Tell Your Children

by Alex Berenson

An eye-opening report from an award-winning author and former New York Times reporter reveals the link between teenage marijuana use and mental illness, and a hidden epidemic of violence caused by the drug--facts the media have ignored as the United States rushes to legalize cannabis.

Recreational marijuana is now legal in nine states. Almost all Americans believe the drug should be legal for medical use. Advocates argue cannabis can help everyone from veterans to cancer sufferers. But legalization has been built on myths- that marijuana arrests fill prisons; that most doctors want to use cannabis as medicine; that it can somehow stem the opiate epidemic; that it is not just harmless but beneficial for mental health. In this meticulously reported book, Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter, explodes those myths:

- Almost no one is in prison for marijuana;
- A tiny fraction of doctors write most authorizations for medical marijuana, mostly for people who have already used;
- Marijuana use is linked to opiate and cocaine use. Since 2008, the US and Canada have seen soaring marijuana use and an opiate epidemic. Britain has falling marijuana use and no epidemic;
- Most of all, THC--the chemical in marijuana responsible for the drug's high--can cause psychotic episodes. After decades of studies, scientists no longer seriously debate if marijuana causes psychosis.

Psychosis brings violence, and cannabis-linked violence is spreading. In the four states that first legalized, murders have risen 25 percent since legalization, even more than the recent national increase. In Uruguay, which allowed retail sales in July 2017, murders have soared this year.

Berenson's reporting ranges from the London institute that is home to the scientists who helped prove the cannabis-psychosis link to the Colorado prison where a man now serves a thirty-year sentence after eating a THC-laced candy bar and killing his wife. He sticks to the facts, and they are devastating.

With the US already gripped by one drug epidemic, this book will make readers reconsider if marijuana use is worth the risk.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Health, Parenting, Drugs, Cultural, Politics

371 pages, Library Binding

Published February 6, 2019

Reviews

[Linda McGee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book so you dont have to.

This is seriously a book for the garbage pile. I am a physician and had been following the media coverage of Alex Berenson and his book. I wanted to read the whole book because I was truly shocked that claims that are so obviously illogical and completely lacking in scientific rigor could possibly be presented in earnest. But apparently Mr. Berenson is trying to pass this word salad off as legitimate work. Please, do not be fooled, as it is really, really poorly done. Really. Did I say really?

Mr. Berenson fundamentally doesn't understand the most basic tenet of science: correlation is not causation. He makes this logical error repeatedly, and his central thesis requires that you suspend all intellectual thought processes many times over to follow him to his fabricated causation arguments, which he then attempts to back up with misrepresentations of research and cherry picked data and sources.

I will save you the time of reading this book with this complete summary: "Look! There are two lines going in the same direction! I have discovered something that no one else can see with my magic eyes but no statistical analysis whatsoever! And these two studies confirm it (though I won't show you the 42 contradictory studies)."

However, do not just listen to me. You can see these same concerns from pretty much every scientist, physician, epidemiologist, statistician, or other person with actual training and experience in any related field (see Mark Kleiman, professor at NYU, Dr. Carl Hart, chair of Columbia Dept of psychology, Dr David Nathan, a psychiatrist who specializes in psychosis, Dr. Ziva Cooper, member of the NASEM report Berenson repeatedly misrepresents, Dr. Peter Grinspoon, psychiatrist at Harvard.... I could go on ad infinitum (These and other experts are covered in articles on the problems with this book in Rolling Stone, NY Magazine, Vox, The Guardian etc)

Mr. Berenson has continued to double, triple, quadruple down on his logical fallacies, showing he has learned nothing from this experience. He remains more convinced that his undergraduate history degree and career as a fiction writer has granted him special powers to have more expertise than all those listed above (i.e., actual experts). That is the most dangerous type of ignorance.

