Erowid Library : Review of Marijuana Law

Title: Marijuana Law - Second Edition
Author: Richard Glen Boire
Source: The Resonance Project

My first thought about a book on marijuana law was, "Man, this has got to be some DRY reading!" Perhaps, on seeing this title, your response was similar. I mean really, who wants to read about laws that's what lawyers are for! I cannot over-emphasize how misguided my first impression was.

Marijuana Law, by criminal-defense attorney Richard Glen Boire, is easy to understand, fast paced, and highly entertaining. It is so good that I feel strongly that anyone who has any interest in Cannabis should pick up a copy immediately. Mr. Boire spells out all Cannabis related state and federal laws. Far more than a compendium of scary laws, Marijuana Law also gives specific real-life examples of legal cases. With almost every sticky situation presented, Mr. Boire gives two examples a conviction, and a release, and then provides his expert legal opinion as to why each situation turned out the way that it did. This commentary makes the book a valuable defense manual for the layperson. If knowledge is power, then Mr. Boire's book could be the most important text in an American Cannabis user's library. Marijuana Law explicitly describes how to stay out of legal trouble.

This book went to print just prior to the passage of the recent medical marijuana laws, Prop. 215 in California and Prop. 200 in Arizona, so there is no speculation on how these new laws will effect the status quo. The interested reader would be wise to subscribe to Mr. Boire's newsletter, The Entheogen Law Reporter, to keep abreast of the latest developments.

While Marijuana Law focuses on Cannabis, the legal advice is also relevant to many other currently scheduled plants and drugs, making the book quite valuable to any entheogen user. Mr. Boire spells out what an individual's constitutional rights are, and he explains how to assert them effectively. He lets the reader know what type of action is appropriate to take when confronted by the police. Covering searches and seizures, gardens, medical necessity, religious defenses, what to do if you're arrested, drug testing advice, and much more.

This new expanded edition of Marijuana Law is a must. The most important point that I can make about this book is that the advice presented is easy for any individual to incorporate into his or her life-style.

Mr. Boire writes, "I have become convinced that the constitutional rights created to protect us against runaway government are being sacrificed in the War on Drugs. The Cannabis plant is not evil; arbitrary government is. It is time to change our way of thinking about drugs. Long after the hysteria has subsided, we will be left not with a drug-free society, but rather with a less-free society." I wholeheartedly agree.

- Jon Hanna

Last Modified - Thu, Jul 19, 2007

Used by Erowid with permission of author

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