Maybe I misunderstood, however I thought this was going to be a persuasive essay/manifesto, instead it read somewhat like a autobiography. Nevertheless persuasive, not exactly what I was expecting. Either way an informative read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and North Atlantic Books for an ARC of this book.
This was a really interesting insight not only into some of the cases Allison has dealt with, but also logical reasoning behind drug legalisation and reducing the regulations in place for marijuana in the US.
Since I don't live in the US, I did struggle to wrap my head around some of the information (I mean, we can't even get marijuana legalised here in Aus) but it did provide interesting historical facts.
I'm intrigued about Allison's experiences, and she hints at the end what her next book will entail, and I have to say I'm interested in checking it out.
Definitely had me considering things I had not considered before!

2.5 stars.

Before I start this review, I’d like to disclaim that I picked up this book with the full intention of using it as an educative source - I am pro the legalisation of all drugs as I believe it is the best form of harm reduction; the nature of the book isn’t the reason for the low stars, it’s the way it is written.

This book is marketed as a non-fiction, informative book on the drug market and how legalisation / decriminalisation is the best way to tackle what has been labelled a crisis for the past thirty years. Instead, it read semi-autobiographical. Instead of learning about drugs, I learned about the author. Her father. Her fathers career (related, but still wholly unnecessary - I did not care about their arguments.). Her divorce battle. It was frustrating, it felt as though i was reading a book that had originally been pitched as an autobiography but a publisher suggested they change the subject matter to focus on her career instead.

Though some interesting points were raised, I cannot help but feel the matters were tackled a little insensitively and sometimes even dangerously. The author seems reluctant to acknowledge that drugs hold danger at all - insisting that addiction isn’t actually that bad because we’re all addicted to something. Which is true, I cannot argue with it. But the borderline suggestion that heroin / cocaine etc. would be safer if it was legal as the dangers they hold are all made up by the media is SO dangerous - it felt dismissive of the issues of addicts at points.

Furthermore, there’s a section on River Phoenix. Which, understandable, his death kickstarted conversations around the dangers drugs pose. Despite an entire section detailing the horrors of his childhood (I won’t go into too much detail - but trigger warnings for sexual assault, cults etc.) - the author ultimately agrees with his ex girlfriend - that river died because he was a gentle soul.

How about the fucking trauma that youve just laid out for us all to read?

Despite the authors suggestions that it is not big of a deal, a huge reason for addiction can frequently be linked to (usually early) trauma - it is a coping mechanism, a distraction. The author barely acknowledges this - choosing to blame the deceased’s personality, as opposed to the drug itself.

I really wasn’t a fan and I really really wanted to be. I wanted to be able to tell people to read this book in arguments about the subject matter, I wanted to walk away with the firm belief that there was a book out there that illustrated perfectly the need for a greater conversation around addiction and the need to helps addicts - not pretend like they don’t exist.

This book was not the book for that.

Given addiction is unfortunately linked increasingly to race & class - because, in the eyes of the racists at the top of our society, a white man in a suit doing a line of coke is a guy who knows how to have fun whereas a person of colour smoking weed on an estate is a menace to society( which, to her credit, the author frequently acknowledges) - I can’t help but wonder whether a upper middle class white woman whose entire career has been profiting off of addiction was the best choice to write this book.

A thought provoking view into the drug legalization movement. This was well written and the author leveraged personal experience to make her argument.

Margolin's fascinating piece of non-fiction gives a history of drugs and drug addiction, as well as delving into the medicinal and economic benefits of decriminalizing their use, at the least. The book is narrated by Margolin and uses her family's life and experiences in this fight.

Fascinating complete historical explanation of cannabis- the growing, the politics, the criminalization, the legalization, and what we expect regarding cannabis going forward. The book makes an excellent case for legalization of all drugs, the upshot being that public health would greatly improve and deaths reduced.

Allison Margolin is the daughter of acclaimed cannabis attorney Bruce Margolin, and is an exceptional attorney in her own right. Part of the book is her personal memoir, growing up in Los Angeles with her father, attending law school, trying to find her own way. To me, that was the most interesting part.

There is much legalese and the evolution of cannabis laws, particularly in California, is laid out well. Highly recommended to all who are wanting to know the truth behind the legalization effort.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.