Though Mr. Berenson is woefully out of his league when it comes to science, he unfortunately does have skills in getting press coverage. But it never turns out well when a self-obsessed, privileged huckster is so desperate for the spotlight that he chooses to forgo all credibility to bamboozle a throng of anti-science zealots, many of whom have racist motives. His credibility and reputation are forever tarnished; I hope it was worth his 15 minutes.

[Amora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to pick up this book to get a different perspective on marijuana. Oh boy, did it really change my view of marijuana and legalization. Berenson cites dozens of research papers showing that marijuana use has lead to psychosis, violence, opiate abuse, and poverty. His bibliography found on the author’s personal website includes all the papers cited in this terrific book. Unfortunately many have been led to believe that marijuana is not only safe but a benefit.

I love Berenson’s reporting and his Twitter feed is a goldmine for COVID-19 research on lockdowns.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad I read this book. The pro-legalization side of this issue has seemed to promise overly much: cures for a dizzying array of complex illnesses, lower crime rates, and a boost to the economy...while failing to offer any cautionary language. That has made me dubious straight away....
Mr. Berenson’s book makes a reasonable case for more study before we commit as a nation to legalize marijuana. If the studies prove out, then we all win. However, I think there are enough hints that all is not as glittery as hoped for.
I appreciate his willingness to research this topic. Even if one is strongly in favor of the free & unrestricted use of this drug, it can’t hurt to know that there is a portion of our society that has suffered devastating, unforeseen consequences. It can’t hurt to be curious about the effects on the teenage brain. It can’t hurt to be made aware of the difference in strength of today’s product.
Ultimately, we are responsible for our own choices and attitudes about drug use in general. I think this book is useful in filling in some gaps in the information void.
I left a star off...only because the author left a few details on the cutting room floor that I would have liked more information on...namely that marijuana doesn’t neatly fall into one of the typical categories: depressant/stimulant/hallucinogenic. It can affect people differently and I don’t think it’s predictable. Also, I would’ve appreciated more information about the use of THC with e-cigarettes...I think it’s become easy for kids to use these devices and I’m curious about how common or widespread it is.
Well done, brave author!

[Elizabeth]

So I haven't read this book, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm laughing a little bit already about it's content. I really thought in 2018, we were passed all the bullshit about why marijuana should still be illegal. It doesn't fucking cause psychosis. If a dude who used THC went psychotic and killed his wife - he was already going to go psychotic and kill his wife. The THC had nothing to do with it. Lord have mercy.

Update 2/3/19 - Because I am getting way more comments than I expected about my lack of approval of this book, I just want to make something clear - we are all entitled to our own opinions. If you feel passionately about your hatred for marijuana, that is seriously fine. I personally feel cannabis has so many benefits. Do I think kids should be smoking? No. Do I think it could negatively affect a developing brain?? Sure! But do I think there should be a book called "TELL YOUR CHILDREN" and connecting VIOLENCE WITH SMOKING WEED? No.

I didn't rate the book one star (because I haven't read it). I can't rate it, and I wouldn't let the book's rating be negatively affected by an ignorant rating. I wanted to make a comment on it being published, so I did. I hope those commenting, who feel SO passionately against my view on marijuana, feel as passionately about the literature making sure everyone knows the affects of alcohol. I hope you're working toward the illegalization of alcohol that actually causes cancer, death, violence, addiction, families to break up (even my own), etc. Thanks.

[David Doty · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a parent, educator, physician, psychologist, therapist, or substance abuse counselor, and only have time to read one book this year, read this one. Thoroughly researched, this powerful new book by Alex Berenson should be mandatory reading for every person concerned about the health and safety of our children and families.

Painstakingly refuting the false narrative that has been pushed for years by pro-marijuana advocates that pot is medicine, pot does not kill people, pot does no harm, and that pot is actually good for you, Berenson cites over 30 years of studies conducted throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States to convincingly prove the point that there is an undisputed link between cannabis use, mental illness, and violence. I was left stunned by how little of this information has been reported in the American press, and how summarily this data has been dismissed by our elected officials at all levels.

