Description: A hazy student phase? A harmless way to relax? An effective form of pain relief? Or a dangerous and addictive narcotic? The debate on the status and legality of cannabis continues to rage on. Here, personal anecdotes, combined with academic and scientific reports, wrestle with some of the fascinating issues associated with cannabis use. In these pages, philosophers, psychologists and medical experts (some of whom may even enjoy the occasional spliff) try to understand: What exactly does it mean to get high? Is it immoral to smoke marijuana for pleasure? Is cannabis the start of the slippery road to other more dangerous drugs? Is altering our consciousness a basic human need? What is the morality or immorality of cannabis prohibition laws? Cannabis - Philosophy for Everyone offers frank, professionally informed, and often humorous discussions on the gourmandise and ethical, social, and political dimensions of this psychoactive and outlawed drug.
Brief description: Fritz Allhoff is associate professor of philosophy at Western Michigan University and a senior research fellow at the Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the Australian National University. He is coauthor of What Is Nanotechnology and Why Does It Matter? and the editor or co-editor of numerous volumes, including Wine and Philosophy, Physicians at War, and The Philosophy of Science.