Hemp

MA: the ancient Chinese character for “hemp,”depicts a male and female plant under a roof; cannabis inside the house of human culture. A single species answering to two such different desires - the spiritual and material.

I have never smoked anything - legal or illegal. It is just not my thing. I have hallucinated and I think I may have tried magic mushrooms in Thailand - but I am not too sure of it as they didn't seem to have any effect.

That being said, I am fascinated by psychotropic plants. I love the idea that these simple organic creations are just growing in the dirt with the power to alter the mind and being of animals and humans. Plant power.

I picked up this book at the local library - The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. The book is basically about how plants have used humans to propagate while at the same time affecting human culture. And, yes, I am geeky enough to find it funny that a guy who writes about plants has a last name that sounds like pollen.

The book is interesting in some chapters. I wouldn't read through the chapter on apples again as it was mostly a diatribe against the legend of Johnny Appleseed. The chapter on tulips was entertaining and worth a read, but what captivated me most of all was the chapter on marijuana. I still don't understand why it is illegal. I don't use it, but I don't see why others can't use it openly like alcohol or tobacco. There is a good blend of history, chemistry, biology, religion, and anthropology in the chapter on marijuana. A very interesting read and highly recommended.