Since I have spent the last 10 years watching a child's life deteriorate because of weed, I have hated this drug for as long as I can remember, and this book provides me with data beyond my own anecdotal experiences to prove the case that pot does, in fact, ruin brains and ruin lives. Shame on every single person who has sold the lie that this "harmless plant" is the cure-all to a myriad of society's problems.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

If Alex Berenson’s contention is correct—that marijuana use can cause psychosis and violence—it should be a huge part of the ongoing conversation surrounding legalization of marijuana. Unfortunately, I do not think this book is the vehicle by which that will happen for three principal reasons.

First, Berenson cites a mountain of data to support his conclusions, ranging from historical surveys to journal articles to his own research. Yet for the enterprising reader who wants to dig further, Berenson has no footnotes, no works cited, and no bibliography. But perhaps his website has a section that makes the data available, like Thomas Piketty did in his book, Capitalism in the Twenty-First Century? Again, no. This struck me as odd, and one cannot help but suspect that Berenson may be misrepresenting his sources.

Second, it’s not always clear what Berenson is trying to accomplish. Is his primary goal advocacy, or is it to better inform the public? He’s positioned the book as the latter, but the book often feels like the former.

Third, Berenson does not exactly engage with potential counterarguments to his book very well. A brief survey of negative reviews are quick to point holes in his arguments—holes that should have been addressed in the book itself. Instead, Berenson is quick to set himself up against the most outlandish of the pro-marijuana crowd arguments (a miracle drug with no negative effects)—but being able to critique the most outlandish arguments on the other side accomplished little.

However, what does seem clear (and remains unrebutted by most critiques) remains important. First, there does appear to be a connection between marijuana usage (particularly during adolescence) and an increased risk of psychosis, especially schizophrenia. It’s not clear that this connection is as free from doubt as Berenson suggests, but it’s also not particularly surprising that a psychoactive drug might, on the margins, tip someone over the edge into long term psychosis.

Second, marijuana is not medicine—at least not in the traditional sense. It is certainly true that THC (the psychoactive compound in marijuana) and CBD (a non-psychoactive compound in marijuana) both appear to have limited pharmacological uses, but only CBD has as of now been approved for medical use by the FDA. If it’s really medicine, we should be subjecting it to the same scrutiny and approval procedures that we would apply to any other drug. Otherwise, “medical marijuana” is simply full-blown legalization by another name.

Third, since marijuana is a plant, not a medicinal tablet, it is important to recognize that not all marijuana plants are created equal. Berenson points out (and I have no reason to doubt him on this point) that the THC level in modern-day varieties of cannabis is far, far higher than it was in the 1970s. This, to the extent that THC does have negative health effects, such effects should be stronger today than they were 40 years ago. Moreover, because health effects are not always immediate, the dangers of marijuana usage may not be fully known for years. (Similarly, it took decades to definitely show the causal link between smoking and lung cancer—a causal link that today is virtually universally accepted.) Consequently, a degree of epistemological humility (for both the benefits and the risks) is certainly in order.

It would hardly be a surprise if it turns out that marijuana use carries with it certain risks, and if we are going to legalize (or decriminalize) marijuana, we ought to be honest with ourselves about what those risks are and balance them against the benefits (e.g., a racial disparity in enforcement).

With marijuana legalization a major topic amongst candidates for the 2020 presidential election, it is imperative that we allow science to inform our understanding of marijuana’s effect on people and ensure that our society is informed. Unfortunately, even if Berenson is correct in all his assertions, the faults in Tell Your Children mean that this is probably not the book well-primed to serve as the source of that information.

