Whether you are a dedicated member of the wake and bake club or just an avid bookworm, there are countless books where cannabis plays an important role. It’s easy for authors to get weed embarrassingly wrong, but when they get it right, they really get it right. Here are five of our favourite written works featuring the green stuff. From non-fictional to biographical, there is something in here for everyone.
The Beach – Alex Garland
If you came of age in the 90s it’s unlikely that you managed to escape the film adaptation of Alex Garland’s book featuring Leonardo DiCaprio at his dreamiest. The story follows Richard, an intrepid traveller who sets off on a search for a mysterious utopian community and stumbles upon a giant weed plantation. The Beach is an acerbic look at the Western desire for paradise set somewhere off the coast of Thailand. Perfect reading material as we emerge out of lockdown and dream of escaping to sandy shores.
Mr Nice – Howard Marks
Whether you’re a hardcore stoner or just cannabis curious, the story of Welsh legend Howard Marks, aka Mr Nice, is as captivating as it is hilarious. Aside from the hash smuggling, Marks lived an extraordinary life, and his first autobiography recalls it with wit and charm like no other. Did he really work as an MI6 spy? Read the book and make up your own mind.
Inherent Vice – Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon marries pulp fiction with mystery and nostalgia as the sun sets on the hazy days of hippy culture. Inherent Vice follows a bumbling Private Investigator who spends more time baked than following up leads, all to the backdrop of 70’s LA. Pynchon will have you laughing out loud as you turn page after page, some times amused, sometimes confused.
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas – Hunter S Thompson
It would be impossible to compile a list of literature associated with intoxication without mentioning the good Dr himself. Drugs aside, Thompson was a revolutionary of the written word, and his (almost) true recollection of this infamously lost weekend paints a psychedelic picture so vivid you can almost feel the walls start to breathe. Fun fact: If it wasn’t for Thompson, it’s unlikely leafie would exist.
Dope Girls – Marek Kohn
Tabloid sensationalism and inherent racism were the driving factors behind the drug prohibition laws we know in Britain today. No book does a better job of accounting for the history of our countries relationship with drugs than Marek Kohn’s. If you want a deeper understanding of why our national press vilifies cannabis so much, this fascinating book has it all.
