The Sacred Herb / The Devil's Weed

Literary Nonfiction. THE SACRED HERB / THE DEVIL'S WEED is informative and even enlightening, but above all, it's a hilarious look at a humble plant that has entertained, inspired, and occasionally terrified so many for so long. Andrew Struthers directs his "brilliant madness" towards the ambivalent nature of marijuana, once the target of "reefer madness" hysteria and now available for quasi- legal purchase at dispensaries on every other block (at least in some jurisdictions). One side of this double paperback celebrates the glorious highs of pot, from the friendships it helps forge to the creative output it enhances. The other side grapples with the other side of pot: the embellished claims of its proponents, the lives its overuse has ruined, and the dangers of a product so strong it bears little resemblance to your parents' pot.