[Cory Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be read by everyone. There is an incredible amount of false information out there about marijuana. The one concern I had was the lack of a traditional bibliography. Maybe it's just me, so bear with me. Other reviewers complained that he presented more correlation than causation. If that is true, and I am not saying it is, then the correlation is overwhelming and you would either be biased or stupid to ignore it. To get to the main premise: This book talks about the relationship between marijuana, psychosis, and violence. It is convincing and scary.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Berenson,
Thank you for your book! We Victims of Marijuana have tried and tried to be heard above the din of the legal liars about safety of pot. They find it easy to silence us. But now you are being heard! We can't thank you enough.
Marijuana Victims Alliance mvaa.info

[Amelia Gianetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m skeptical to write what I honestly think of this book. It profoundly changed my opinion on this drug.

One that I had used in the past in different forms. It has caused me both pleasure and panic on different occasians.

I’ve used it as an indicator for environmental health (cannabis industry) and have researched and taken interest in its impacts to our environment. The plants unique needs and its history has always fascinated me.

This book is right. Looking back on my own experiences and a little bit of digging I for my own health and sanity no longer support legalization of cannabis.

Please read it with an open mind and come to your own views. I am confident that it will be the same as his.

[Ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dude is trying to make money. I doubt he believes anything he actually says. Big correlation = causation fan. Thinks that when people have THC in their system when they do crazy shit, it means they did it because of THC, even though they may not have smoked for month. There's cases to be made against weed without promoting ideas that have been proven to be bullshit.

[Mark Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

For every book there is an equal and opposite book. I read Smoke Signals by Martin Lee in preparation for my own small coauthored book, Can I Smoke Pot? Marijuana in Light of Scripture (Cruciform, 2016). I wish Berenson's excellent book had been available then. It was, like Smoke Signals, journalistic in tone and therefore accessible to a non-specialist like me. But what can I say? Unlike Smoke Signals, I found Tell Your Children persuasive; it didn't feel like a whitewash—or rather, a blackwash. Smoke Signals felt like a thinly veiled cheerleading session for marijuana. It just didn't bear the signs of honesty, whose major evidence is often acknowledging that your opponents have some good points. Smoke Signals, as I recall, was pretty relentless in refusing to acknowledge this. Instead it called prohibitionists venal or crazy. Berenson, by contrast, was able to acknowledge what benefits CBD might have while still citing study after study around the world that linked THC to psychosis and therefore violence.

Every truth in this world is contested. Every single one. And rigorous empirical methods of determining truth are both 1) rarely absolutely conclusive, because the exact relationship between cause and effect is extremely difficult to untangle in this complex world and yet 2) the best we have. Nonetheless, 3) people widely disbelieve the best empirically established truths for no better reason than that they run counter to their desires. I think the difficulty of discovering some truths ought not blind us to the preponderance of evidence. Anecdotally—which is the first step of empiricism, and was the only step available before the scientific revolution—marijuana produces potheads, dropouts, deadbeats. Empirically, Berenson shows that in many people marijuana does something worse. You can't know whether marijuana will be a summer fling for you or a lifelong life-sap or an inducement to psychotic and even murderously violent episodes. Chances are that if your life and support network are vibrant, dabbling in marijuana won't hurt you too bad. But you can't know even that. And, biblically speaking, dabbling will still almost certainly make you high—and that's sin. You're not supposed to lose control of yourself through anything akin to drunkenness (1 Cor 6:12).

So the upshot of Berenson's book is, on the individual level: don't even dabble. Tell your kids not to dabble. Marijuana isn't a harmless drug.

And on a societal level: don't let the relentless drumbeat of the libertarians cow us all into doing what my own home state has done. For the good of others, especially the weak, we've got to keep saying no as a society to legalized recreational marijuana.

[Wenzel Roessler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read so much fiction lately that I was afraid reading a non-fiction book would be like reading a textbook. Thankfully that is not the case, the author has laid out this book quite well and was a very interesting read. I'm probably rating this book higher than most people would but I'm a sucker for satistics.

