RS Recommends: The 8 Best Books About Weed
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In places like Seattle, Denver or Los Angeles, buying weed is as easy as walking into a store and browsing for buds. What was once relegated to sketchy transactions with a friends’ friends’ friend has become as easy and elegant as consulting a budtender.
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With more and more states legalizing the casual consumption of marijuana, and more and more people consuming pot products and buying smoking accessories for the first time, we decided to roundup some of the best books about weed we could find. These books cover everything from marijuana’s road to decriminalization to amazing recipes that also happen to include cannabis, and even a book of Action Bronson’s random, stoned musings on his favorite flower.
Here are eight of our favorite books on weed for the veteran and casual consumer, alike.
1. Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America
In her debut book, historian Emily Dufton traces the history of Marijuana in America. Though it may seem like time to celebrate from those in the pro-pot camp, don’t spark up those celebratory pre-rolls just yet. Even though more states have legalized recreational use of marijuana, history suggests the war is far from over. According to Dufton’s research, a similar situation happened in the 1970s (pugnacious pro-pot protesters fought against prohibition), only for it all to come crashing down shortly thereafter. Grass Roots tells the tale of America’s roller coaster relationship with weed and comments on the wider state of US drug laws along the way.
Grass Roots
2. Cannabis Grower’s Handbook: Your Complete Guide for Medical and Personal Marijuana Cultivation
Over the course of its 600+ pages, Ed Rosenthal teaches the science and method to successful marijuana cultivation in this grower’s handbook. Whether you’re aiming to grow indoors or outdoors, casually or commercially, Rosenthal covers the latest tech and techniques to help you grow efficiently, ensuring your crop isn’t just successful, but potent. Why care for a bonzai tree when you can prune and water something a bit more…useful? With hundreds of five-star reviews and praise from the likes of the New York Times and the legendary Tommy Chong, Rosenthal’s Cannabis Grower’s Handbook is a must-have item for those looking to get into the cultivation game.
Cannabis Grower’s Handbook
3. Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed: A Cookbook
If you’ve ever been curious about cooking with weed, or eating a weed product other than brownies or gummies, look no further than Bong Appétit. Written by the editors over at Munchies (also know as the team that brought about Viceland’s series by the same name), Bong Appétit boats 65 different weed-infused recipes. From french-bread pizza to raspberry and peach pie, these recipes (and not their secret ingredient) will make you hungry for more. What’s more, instead of simply listing the ingredients, Bong Appétit goes into the science of creating weed butter, so even the most novice consumer can take part in the fun.
Bong Appétit
4. The Leafly Guide to Cannabis: A Handbook for the Modern Consumer
With more than 10 million monthly visitors and over 40 million page visits to their web and mobile platform, Leafly is a massively popular resource for all things cannabis. No wonder, then, their handbook, The Leafly Guide to Cannabis, has received such positive reviews as a go-to guide for beginner and veteran consumers alike. With this trusty guide in your pocket, you’ll be able to navigate the wacky world of weed worry-free, knowing which strains to consume (and the appropriate ways to consume them) to achieve your intended high.
The Leafly Guide to Cannabis
5. Green: A Field Guide to Marijuana
Excellent as a gift or a guide for personal use, this massive coffee table book by Dan Michaels (with photos by Erik Christiansen) is as comprehensive as it is beautiful. Over the course of 408 pages, Michaels and Christiansen breakdown, identify, and elevate marijuana. Green is split into two main sections, “Primer” and “Buds.” The first section, “Primer” is more of an overview, showcasing practical facts and imagery of weed. The “Buds” section then dives deeper, giving readers an up-close look into over 150 different strains of marijuana. Prepare yourself for shots so close up, you’ll finally understand how a green plant can also be purple.
Green: A Field Guide to Marijuana
6. Stoned Beyond Belief
Recipes, thorough research, comics, and meditations on weed as a whole can be found in Action Bronson’s latest book Stoned Beyond Belief. Written as a sort of love letter to the drug that Bronson says changed his life, Stoned Beyond Belief tries to touch upon nearly every part of the larger weed world. Expect 35 different recipes, funky illustrations, and beautiful photography in this wild adventure of a book. And, as always, expect Bronson’s unparalleled humor to waft over each and every sentence.
Stoned Beyond Belief
7. Brave New Weed: Adventures into the Uncharted World of Cannabis
Marijuana’s past is clear, but what about its future? That’s the question Joe Dolce has set out to answer with his book, Brave New Weed. Using the past as a way to gauge the future, this well-researched book drills down on the social, historical, and cultural aspects of this ever-popular drug. But unlike most of the other books on our list, Brave New Weed doesn’t start and end with the United States. Over the course of writing this book, Dolce visited the likes of Amsterdam and Israel, all in an attempt to get a better picture for how the world of weed will grow once we get past prohibition.
Brave New Weed
8. Higher Etiquette: A Guide to the World of Cannabis, from Dispensaries to Dinner Parties
As consumption of marijuana products is de-stigmatized, Lizzie Post’s guide on marijuana etiquette is increasingly relevant. How and when does one consume, and what are the right and respectful ways to do it? A must-have for the casual or consistent consumer, Post’s guide is a fun spin on the classic Emily Post guides, and takes an enjoyable stab at the ways to approach marijuana in 2023 and beyond.
Higher Etiquette
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