Marijuana, the forbidden medicine
| Marijuana, the forbidden medicine | |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lester Grinspoon & James B. Bakalar |
| language | German |
| genre | Non-fiction |
| Original title | Marijuana, the Forbidden Medicine |
| publishing company | Two thousand and one (1994) |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| pages | 192 pages |
| ISBN | 3-86150-060-4 |
Marijuana, the Forbidden Medicine is a non-fiction book by Lester Grinspoon (Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School ) and James B. Bakalar . It was first published in English in 1993 (original title: Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine ) and was translated into German the following year.
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The authors state that cannabis has been valued as an effective medicine by patients and doctors for many centuries, but at the time of the book's publication it had been banned in the United States for more than 50 years (now, as of 2020, well over half of the American states approved cannabis as a drug ), although it relieves nausea, pain, and muscle cramps as well as the symptoms of glaucoma , multiple sclerosis , AIDS , migraines, and other debilitating diseases. The authors go on to explain how the plant was banned and argue that full legalization - including for consumption - is necessary.
Much of the book consists of testimonials from patients with cannabis, among them Stephen Jay Gould , who also emphasize the burdens associated with prohibition for the patients. Nevertheless, the potential health risks of the drug are not left unmentioned. It also examines the social causes of the government's insistence on criminalizing consumers.
The authors conclude by stating that marijuana is a remarkably safe substance that is expensive, inefficient, and unfair to ban, and should therefore be given the same status as alcohol.
Web links
- The first chapter of the book (English)