15 Must-Read Cannabis Books

Whether it’s growing it, rolling it, or talking about it, we can’t get enough of cannabis.

From its history to its medical and culinary applications, there are several areas of knowledge revolving around cannabis that have spawned a wide variety of books you’d probably like to know about.

Books about cannabis are as many and as varied as the uses of the magic plant. Here are some of the must-read books about weed.

We can’t start a list of the best cannabis books without talking about this classic. This book is considered one of the most influential books on cannabis, in which Herer presents arguments in favor of cannabis legalization and examines the history of the plant’s use.

Throughout the book, the history of cannabis is exposed along with the lies surrounding it. It even shows the many uses of cannabis and hemp as a world-saving natural resource, breaking down stereotypes.

The Emperor Wears No Clothes remains one of the most accurate and informative cannabis books to date. Before publishing it, Herer spent years collecting and compiling data, so if you’re interested in the world of cannabis, this is a good book to start the adventure.

This book explores the future of cannabis legalization in the United States. Barcott examines how legalization will affect the cannabis industry and how it may benefit society at large.

According to the author, the magnitude of the change in America’s relationship with marijuana cannot be measured solely in economic or social terms. It is about deeper changes: cultural, social, and financial readjustments.

Weed The People will take readers on a walk through the history of cannabis legalization, and what the near future holds for this topic. Undoubtedly, a perfect literary work to learn about cannabis and its history from a different point of view, where challenges and issues that are not far from our closest reality are raised.

Written by the renowned activist, Steve DeAngelo, The Cannabis Manifesto is as much a call to action as it is a vision.

This book presents arguments in favor of cannabis legalization and explores the medical and economic benefits of the plant. It presents a compelling case for cannabis as a catalyst for wellness, arguing that all marijuana is used for biological, mental, and spiritual reasons, and explains how cannabis prohibition has warped the family, the workplace, and the legal system.

DeAngelo answers essential questions about cannabis while asking readers to question everything they know about it. Analyzing the law and science of cannabis along with the physical, spiritual, and psychological effects of the plant, The Cannabis Manifesto will change the way you look at cannabis.

When it comes to heroes and heroines of the cannabis scene, Mila Jansen is at the forefront.

This fascinating autobiography traces Mila’s extraordinary journey through cannabis culture and offers a real insight into the cannabis counterculture on the hippie trail and in Amsterdam in the ’60s and ’70s. As a mother and woman in a male-dominated industry, her story is inspiring.

Mila is a true adventurer, innovator, and inventor of the most popular cold resin extractors, a must-read if you want to learn about the story of a woman empowered by cannabis.

Mila’s autobiography is intriguing and inspiring on many levels. As a mother, inventor, traveler, lover, and spiritual practitioner, she has faced incredible challenges and embarked on unimaginable adventures.

Looking for clear, reliable, and practical information about medical marijuana? Written by Michael Backes, Cannabis Pharmacy covers the history of cannabis along with how it interacts with the human body.

Readers will discover everything from the endocannabinoid system (ECS) to how to identify cannabis strains and the best methods for storing it. If you’re someone interested in learning more about the science and applications of cannabis, this book will blow your mind.

In Cannabis Pharmacy, expert Michael Backes provides evidence-based information on the use of cannabis to treat a range of ailments and conditions. He provides information on how cannabis works with the body’s own system, how best to prepare and administer it, and how to modify and control dosage.

Prior to legalization, many medical cannabis patients were inspired by Rick’s story to replace pharmaceutical industry medication with cannabis medicine.

In this book, Rick Simpson shares his experience with readers, where he tells his story and the difficulties he encountered along the way after discovering that extracts from the cannabis plant cure cancer, as well as cure or regulate a wide range of serious medical problems.

This book is exactly what you might expect from its title, it is a comprehensive guide covering everything from growing seeds, to harvesting, to the different types of cultivation.

Here you will find detailed information for growers of all skill levels. It’s so detailed that it can be a bit confusing for beginners, but that’s because it’s, well, just the Definitive Guide.

It deals with both indoor and outdoor growing and even has reviews of equipment and materials of all kinds.

Maximize your yield with this growing guide. With nearly 200 color and black-and-white photographs, graphs, and charts. The cannabis growing bible is a grower’s staple.

Cannabis has always had a very masculine focus, however, in the last decade, the scales have balanced and a new narrative has emerged where women have established their own territory in the world of weed. Bravo!

For the novice and experienced marijuana users alike, this lively, information-packed book is just the supportive guide we all need.

From knowing the proper dosage to alleviate anxiety, depression, and inflammation, and mitigate the onset of dementia to how to navigate a dispensary to all types of products and how to leverage them for the female gender. Even if you’re just looking for a little fun. In this book, you will find it all.