[Bryan Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

It made me a lot less cavalier about marijuana legalization.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A long list of anecdotal evidence of why Berenson should decide what you can or can not do.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a timely book. Just because something is legal does not mean it's good for you. Alex Berenson does an excelkent job showing the history, issues, concerns, and major reasons why marijuana legalization has gone political as well as being a major health crisis.

Marijuana had been illegal across the US until it was hit upon to turn into "medicine". "Medicine" that has very few, if any, benefits. And who benefited from medicalization and legalization of marijuana? The people who were already using it recreationally and now had a "legal" reason to use. THC, the chemical in marijuana that gets you high, has no medical benefits whatsoever. CBD is the chemical compound in marijuana that has some very tiny health benefits at this time.

But marijuana use is not without its risks. For many people who use it once, they will have no side effects or issues. But heavy users who are also at risk for and/or have severe forms of mental illness, especially psychosis, are in danger. Cannabis psychosis is real and it is a major concern. Cannabis use along with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia is also dangerous and make their psychosis and symptoms worse. Marijuana use is detrimental to good mental health, especially for those who already suffer from schizophrenia and psychosis.

Marijuana is also a gateway drug to opiate use. This has been known for years so arguing that legalizing marijuana to stop opiate addiction is ludicrous. It also doesn't work.

Marijuana for recreational and medical use is legal in many states and more continue to legalize it. Many people don't understand there are negative consequences for a certain section of society who use marijuana. People don't hear about them because it doesn't fit the advocates for legalizing marijuana to speak about the negatives.

I would know. I live in Oregon. And yes, I'm anti legalization and anti medicalization of marijuana. I don't believe it has any benefits and does more harm than good. I've had neighbors in my apartment complex use marijuana, graduate to other drugs and now those people are homeless and severely mentally ill.

I definitely recommend this book.

[Keith Breinholt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Read to understand the Legalization Debate.

Very concise and thorough. With the debate on legalizing marijuana so prevalent in the United States this book is a must read for anyone who wants a full and accurate knowledge of the research that has been done on marijuana use and effects.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has done meticulous research and the studies cited are convincing. This drug is certainly not your grandmothers weed anymore. It is important information to get to the public and especially to parents, grandparents, and teachers. Eye-opening and well-written.

[Jim Cullison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six stars out of a possible five. The most important non-fiction book of 2019.

[David Hairston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reefer Madness from an author who knows exactly what he is doing. The guy rightly pokes fun at Stoner logic and then repeats the same logical fallacy. He knows he is doing it too. Any careful read identifies the weak logic pointed out by the author in the detail. This is very much like the DEA propaganda published which points out their lies in the detail but it never makes to the executive summary you hear regurgitated by every incompetent Law Enforcement Lobbyist in America.

[Dennis Daulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your lucky enough to have resisted the brain washing campaign to tell you that marijuana is safe and harmless this book will give you all the factual details about how dangerous it really is. If you’ve unfortunately fallen for the lies about marijuana this book will open your eyes to how you’ve been manipulated. If your a pot head this book will give you a good dose of reality; how you’re playing with fire and greatly increasing your risk of having a mental break down to the point you murder numerous people in a fit of paranoia.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Update: 20.06.2021

Original review below. I rated this originally high because I thought there was some valuable ideas in this book. Having said that. Over the last 18 months Berenson has shown just how science adverse and opportunistic he is around COVID-19. So I changed my rating of the book to 1 star. He may have some points, but these are not made in good faith and I do not recommend anybody giving him any money.

Original review below the line:

--------------------------

It’s def. a contrarian book in so far as “common knowledge” is that pot is harmless with no side effects.

Bereson does make an interesting case though based on his research that not all is green with the green stuff.

Where the book gets a bit muddy is around the question if this is a general risk of pot or if it mostly affects young (<25 years) brains during development.

He does not prove cause and effect, but he shows enough correlation that smoking pot before your mid 20s, especially regularly, is not a good idea.

