Whether you are a staunch supporter of marijuana, a passionate opponent, or somewhere in the vast in-between, one thing is for sure: there is no issue hotter than hemp. Cannabis is the first completely illustrated guide to all the ways which marijuana affects the lives of the user and nonuser alike. Included in the text are the many uses of marijuana, past and present, including discussions on medicinal marijuana, recreational smoking, and the use of pot for creative inspiration. Also addressed are the politics of pot, in particular how marijuana legislation has, in fact, increased use of the drug and caused an increase in potency. Cannabis also shows how different religions throughout the world have utilized hemp as a spiritual tool, oftentimes to enhance devotion and prayer. Green tackles all the important issues surrounding marijuana, including the ''gateway drug'' theory and the scientific causes of the ''high.'' Supplementing the text are 150 full-color and 30 black-and-white photographs illuminating the worldwide uses of marijuana, as well as an extensive dictionary of marijuana-related terms and endpapers made of high quality hemp paper. Cannabis is an often humorous, always enlightening look at the world's most famous drug.