Growing Marijuana

June 15, 2011

There is an inherent challenge in reviewing a book about growing a mildly hallucinogenic herb that is illegal to consume or sell! However, as the pseudonymous author notes, it is not illegal to sell marijuana seeds, and penalties imposed upon noncommercial growers can be light. The text is aimed at the "small grower" who plans to cultivate the herb either inside or outside. The book is visually attractive, with heavy-gloss pages and a wealth of color photographs. It is organized into four sections and 14 chapters, concluding with recipes. Each chapter begins with focus points in bulleted sidebars. Written in a conversational tone, the book goes into great detail about all aspects of growing and caring for marijuana plants, deftly embedding the more scientific points. The guide would be more useful if it had an index; however, the detailed photographs assist the reader in flipping through to particular topics. VERDICT Useful for interested adult readers.--Sara R. Tompson, Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles

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