Like other books in the "Offbeat" series from Santa Monica Press, Offbeat Marijuana features copious illustrations, fun design, and a relaxed writing style that nevertheless conveys a lot of solid information. The word "offbeat" in the title is actually a bit misleading, since it implies the book might be about the more unusual aspects of pot. Actually, it's a complete and insightful overview of what it rightly calls "the most politicized plant in history."

Each of the eight chapters covers a different aspect of Mary Jane in a manner that is complete enough to make us well-informed but not so minutely detailed that it bogs us down.

• "The History of Marijuana" sketches the themes that will be addressed at greater length in the rest of the chapters.

• "Marijuana and Society" looks mainly at the government's treatment of pot, from the initial demonization in the early 1900s (which the author feels was the result of racist attitudes, since grass was associated with Mexican immigrants and African Americans) to the first state and federal laws against it to the insane War on Drugs of today and the groups, such as NORML, working for change. All of your favorite, idiotic scare stories are presented here, as well as the pronouncement by Reagan's drug advisor that smoking marijuana makes people gay.

• "Marijuana in the Workplace" is an unexpected chapter that examines herb's use in three professions--solider, politician, athlete--as well as the specter of workplace drug testing.

• "Marijuana as Medicine" does a nice job looking at the struggle to use pot for its medicinal purposes, waged by individuals who smoke it for personal relief and by groups who want to get the laws changed. The author notes: "A Harvard University survey of more than a thousand cancer specialists found that 44% had recommended marijuana to a patient, and almost half said they would prescribe it if it were legal."

• "Lab Report" reveals what has happened when the forces of science have investigated grass. "Hundreds of studies have attempted to measure everything from the psychological effects of the pot high to the long-term health consequences of heavy use. Stoned subjects have had their memories tested, their motor skills evaluated, and their lungs probed. Others have merely been observed to see how much they eat while suffering attacks of the munchies. The net result of all this lab work is that most of the data on marijuana is inconclusive. A good part of it, in fact, is contradictory." However: "In the past century, there have been four comprehensive studies on the effects of marijuana. All have concluded that moderate marijuana use is not dangerous."

• "Hemp: The Soybean of the 21st Century" provides a history and run-down of the uses of the non-psychoactive version of marijuana, which can be made into paper, rope, lotion, fuel, food, clothing, plastic, and much more.

• In "Marijuana and Popular Culture", the author looks at classic and contemporary literature, pulp novels, music, cool flicks, scare films, comics, and TV shows centered on pot.

• Finally, "Pot Culture" provides a take on the people who smoke pot, the people who grow it, and the people who sell it and smoking paraphernalia.

I've seen many books on how to grow pot, several on its medicinal uses, and a bunch on hemp, but this is the first time I've seen a general book that outlines the social, cultural, historical, legal, scientific, and medical aspects of marijuana, never mind one that does it in a fun, friendly way. Offbeat Marijuana fills an important niche in the literature on Mary Jane. Highly recommended.

The views expressed above represent the writer and not necessarily those of The Disinformation Company Ltd.