Bud Inc. [Paperback]

 

 

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for those of us who are new to the idea that "bud" is more than just a stoner substance.

Over the past couple of years I've had a hunch that it's the sick, the old, the dying and not the hippies that are driving the legalization movement.

But why...?

This book has a great deal of information that answers these kind of questions and brings those of us that are on the outside into the loop.

A must read.

Ian Mulgrew's "Bud Inc: Inside Canada's Marijuana Industry" is a fascinating in-depth look at the lies behind cannabis prohibition. Originally intended as an analysis of the late 20s and early 30s era alcohol prohibition, the author uses Canada's flourishing marijuana industry as a modern-day comparison of wrongful and illegitimate prohibition and the associated social ills of organized crime associated with this illegal status.

While the book is difficult to categorize and describe in terms of genre or style, Mulgrew's journalistic touch is visible throughout and consists of a series of interviews and stories involving many of Canada's "marijuana celebrities", such as Marc Emery and Stephen T. Easton. The underlying elements in what seems like a series of otherwise anecdotal stories are a number of economic, political, social, legal and historical reasons for which marijuana should be legalized. In short, current cannabis laws are inefficient and based on lies. Governments have time and time again ignored well-funded research projects, such as the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs that have pushed for reform. Interestingly, laws are also biased against low-level cannabis users, as the maximum sentence for possession, five years less a day, is just short of the required sentence that constitutionally guarantees one to a jury trial (p.146).

Another undisputable fact revealed by the author is the economic importance and impact of the marijuana industry. On top of employing an unidentifiable number of otherwise unemployable people, cannabis production provides income and windfalls for communities that have suffered soft labour markets. Not only is the finished product a commodity like any other, there are a huge number of related products that are sub-industries in of their own, such as bongs, papers, fertilizers and growing lights which would also benefit from legalized cannabis.
The author's conclusions are a bit indecisive as to what marijuana legalization would look like in Canada, because of the wide divide in the perspective of his "characters." Some believe that the only tax revenues would be generated from tourists, as the majority of Canadians would opt to grow it on their own. Others believe that both medicinal and recreational marijuana could have profit potential and would be "taxed to hell."

This book is well worth a read for all those that wish to be in the know on the more sociological, political and economic aspects of the cannabis industry in Canada. While the author's academic credentials and use of scientific references might be a little light, a well-blended storyline along with interesting facts about the marijuana industry and the history of cannabis make it a must-read for the cannabis connoisseur.

This book was very informative, the writer encounters many high level people in the marijuana trade. It allows you to get a sense and gauge of how large the industry is. I recommend this book to those who like to learn from others mistakes, And just get some general info on how lucrative, versatile, and highly beneficial this plant is to society.

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