To be “fair” though, he also repeatedly points the finger at the high THC and low or non-existent CBD content. Something you can see for yourself when you check the Cannabis retail websites in Canada.

The book isn’t quite reefer madness, though in the last chapter he clearly tries to go a bit for it by describing violent crimes that had cannabis involvement (in that the person was smoking it / traces were found).

Will this book change people’s mind? Probably not, it will potentially have some people re-think but I suspect both sides will dig in. One use it as proof positive of the “devils weed” while the other side while just say: “Reefer Madness”.

Both are probably wrong.

[Stefanie Lozinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an important and powerful book. It’s infuriating to see how little media coverage it’s gotten. I am a pretty well informed person when it comes to “controversial” issues most of the time, but I have to admit I fell for the marijuana lobby’s propaganda. At least, to a degree. I always disliked marijuana so it was never something I cared much about one way or another, but I absolutely bought the BS that the risk to one’s health was minimal. This book was very well sourced and interesting. I do have to give a trigger warning for the disturbing stories of psychosis in this book, particularly those that concern children. Also, I don’t like how Berenson seems to downplay violence from alcohol in comparison to marijuana in some parts of the book. He’s right in a way, most violence from alcohol is predictable (loss of inhibitions, etc) compared to the bizarre cruelty of violence towards completely innocent people caused by marijuana psychosis. But I wish he had mentioned drunk driving, which is a huge killer of innocent people. It felt very tone deaf. It hit me especially hard today after hearing of the suicide of Edward Lake here in Canada. Mr. Lake lost all three of his children and his father-in-law due to a drunk driver named Marco Muzzo (who is from a wealthy family and faced very minor consequences for destroying an entire family). His wife has now lost her father, her husband, and all of her kids. The devastation caused by alcohol abuse absolutely deserved more of a note in this otherwise fantastic book.

[Fred Ayres · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-written book, to be sure, with a plausible thesis. Indeed, there might be links between cannabis use, violence, and psychosis.

What earned this book just two stars is the fact that the author exhaustively mentions studies and anecdotes throughout the text, but offers no notes, works cited, or bibliography . I understand the need to cut down on the overall volume of a book, but at least provide a link to a webpage that lists the sources used! Really poor scholarship, Berenson.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best objection to this book is to handwave the findings as "anecdotal" and the product of a correlation/causation fallacy. But...

1. There is certainly enough "anecdata" presented in this book to justify "slowing down" on our emerging national experiment with marijuana legalization.
2. The theory it presents--that the concentration level of THC in modern marijuana makes it fundamentally riskier than earlier iterations of the drug--is plausible enough that there is a basis for causation. (Correlation does not NECESSARILY equal causation, but sometimes it does. Example: OBP correlates with run-scoring in baseball because getting on base allows teams to prolong innings.)
3. It relies quite heavily on published, peer-reviewed journal articles for the bedrock of its case.

Anyway, everyone should read this. Policymakers in particular. It's a mortifying book about intellectual hubris and wishful thinking.

I'm only giving it 4 stars because:

1. The writer inserted himself into the narrative unnecessarily, over and over.
2. There are no footnotes (though he does lay out his sources within the text).
3. The title is terrible.

[Gene Laratonda]

"Milk is a gateway drug to beer then burbon." I love this congressmans scathing sarcastic response to then FBI director Robert Mueller. TELL YOUR CHILDREN THE TRUTH and not Alex Berenson's fictional propaganda that has been found out to be Harry Ansliger's 80 year old reefer madness fear mongering. Fact check this book and you'll find its credibility is woefully inadequate.

See full 3 min clip here...
https://youtu.be/tNN-SBkAym4

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Should psychiatrists speak out about what they were seeing to discourage cannabis use, I asked? Simpson said that in Colorado, psychiatrists had tried and failed. 'We've put it out there, and the community is not receptive.' At this point, his job as a physician was to try to deal with the wreckage, 'treat what comes in the door.'

