New book by the author of Acid Dreams stirs controversy, garners national media attention.
By Buds and Roses  |  December 7, 2012
Martin Lee was recently featured on Democracy Now! to speak about his new book, Smoke Signals, and the most recent updates to the Great American Pot Story.Meet and talk with Martin Lee and DJ Short following the lecture and book signing at Buds and Roses Collective Sunday, Dec. 9, 7 pm, 13235 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, Los Angeles, CA
Can a book make a difference? Smoke Signals Tells the Great American Pot Story
Smoke Signals, a groundbreaking social history of cannabis by Martin A. Lee, is poised to heat up the marijuana debate at a pivotal moment when legalization measures are on the ballot in several states and the medical marijuana community is reeling from federal pressure.
Although marijuana possession is illegal under federal law, half of all Americans have tried the herb and tens of millions use it regularly for therapeutic and recreational purposes.
A panoramic, character-driven narrative that explains why marijuana affects so many aspects of American life, Smoke Signals chronicles the development of a grassroots movement that began in the 1960s and grew into a widespread populist revolt against prohibition.
Dec. 9, Sun, 5-7 pm, Meet-and-greet and Smoke Signals book-signing with DJ Short at the Buds and Roses Collective, 13235 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 9, Sun, 7-9 pm, Smoke Signals reading and talk at the Jumpcut Café, 13203 Ventura Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
“The big, untold story,” according to Lee, an award-winning investigative journalist, “is that there have been more than a million documented medical users and no deaths and no pattern of health problems attributable to medical marijuana.”
Smoke Signals draws attention to underreported scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of a non-psychoactive component of marijuana, cannabidiol (CBD), which protects the brain against alcohol poisoning, stimulates adult stem cell growth, prevents the onset of diabetes, and shrinks malignant tumors — without causing a “high.” By mining the plant’s treasure trove of active ingredients, medical researchers have developed promising treatments for cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, chronic pain, and many other conditions that are beyond the reach of conventional cures.
“It’s not just marijuana that got prohibited,” Tod Mikuriya, MD, a principal character in Smokes Signals, used to point out, “it’s the truth about history.” Martin A. Lee’s new social history of marijuana goes a long way towards restoring the prohibited truth.
Historian Douglas Brinkley said of Smoke Signals: “This is an important, serious-minded look at the role cannabis has played in American history. It tackles the hard issues of marijuana prohibition with keen insight and righteous indignation. I agree with Lee’s central premise that our marijuana laws are draconian. Every American should read this landmark book!”
“A ripping read, thoroughly researched, Smoke Signals will help inform the current debate and hopefully hasten the demise of prohibition.” — David Bronner, CEO, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps
Martin A. Lee is the author of several books, including Acid Dreams, his acclaimed social history of LSD. He is the co-founder of FAIR, the national media watch group, and director of Project CBD, an information service that reports on cannabis science and therapeutics. Lee is also a contributing editor of O’Shaughnessy’s, the journal of cannabis in clinical practice, and a writer for BeyondTHC.com.
