MARIHUANA has been called the deceptive weed. Indeed, it has a nature so diverse as to make almost any statement about it a target for contradiction. Estimates of its physiological and psychological effects are notoriously unreliable. Its ambiguous nature appears to invite strong opinions that attempt to evoke certainty where none exists. Thus policy makers tend to become victims of their own propaganda. When marihuana first started to become a social problem in this country, members of Congress were led to make definitive judgments quite unsupported by reliable evidence. Laws were passed, based on definitions known to be unscientific. Criti-cisms that now appear valid and scientific were rejected out of hand. This book documents these and many other developments over the decades during which Cannabis sativa has been known in the United States.

This monograph is deceptive; it is far more exciting and in-formative than its title would suggest. Reading about efforts to control the use of marihuana through legal measures could be (and usually is) insufferably dull, but this volume is different. It is so illuminated by the authors' wide and complete knowledge of the problem's technical aspects, coupled with a sensitive awareness of its many psychological and sociological aspects, that the reading is both highly enjoyable and also throws much light on the capacity of a nation to fool itself as well as make a fool of itself.

Although the authors began to research and write on this subject in 1969, they have recently had the advantage of an enormous amount of work done by and under the auspices of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse (1971-73). The senior author was one of the principal architects of this group's two reports. With the publication of this definitive history, a natural companion to the eight official volumes of the commission, anyone wishing to familiarize himself with all the intricate, delicate, and tricky aspects of the drug problem in this country has a compre-hensive library at his disposal.

Who should read this book? Anyone who wishes to become aware of one of the most volatile issues of our time, which is, in turn, related to the great majority of all the other issues that plague a society attempting to achieve the best in living conditions for all its citizens. More specifically, it should be read by those who wish to become better informed about how social issues develop in ways not intended or even predictable. Law and medical students, sociologists, legislators at all levels, and policy makers come immediately to mind. Teachers, clergymen, and all those who counsel others (especially the young) will gain much to increase their own self-confidence.

In many ways the marihuana problem resembles many of our other social dilemmas: those who become involved do so gradually, compromise following compromise, until they are trapped in situations from which there is no easy way out.
Reading this book was enjoyable, enlightening, and stimulating. To produce such a volume, tracing a society's response to a single plant species, is a significant accomplishment. To read it carefully will add appreciably to one's knowledge of the way a free society can go astray in its methods and yet ultimately find ways of solving the complex problems that confront it.

DANA L. FARNSWORTH, M.D. Vice Chairman, National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse
Boston, Massachusetts July 1973

Notes

Unless otherwise noted, the letters, memorandums, and other unpublished materials may be found in the files of the Drug Enforcement Administration, formerly the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD). Permission to study these records was graciously granted by John Ingersoll, director of BNDD during the period of research.

In some instances, the identifying information regarding specific memorandums or letters was incomplete; however, most of the materials appear in a series of chronologically ordered files labeled "Subject—Marihuana." In addition, many of the published materials may also be found in the library of the Drug Enforcement Administration, ably and kindly managed by Mrs. Jane Zack.