High looking down at the world
Pollan, M. 2001. Chapter 3. Marijuana. pg. 113-179 in The Botany fo Desire: A Plants- Eye View of the World. Random House Trade Paperbacks, New York.
If a man high on LSD was spouting philosophy in the streets in this day and age he would be ignored or hauled away. However a couple thousand years before and you’re considered one of the fathers of modern civilization and thought like Plato and Socrates. Pollan’s chapter on Marijuana is an awesome visual and sensory trip through time and space about the plants role today and more recent dark history, to its place throughout history and religion. Many cultures used cannabis and other psychoactive plants to alter their consciousness, mostly this was refered to as magic. He then continues his journey to Amsterdam where he experiments a little first hand and finds the paranoid feeling he usually has when smoking cannabis not present at all due to the complete legality of the substance in this country. Pollan also dives into the chemical components of the drug and what it does exactly to your brain.
I have had my own experiences with this mind expanding plant as I’m sure any child born in the 80’s has, or even the 90’s and 2000’s for that matter, the bulk of these experiences not necessarily being personal use. Wether it was parties, crazy brothers or even just walking downtown Vancouver you are bound to run into the sweet pungent scent of this weed. Having read Pollan’s account of the cannabis tawdry history it’s not surprising that it is still not completely socially accepted in today’s society. “The fact that witches and sorcerers were the first Europeans to exploit the psychoactive properties of cannabis probably sealed its fate in the West as a drug identified with fear outsiders and cultures conceived in opposition: pagans, Africans hippies.” pg 174. Being deeply rooted in religion in many countries and people arround the world as well made it impossible for the reputation of this plant to heal itself. “The challenge these plants posed to monotheism was profound, for they threatened to divert people’s gaze from the sky, where the new God resided, down to the natural world all around them.” pg 175.
I have no doubt that the cannabis plant will be legal in my lifetime in the last 20- 30 years it has slowly become more and more of an acceptable toxin. The fact that it has been a huge focus by the law enforcement authorities is that it is a huge cash cow they are not reaping the benefits of and just like it did with alcohol they will legalize it and reap the benefits.
birdzistheword 
It’s funny how the levels of ‘acceptability’ have changed over the centuries isn’t it? As we learn about laudinum, cocaine-cola, opiates and hallucinagens being common place with widespread use not all that long ago it seems kind of strange, but expected that we’ve had this change of heart. I suppose it’s because we know more about these substances now than we ever did then. Really though, who gets to decide what’s socially acceptable? Let’s see…alcohol…check, caffeine…check, tobacco…check, marijuana…..most certainly not! Should we not look at places like Amsterdam and see what kind of ‘negative’ impact this plant has made on their society? Probably not much. I think that when you remove taboos from things like pot and alcohol and teach society how to consume safely, the potential harms are greatly reduced. It is really amazing and sad in a way how powerful groups can be in the shaping of our past, present and future.”The challenge these plants posed to monotheism was profound, for they threatened to divert people’s gaze from the sky, where the new God resided, down to the natural world all around them.” pg 175. This is such a powerful statement, both sad and true. Should be look up and wish for a better life somewhere beyond the clouds or shall we look around and be amazed by what surrounds us. Could we not argue that religion as also an act of escapism? I imagine some of us prefer to keep our feet on the ground and take this world as it comes…. perhaps with a toke here and there for a few moments of escape.