Marijuana: A Love Story

by Derrick Jensen, Tony Silvaggio

" A Love Story is many a unique book about a unique plant, a clear analysis of what has gone wrong with legalization and how to fix it, a wild look at the quirky culture that has grown up around it, and a love song not only to this plant but to all of evolution." -Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth and Bright Green Lies

Marijuana legalization-that long-deferred dream of stoners everywhere-is overtaking the nation. No longer will people be imprisoned for decades for possession of a plant. No longer will patients be denied marijuana needed for medical treatment. Even folks who just want to get high will have easy, safe access.

But for many that dream has become a nightmare. Legalization has achieved one the wholesale handover of marijuana to a few large corporations. In state after state, the wealth-building capacity of this extraordinary plant is now concentrating into the control of the already rich. From seed to smoke, legalization is eroding the lives and livelihoods of the people it was supposed to the patients, growers, trimmers, "mules," and activists who created the colorful and committed culture that is now under threat.

We can end the war on weed without turning it into a war on small family growers-but it will depend on how much pressure we are willing to apply to force law makers to serve local communities rather than corporate interests. A Love Story is a report from the front, a reminder of how and why we fell in love with this plant, a cautionary tale of corporate power, and a call to once more "Free the Sacred Herb."

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 9, 2022

About the author

Derrick Jensen is an American author and environmental activist living in Crescent City, California. He has published several books questioning and critiquing contemporary society and its values, including A Language Older Than Words, The Culture of Make Believe, and Endgame. He holds a B.S. in Mineral Engineering Physics from the Colorado School of Mines and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University. He has also taught creative writing at Pelican Bay State Prison and Eastern Washington University.