Cannabis, Sacred and Profane

Know about the book -

Cannabis, Sacred and Profane is written by Christopher Partridge and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. It's available with International Standard Book Number or ISBN identification 1350115908 (ISBN 10) and 9781350115903 (ISBN 13).

Focussing on the ways in which cannabis has been demonized, sacralized and normalized, Christopher Partridge analyses the complex and often difficult relationship Western societies have had with the plant since the nineteenth century. After an introduction to cannabis and its uses, the book discusses how and why it was constructed as a profane influence and a marker of deviance. It then examines the emergence of medicinal cannabis, showing how this has contributed to its normalization and even its sacralization. Finally, there is a discussion of sacred cannabis, which looks at its use within modern occultism, Rastafari and several cannabis churches. Overall, the book provides a cultural history of cannabis in the modern world, which exposes the underlying reasons for the various and changing attitudes to this popular psychoactive substance.