02. Wanna Get High?

The many ways of taking cannabis and why it really matters

Dear Readers:

Good morning! And what a fine morning it is here in Cincinnati! I’m fresh back from vacation. It was delightful. And nothing that a few days of fasting and a short stint in rehab can’t remedy!

I’m kidding, of course. Sort of.

Vacation is always a good time to let your hair down. Some of us drink more coffee than normal. Some of us drink more alcohol than normal. Some of us take more cannabis than normal. And, for the truly depraved, there are the Ding Dong Lattes . . .

Thankfully, here at History on Drugs, we’re not quite that debauched. At least not yet. So for now let’s focus on something a little more family friendly: cannabis!

Today I’m going to begin exploring the many ways one can ingest cannabis and why this actually matters a lot to the history of drugs in the United States. This will take us back to the nineteenth century and, eventually, right up to the present day. But first things first.

You can take your cannabis in any number of ways. One can of course smoke i…