blossoms into Public Policy,” and “Part V: The Future of Marijuana”. In part one, readers are taken through the vast amount of consumption methods for marijuana today. We learn about the traditional methods of smoking or eating, and new, more technologically advanced methods such as vaping, cannabinoid-laiden oils, or sublingual strips. Part two goes on cover the history of marijuana-related government policy from 1906, under the administration of Teddy Roosevelt, to the early 1990s and the

presidency of George W. Bush. Specifically, this part includes the prohibition of marijuana within the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) against The War on Drugs. Part three then covers how public opinion on marijuana has changed from a time of hatred and disapproval in the early 1900’s, to a time of youth-embracement during the “hippie” era of the 1960’s. In this chapter, Hudak discusses the shift of young-adults opinions and usage of marijuana, as it represented their free-spirited and music filled lifestyle. Hudak represents this large group of American society by stating “Hippies protested what they considered an unjust government, an unjust war, and an unjust society. This movement was about freedom, civil rights, peace” (41) and in Hudaks eyes, weed. Part four then explains how marijuana has “blossomed” (117) into public policy since the 1960’s, discussing the ballot initiative efforts, and the professionalization and mainstreaming of the marijuana movement itself. Lastly, part five discusses the future of marijuana in the society of the United States, and examines the potential benefits and consequences of its reform. Hudak was very successful in his presentation of information by doing so in a clear, concise, and humorous manner. Hudak was able to do this by presenting the information clearly and descriptively, without letting the statistics and facts make the text boring. This was done by incorporating puns and jokes about marijuana into the text. One of these notable puns was found within chapter eight, “Cannabis Use as a Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous” where Hudak explains how the growth of cannabis has had a long history in North America, dating back as far as the Colonial era where “hemp was a critical crop of the colonies” (101). Hudak mentions major american figures that grew and consumed hemp such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. The chapter continues to tell readers about Dr. ElSohly, a research

professor at the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Mississippi who grows and conducts research on marijuana as part of a federal government program. The chapter then shifts into Hudak talking about notable, marijuana consuming celebrities who have tapped into the marijuana business. These celebrities use their name to “Plant the seed in the minds of consumers that the products they endorse are worth the purchase” (101). This quote exhibits the humor that Hudak has presented throughout the book. Hudak exhibits this humor while still being able to teach readers of notable American figures who grew this plant, a national research facility on marijuana, and how celebrities have been able to use their name to encourage consumers to want to buy their products. The mix of these two characteristics in Hudaks writing not only inform readers, but intrigue and engage them to continue reading. Aside from the fluidity, humor, and conciseness in which Hudak has written this text, the legitimacy of the information he has presented continues to validate his book. Within the eras of 1969-2015 discussed, Hudak incorporated polls taken from CNN, Huffington Post, YouGov, Marijuana Policy Project, CBS and Gallup that expressed the views of the public on the topic of marijuana legalization at that time. The presentation of these primary sources was crucial, as it showed readers the gradual acceptance of marijuana use in the U.S over time. Beginning with the presentation of these polls in 1969, “Only 12 percent of Americans supported legalization; 84 percent opposed it” (89). Whereas, in the last poll presented from 2014, “Fifty-one percent of respondents supported legalizing marijuana, and 34 percent opposed” (96). These stats show readers, numerically, the growing number of citizens who viewed the legalization of marijuana as something they wanted. In addition to the amount of statistics shown from primary sources,

Hudak included 13 pages of “Notes” at the end of his text, explaining and providing sources for the information presented. Other reviews of this book express similar opinions about the preciseness and clear presentation of information within this text. Specifically, Steph Sherer, the Executive Director for Americans for Safe Access, reviewed this text as “Clear. Concise. Compelling. !Marijuana: A Short History! is a great crash course on the history of cannabis. This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the current political landscape, as well as the players and events that have shaped it.” This goes along exactly with my views of this book, as the incredible amount of information was presented clearly, concisely, and compellingly with the humor and descriptiveness Hudak exhibited. Another review, by Bruce Barcott, author of !Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana! states this book to be “A ! fresh, sharp, and rigorous look at America’s perverse relationship with pot. John Hudak smashes taboos and nonsense on every page.” This review is similar, yet slightly different than my personal review on this book. Barcott claims that Hudak “Smashes taboos and nonsense on every page”, where I felt that he represented both views on the opinion of legalization extremely well. His intention of the text was not to persuade, or biasedly prove legalization-opposers “taboos” or “nonsense” wrong. Hudak merely discusses the views of both sides of the spectrum and adds detail to why either of their thoughts are legitimate. An example of this can be seen when Hudak stated “!Marijuana use isn’t the path to inventing the next game-changing technology, nor is it a sure way to make billions of dollars. But what these business leaders do show is that using marijuana doesn’t prevent an individual from leading a successful life” (106). This quote proves Hudak’s neutrality of the topic of legalization. Pro-legalizers would be firm believers of the the monetary benefit,

just as anti-lagalizers could feel marijuana would prevent an individual from living a successful life. Hudak mentions both of these and states a neutral, unbiased opinion on each notion. I feel Hudaks’ expression of this unbiasedness throughout the text continues to add to the overall success of this book. By covering all the important aspects of the history, current views, and future of marijuana, Hudak has created a complete representation of information needed to learn about the reform of this plant. The only critique I have on this text is that it can be considered slightly outdated in 2018 due to the multiple states (and Canada) that have decriminalized and even legalized recreational use since 2016. Aside from this minute criticism, I found this book to be intriguing and engaging to read. I learned more about the special history of marijuana than I could have imagined. I would recommend this book to any reader interested in learning about marijuanas journey into public policy of the United States.

References Barcott, B. (2016). Marijuana : A Short History Review. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from !http://uml.worldcat.org/title/marijuana-a-short-history/oclc/936533678?referer=list_view Hudak, J. (2016). !Marijuana: A short history!. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. Sherer, S. (2016). Marijuana : A Short History Review. Retrieved December 3, 2018, from !http://uml.worldcat.org/title/marijuana-a-short-history/oclc/936533678?referer=list_view

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