Everything any woman needs to know about cannabis and more is in one place. Definitely, a must-have to add to your library.

Another book that claims to be a bible, and with good reason. It is thick, heavy, and super exhaustive.

Jorge Cervantes is actually the pseudonym of George Van Patten, an American horticulturist and author of several books on marijuana cultivation, all of them truly comprehensive.

This Grower’s Bible may well claim the title of holy book, as it has it all: good design, easy organization, information (and lots of it!) explained in a simple way, and many, many sections and subsections full of graphics, images, diagrams, photographs, and above all, the valuable and encyclopedic knowledge of Cervantes.

First published in 1983, it remains one of the most comprehensive cultivation guides in the world. In fact, there are more than 500,000 copies in print in English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, and French.

Interested in learning more about how to medicate with cannabis? The Medical Marijuana Dispensary is both a resource and a cookbook. Its authors, Laurie and Mary Wolf provide accurate, evidence-based information about cannabis in an easy-to-understand guide.

The use of medical marijuana has been a valuable resource in the treatment of a variety of conditions. But for many, the stigma and misinformation surrounding the medical or recreational use of cannabis is a deterrent to trying it for themselves. Part reference guide, part cannabis cookbook, The Medical Marijuana Dispensary will arm you with everything you need to decide for yourself if medical marijuana is right for you.

Readers can expect to learn how to create a variety of cannabis infusions ranging from therapeutic tinctures to sweet treats.

If you’ve ever been curious about cooking with weed, or eating a weed product other than brownies or gummies, look no further than Bong Appétit.

Written by the editors of Munchies, Bong Appétit contains 65 different weed recipes.

Here you’ll find everything you need to become an expert cannabis chef and learn how to cook everything from french bread pizza to raspberry and peach tart.

Whether you’re an avid cannabis connoisseur or just starting out in the world of canna-cooking, this book will be a must-have guide.

If you are looking for a guide to understanding and getting to know cannabis, this book is a quick reference guide on the subject.

It provides information on the recreational and medical use of cannabis, as well as the history and culture of the plant.

This concise guide to cannabis delves into the culture and history of the weed, from Herodotus to the hippies and beyond. It also covers the essentials of consuming, growing, and cooking with weed, identifying weed strains, and understanding legal and health issues.

Practical and straightforward, The Little Black Book of Marijuana gives you the lowdown on weed, from potential side effects and risks to medical uses and efficacy.

We all know the past of cannabis, but do we know what the future holds? That is the question that Joe Dolce has set out to answer with his book Brave New Weed.

This book is a compilation of information that delves into the analysis of the social, historical, and cultural aspects of cannabis. A plus that we find in this book is that it is not limited to the United States, including the analysis of other places like Amsterdam and Israel, in an attempt to get a clearer idea of how the world of weed will grow once prohibition is overcome.

Dolce travels the world to “tear down the cannabis closet” and demystify this new frontier, seeking answers to the questions we didn’t know we should be asking.

Enlightening, entertaining, and thought-provoking, Brave New Weed is a compelling read that will surprise and educate advocates on both sides of the cannabis debate.

Something you thought you’d never need, a guide to cannabis etiquette. But with legalization, it’s an increasingly common topic, meet Lizzie Post’s guide to marijuana etiquette.

How and when to consume, and what are the correct and respectful ways to do it? A must-have for the occasional or constant consumer, Post’s guide is a fun twist on Emily Post’s classic guides and takes a fun stab at the ways to approach marijuana in this day and age.

When it comes to being a respectful, thoughtful, and responsible consumer, there’s a lot you need to know. Higher Etiquette explores and celebrates the wide world of legalized weed. Combining the long-established norms of cannabis culture with the tried-and-true principles of the Emily Post Institute, this book covers the social issues surrounding weed today.

This handy guide also provides an introduction to the wide variety of cannabis products and methods of consumption and explains the many practical and accessible options available to everyone from experienced users to cannabis novices and the cannabis curious.

Entertaining as well as informative, How To Smoke Pot (Properly) covers everything from the smoldering basics to cannabis as a catalyst for cultural change.

In How To Smoke Pot (Properly), VICE columnist David Bienenstock charts the course of this bold new post-prohibition world.

From tips from professional stoners to cannabis basics. This book has – literally – a little bit of everything.

You’ll learn everything from the basics of combustion to the natural life cycle of weed from farm to pipe, explore cannabis-related customs, culture, and travel, and discover how best to use and appreciate a plant that is at once a life-saving medicine, an incredibly nutritious food, an amazingly useful industrial crop and a truly renewable source of energy.