Press Release
“The follies of marijuana prohibition have never been laid bare with more erudition and plain common sense. Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? is a book every citizen needs to read and a question we all have to raise our voices to ask.”
-Barbara Ehrenreich, bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By
in America and This Land Is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation
As Marijuana Policy Reform Emerges as Major National Issue, Three Leading Reform Advocates Position Marijuana as a Safer Alternative to Alcohol
Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? is the first book in
history dedicated to comparing the relative harms — and illogical legal status — of
the nation’s two most popular recreational substances
Contact:
Ruby Ferm
Marketing & Publicity Coordinator
802 295 6300 (x106)
rferm@chelseagreen.com
Pub Date: September 2009
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT — Next month, Chelsea Green Publishing will release Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? —a book destined to stimulate a national discussion about the relative harms of marijuana and alcohol, and spark a debate over the practice of punishing adults for making the rational choice to use the less harmful substance, marijuana. Never before has a book explored in such depth the significant differences between the two substances—in terms of impact on health and community safety—and the illogical manner in which our government and our society react to the use of each one.
Marijuana Is Safer is designed to appeal to many different audiences. For those unfamiliar with marijuana, it provides an introduction to the plant and its effect on the user, and reveals the truth behind some of the government’s most frequently cited marijuana myths. For the millions of Americans on the opposite end of the spectrum, who want to help advance the cause of marijuana policy reform—or simply want to defend their own personal, safer choice—this book supplies the talking points and detailed information needed to make persuasive arguments to friends, family, co-workers, and elected officials.
At its core, however, this is a political book. It has been written with the goal of achieving significant public policy reforms in mind. The authors examine past efforts to change marijuana laws in this country and argue that the key obstacle to reform is the widespread—and inaccurate—belief among a large segment of society that marijuana is as harmful as, if not more harmful than, alcohol. By correcting this misunderstanding and producing a general consensus around the idea that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, the authors posit that advocates of marijuana policy reform will win the public debate and marijuana legalization will be inevitable. More than just theoretical, this book explains how the “marijuana is safer than alcohol” message has already succeeded in changing attitudes in Colorado, a state of more than five million people.
The authors of Marijuana Is Safer represent the three most prominent organizations in America dedicated solely to marijuana policy reform—the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER).
Steve Fox is the Director of State Campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the nation’s largest organization dedicated to reforming marijuana laws. From 2002–2005, he lobbied Congress as MPP’s Director of Government Relations. He cofounded Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) in 2005 and has helped guide its operations since its inception. He is a graduate of Tufts University and Boston College Law School and currently lives in Maryland with his wife and two daughters.
Paul Armentano is the deputy director of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) and the NORML Foundation. A recognized national expert in marijuana policy, health, and pharmacology, he has spoken at dozens of national conferences and legal seminars and has testified before state legislatures and federal agencies. He appears regularly on Drew Pinsky’s nationally syndicated radio show, Dr. Drew Live, and his work has appeared in over 500 publications. Armentano is the 2008 recipient of the Project Censored Real News Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. He currently lives in California with his wife and son.
Mason Tvert is the cofounder and executive director of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) and the SAFER Voter Education Fund. He appears frequently in the news and travels the country promoting the "Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol" message. He resides in Denver, where he serves on the city’s Marijuana Policy Review Panel appointed by Mayor John W. Hickenlooper.
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For 25 years, Chelsea Green has been the publishing leader for books on the politics and practice of sustainable living. We are a founding member of the Green Press Initiative and have been printing books on recycled paper since 1985, when our first list of books appeared. We lead the industry both in terms of content—with foundational books on renewable energy, green building, organic agriculture, eco-cuisine, and ethical business—and in terms of environmental practice, printing 95 percent of our books on recycled paper with a minimum 30 percent post-consumer waste and aiming for 100 percent whenever possible. This approach is a perfect example of what is called a ”triple bottom line“ practice, one that benefits people, planet, and profit, and the emerging new model for sustainable business in the 21st century.
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