"What did he think would happen in five years, I asked? What would the Denver Health emergency room be like, especially if cannabis continued to grow in popularity?

"Simpson had a three-word answer: 'It'll be busier.'" (page 139)

This passage comes a little more than halfway through the narrative of Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence, a poorly named book that should nonetheless be required reading for lawmakers considering full legalization of recreational marijuana and parents who think their kids smoking weed is no big deal. The book makes its case primarily with data and studies from around the world that evidence a tie between marijuana use and psychosis, and between psychosis and nightmarish violence. The author, a former New York Times reporter, doesn't avoid stepping on toes or burning sacred cows, and that's because he's convinced of the connection between marijuana, psychosis, and violence. The evidence he presents is both convincing and alarming.

"Based on his data and later findings, Andreasson says he believes that cannabis is responsible for between 10 percent and 15 percent of schizophrenia cases. Few people develop schizophrenia solely because of smoking, he thinks. But many who would not have become sick do so because marijuana pushes their vulnerable brains over the edge.

"'Without cannabis, few people would develop the disorder,' he says." (page 56)

Before going any further, it's important to understand where Alex Berenson is coming from in writing this book. In the introduction, he tells us how he has always held a more liberal stance on marijuana, didn't think of it as a dangerous substance—if you want to use it, go ahead. But then he had a conversation with his wife, a psychiatrist, about a frightening case of violence and she commented on the fact that the perpetrator was "of course" high and had been smoking pot for much of his life. This comment caught Berenson off-guard, and the subsequent conversation led him to start digging into the scholarship around marijuana use and mental health. He didn't set out to write a book. What he found in the process of research convinced him to write a book.

It turns out that the connection between marijuana use (especially if started young or used frequently over years) and psychosis has been well-documented—to the point that ethical standards prevent researchers from testing the effects of cannabis on people with a history of psychotic disorders because of "the known link between the drug and psychosis" (page 171).

There is a lot of information in this book. Berenson goes through study after study, many of them from Europe. He points out the work that has been done in the UK, where marijuana is hardly used compared to in the US and Canada. He touches on the chemical and brain science aspects, the distinction between CBD (non-psychoactive) and THC (what gets you high), and explains the problem with the term "medical marijuana". He points out that the concentration of THC in today's marijuana is much higher than it was in the 60s or 70s, and that through other cannabis products like edibles, users are often consuming straight THC, so they're getting even higher doses of the chemical than they would from smoking it.

Most of the book is data reporting and science, but in the last few chapters, he focuses primarily on examples of horrifying violence carried out by people in some state of psychosis who either had a history of near constant marijuana use or had just ingested more THC than they ever had before. He waits until the end of the book to tell those stories, because he knows the typical response would be something like, "That's a freak example. That's not typical." Berenson is convinced if marijuana use continues to increase, this sort of violence will become typical.

Whether or not he's entirely right, I think he's onto something. I've always had philosophical and theological problems with getting high (1 Corinthians 6:19–20), and with my base-level understanding of brain science, I've also thought: if something gets you high, that's probably because a chemical is getting past the blood-brain barrier that isn't supposed to, so you're probably doing damage to your brain. I read about half of this book on my daily commute through Denver, on a bus where the stench of weed is almost constant and it's common to encounter people who couldn't be described as lucid. I know at least two people personally who have had psychotic breaks while using, though none to the extremes described in this book (thank God). A lot of what Berenson wrote rings true and makes logical sense.

I gave the book five stars because I really do think it should be required reading—maybe for everyone. It's a necessary check against the "marijuana is harmless" message that we hear all the time. But this book really, really, really needs a bibliography and the title is terrible. If they republish it under a new name (which they should), they need to go with something like "Seeing Through the Smoke."

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who thinks that cannabis is a safe substance that can be used to solve a large variety of medical problems and which is safe as a recreational drug needs to read this book. Although all that needs to be known is by no means known with certainty, some things are becoming very clear, based on well established data.

