The Cannabis Manifesto

Written by the founder and CEO of the world's largest medical cannabis dispensary, The Cannabis Manifesto delivers a clear, concise history of cannabis as a medicine, details the unintended consequences of prohibition, and considers its future as a regulated consumer product. Steve DeAngelo draws on his experience serving the sick as the head of the controversial Harborside Health Center and a colorful lifetime of working for social justice to present a compelling call for the legalization of this most controversial of plants. His provocative argument that there is no such thing as recreational cannabis challenges readers to rethink everything they thought they knew about marijuana—and teaches them how to use it responsibly. The Cannabis Manifesto answers essential questions about the plant, employing extensive research to fuel a thoughtful discussion around cannabis science and law while at the same time taking readers on a magical tour of a little-known world. DeAngelo explains how cannabis prohibition has warped our most precious institutions—from the family, to the workplace, to the doctor’s office and the courtroom. His vivid narrative provides a lively, behind-the-scenes look at Harborside's showdown with the federal government and details the life of a hippie who missed the sixties. In calling for a realistic national policy on a substance that has been used by half of all Americans, this essential primer will forever change the way the world thinks about cannabis, its benefits, and the laws governing its use.