The 4 Must-Read Cannabis Books of 2020

The Medical Cannabis Primer: Ushering in the Golden Age of Marijuana is the product of brother and sister team Dr. Ruth D. Fisher, Ph.D., and A. Arthur Fisher. Ruth D. Fisher is a researcher and analyst with 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, and A. Arthur Fisher is a publisher who was afflicted with multiple sclerosis in 2013.  

“Despite the fact that cannabis has been used for thousands of years to address medical conditions, it is only in the past 25 years that researchers have even begun to understand how cannabis works in our bodies to create its effects.”

– Dr. Ruth D. Fisher in The Medical Cannabis Primer  

Those who are new to medical cannabis will learn about the basics like CBD to THC ratios and the entourage effect, while experienced medical cannabis users can dive more into the benefits of terpenes and cannabinoids and how to read product labels to better understand potency and doses for specific conditions.  

“Cannabis is personalized medicine. Our Primer is a full-color compendium that shows users and prescribers exactly what they need to know, in easy-to-understand terms, to make cannabis work effectively while minimizing undesirable effects,” Dr. Ruth Fisher told Veriheal.  

This primer is a thoughtful review of the science, chemical makeup, and therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis. The Medical Cannabis Primer spans 10 chapters that cover the biggest topics of importance to those interested in learning about medical cannabis from the anatomy of cannabis to the forms of cannabis—from concentrates to extracts—on the market today and the advantages and disadvantages of those options.  

Dr. Michele Ross is a neuroscientist, medical cannabis user with fibromyalgia, and a patient advocate whose book Vitamin Weed: A 4-Step Plan to Prevent and Reverse Endocannabinoid Deficiency reveals how cannabis can reverse endocannabinoid deficiency and allow our bodies and minds to heal.  

“Are you sick of being in pain? Are you worried about getting cancer or growing old? Are you always tired? Do you have too many prescriptions for your age? You or your loved one don’t have to feel this way. This book will show you the real reason why your body is breaking down. Your doctor doesn’t know anything about it because he wasn’t even trained on the biggest neurotransmitter system in your body: the endocannabinoid system.”

– Dr. Michele Ross in Vitamin Weed

In Vitamin Weed, Dr. Ross tells an incredible story about how she used medical cannabis in the form of Rick Simpson Oil (full extract cannabis oil) to heal her brain, body, and nervous system. This book is perfect for those who want to learn more about how medical cannabis can help them and improve their quality of life. Dr. Ross takes complicated topics like how the endocannabinoid system regulates other neurotransmitters in the body and explains them in a simple to understand the way that is a pleasure to read. She details how she learned to use cannabis therapy to treat chronic pain, inflammation, nerve damage, stress, and more. This book will test your cannabis knowledge, provide a review of the endocannabinoid system, the role of endocannabinoid deficiency in different diseases, and propose lifestyle changes to support cannabinoid replacement therapy. 

Did you know that your body makes its own cannabinoid molecules similar to those in the cannabis plant? The cannabinoids our bodies make are needed for the endocannabinoid system to function properly. 

Dr. Dani Gordon is known for her expertise in brain wellness, stress resilience, and cannabis and CBD medicine, and she is a physician of integrative medicine who has advised the United Nations on cannabis. Her book The CBD Bible: Cannabis and the Wellness Revolution that Will Change Your Life—scheduled to release on September 15, 2020—walks you through the endocannabinoid system and how natural plant healing can be used to treat everyday ailments.  

“Your body makes cannabinoid molecules. Our chief inner balancing system in the brain and body that maintains homeostasis is controlled by cannabinoids that we produce naturally which are similar to those in the cannabis plant. These regulate everything from our response to pain and pleasure, our immune system, stress response, our reproductive hormones, gut health, inflammation, memory and even food intake.”

– Dr. Dani Gordon in The CBD Bible

Impressively, the book outlines multiple conditions and health concerns and addresses the role of CBD for each. How CBD and THC can provide relief for insomnia, anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD, pain, women’s health, sex and libido, gut health, autoimmune conditions, skin conditions, and epilepsy and seizures are all explored in this 300-page volume.  

Many people know the name Jack Herer thanks to the well-known cannabis strain. But what most people don’t know is that Jack Herer was a prominent cannabis advocate who dedicated his life to fighting for legalization and the cannabis movement. His famous book The Emperor Wears No Clothes made cannabis history with its publication in 1985 and has educated people all over the world about sustainable uses of hemp and the history of the suppression of the cannabis plant.  

But today there’s a new digital version of the book available for Kindle. We wanted to learn more about this new version and what it has to offer, so we spoke with Dan Herer, Jack Herer’s son, and asked him to tell us why this book is as relevant today as it was when it premiered 35 years ago.  

Herer’s original book walks readers through the history of the hemp plant and how it played a crucial role in economy, culture, and medicine throughout the world for centuries. Jack Herer famously said, “I’m not sure if hemp is going to save the world, but it’s the only thing that can”. Today, the new digital e-book features all of Jack Herer’s original writing with the addition of hyperlinks that take readers to supportive documentation, videos, articles, and original research. As Dan Herer described to us,

“All the hyperlinks take you into the future as you’re reading this book about history and that’s what is really special about the Kindle version…the hyperlinks take you to the information that either supported that portion of the book or it takes you to new information like testimonials and other aspects of new access and technologies that were born out of the original information in the book”.

– Dan Herer 

One hyperlink takes you to a 58-minute documentary about Jack Herer and “his personal dedication to the war on cannabis and it talks about who he was, where he came from, and it gives you an understanding of the depth of his commitment to legalizing cannabis around the globe.”  

Whether you’re new to the cannabis scene or a long-time reader of cannabis culture, then these books are ones to look out for and add to your reading list. For guidance on how to target your specific health conditions with cannabinoids and terpenes, check out Veriheal’s personalized cannabis consultations. A cannabis coach can help build a cannabis and CBD wellness plan for you or your loved one.