1. The medical usefulness of cannabis is greatly overblown by cannabis advocates and the media. Although cannabis does seem to have modest analgesic properties, it is appears to be no better than a variety of other analgesics, some which have fewer side-effects. Cannabis has also been shown to help with nausea from cancer chemotherapy and can help improve appetite for AIDs sufferers and chemotherapy recipients. Beyond these uses, most other uses for cannabis are so far speculative at best, and some proposed uses, when carefully studied in a clinical setting, have not been supported.

2. Enough data is now available to say definitively that cannabis can cause psychosis and paranoia in some users, and the effect increases the higher the dosage and the longer and more frequently cannabis is used. Cannabis also causes increased psychosis in individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and there is good evidence that in people with a predisposition to these mental illnesses that cannabis can be a trigger to cause onset. Generally, once cannabis use is discontinued the psychosis dissipates, but in the case of triggering schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the psychosis may persist even after use of cannabis ceases.

3. People that are psychotic have a greater tendency to violence, which means that wider use of cannabis will likely lead to increased violence. There is evidence that even without cannabis-triggered psychosis, individuals who use cannabis regularly are more likely to become violent, much as some alcohol users are more prone to violence. In states that have legalized cannabis for recreational use, the last few years have already seen an increase in violent crime. Interestingly, there is long history of connecting cannabis use with increased tendencies to be violent. The current pro-cannabis push has tended to emphasize the mellowing aspects of using cannabis, which for many people is what it does, but a certain proportion of users do become more violent.

4. There is clear evidence that cannabis may act as gateway drug. In spite of the long-standing efforts of the pro-cannabis lobby to argue that it is not a gateway drug, it does seem to act this way in a significant number of people. More research is needed to settle this question, especially as some are making the argument that cannabis use could reduce opioid addiction rates. Some data suggests that cannabis use may more likely increase opioid addiction rates rather than reduce them.

5. Aside from the above greater concerns is the well-known tendency of regular use of cannabis to lead to loss of motivation and weight gain, due to the appetite stimulating effects of THC. There is also evidence for a variety of other negative effects of long-term cannabis use, such as cognitive impairment and fertility issues. Decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis may be the right route to take, but without due precaution and clear, accurate information about the drug and it's risks, we are putting ourselves in a grave situation. We especially need to make clear the serious dangers of cannabis use by teens. There is abundant evidence that the effects of THC on developing brains is devastating.

I have long been in favor of at least decriminalizing cannabis, if not legalizing it, but this book has led me to question many of my assumptions. I am still in favor of decriminalization, but i am not so sure about legalizing it. I think more people need to read this book, hopefully with an open mind, and judge for themselves, based on quality, scientific evidence. The author cites extensively from the peer-reviewed literature, and is very transparent about the areas of uncertainty. Some of his conclusions need more research, as he is the first to admit.

[D. Erik Aspenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a a very timely and well researched book. I am a physician and a parent with children between ages 15 and 23. At least weekly in my medical practice I encounter patients who are using “medical marijuana“ which was legalized in our state within the past couple of years. I always ask out of curiosity why they are taking it. Almost always patients report improvement in the symptom they are treating. What the don’t realize, or want to hear, is that the handful of other symptoms they’ve developed are due to this drug. The majority of patients would never tolerate that side effect:benefit ratio from a prescription drug.

[Diedra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book -- namely, that marijuana has, throughout time and in different cultures, caused a subset of its users to become schizophrenic and violent -- is interesting and runs counter to Western culture's view of marijuana as a harmless recreational drug. However, I think I would have preferred reading a long article. I couldn't get through this book and would have just liked the information condensed.

[Eric Osserman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea how marijuana can cause psychosis, leading to violence, till I heard from the author. This is a very important book for us as citizens, for legislators, for mental health professionals, and for substance abuse counselors. The facts, marshaled historically, globally and regionally, are overwhelming.