Many of the Scientific American Library books are gems and this isosemantically titled book by Dr. Snyder is no exception. The books I have read from this series are uniformly short, sweet and to the point. Drugs, per se, are after all essentially what brain function is. Drugs are our personalities, our emotions (not to mention all other vertebrates, especially the class of mammals to which we belong). There is no better way to come to understand psychology, physiology, the cognitive sciences, and one could argue, metaphysics, than by examining the action of drugs and the brain; the primary distinction being intrinsic, naturally produced drugs as opposed to extrinsic, store (or street) bought ones.

Dr. Snyder runs through the litany of the common classes of drugs: the opiates and their natural countersubstance, the endorphins--the stimulants and their action of dopamine reuptake blockage--the hallucinogens and their concomitant serotonergic pathways--and some of the more popular psychopharmcologicals specific to schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety.

This book is a well written, historically informative, crash course in pharmacology for the lay reader, and remains a valuable reference long after its initial reading.

This book is short, accessible, and fully illustrated. It is a particularly compelling technical primer for the intelligent but non-initiated reader. The logical flow of the book reflects the history of drug use and pharmacology research, both increasing in sophistication over time, and is topically organized by the major classes of psychoactives.

Subjects touched upon include the use of drugs in religious ceremony, Freud's cocain habit, the 60s, and the modern era of specialized mood-altering drugs.

The author is chair of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and one of the top three most cited scientists in the life science.

It is a pleasure to read, and a springboard for further investigation in the areas of psychopharmacology, neuroscience or psychiatry.

"The Uses of Marijuana" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy" http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

As a child psychiatrist who treats adolescents with substance dependence disorders, I was very pleased to read this well written scientific review from Dr. Iversen, a pharmacologist. It really does appear to be reasonably unbiased on the question of whether cannabis has medicinal value, and attempts to review the scientific evidence in a rational way. However, the scientific evidence so far is nowhere near the level of proof of safety and efficacy required to get new medications approved for use by the FDA, and Dr. Iversen conveniently ignores this vital issue.
Additionally, he glosses over the very real and known physical and mental health risks associated with heavy chronic marijuana smoking. ... His perspective is that of scientist concerned with the effects of THC, rather than mine, as a physician concerned with the mental and physical health of children who seek my help. I generally agree with his conclusions, that cannabis may have some potential for therapeutic use if we can find a way to dissociate its adverse effects and its habit-forming potential from its therapeutic effects. However, the current science is far from achieving such a goal. It concerns me that Dr. Iversen has left a very vital branch of biomedical science out of his review, namely, the epidemiology, comorbidity, and health consequences of cannabis abuse and dependence. While it is true that most people who smoke pot occasionally are probably not going to become addicted or escalate use into more dangerous drugs, it remains the major "gateway drug" by which adolescents are introduced into the addictive downward spiral that can destroy their lives, if they are one of the unfortunate who are biologically predisposed to addiction. The failure to review the science of cannabis dependence and the substantial scientific literature on the psychobiology of addictive behavior is the only major shortcoming of an otherwise fascinating book.

This is a highly readable volume that delivers a superb overview of the history, pharmacology and sociology of marijuana. Although the non-scientist may find it tough going in a few places, Iversen does an admirable job of presenting the technical issues with clarity. More importantly, the objectivity is unassailable. If you are looking for the book to tell you that marijuana smoking is perfectly safe you will be disappointed. Equally, if you seek justification of hysterical anti-drug rhetoric you will be unfulfilled. But, if you want to be educated and informed so that you can make your own judgement this is a great place to start. Highly recommended!

A superb, accessible, scientific assessment of the pharmacology. medicinal uses, health consequences, and recreational effects of the most popular illicit drug in the world. Iversen stays as objective as possible in his discussions of this highly volatile and political topic. He puts nails in the coffins of many marijuana myths, including those related to alleged chromosomal damage and dramatic increases in THC content. He offers keen historical perspectives, and depicts difficult scientific ideas with ease.