Sumler, a University of Colorado lecturer, goes well beyond Greece and Rome, where cannabis use was actually limited. His book covers many views on cannabis (Cannabis sativa) and its use all over the ancient world. He has in-depth discussion on how it was shared between different cultures. What results is quite a variety of interesting comparisons covering practical cures for physical problems like pain along with more mystical uses. I have to admit a few of these are an herbal stretch for me, like a theory that references to gentle, demulcent marshmallow (Althea officinalis) root—used in cough syrup—might refer to cannabis. However, this is an example of what makes this such a thought-provoking and interesting book.

American Herb Association Quarterly Newsletter

This book by a scholar knowledgeable of the languages of the original sources addresses a subject of great contemporary interest in the context of the present political debate about the legalization of cannabis, both for medicinal purposes and as a recreational intoxicant, presenting the evidence as a careful compilation of citations without polemical advocacy.

Carl A. P. Ruck, Boston University

Alan Sumler has written the most comprehensive review to date of the uses of cannabis in the Greek and Latin classical and medieval literature. As a longstanding student of this history, I was surprised by the number and breadth of his sources. The text is well researched and documented with extensive references. Anyone with an interest in the history of cannabis and medicinal plants will find the book fascinating.

Ethan Russo M.D., International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute

Given the enormous debates swirling around the legalization of cannabis today, knowledge of its history has become all the more important. The role of cannabis in classical Greece and Rome has remained almost invisible to us. Far more than ubiquitous hemp, cannabis was also valued for its psychoactive properties. This volume draws on a wide variety of sources to chart in rich and meticulous detail the medicinal, religious, and recreational uses found in a variety of cultures in the Classical world. From the Neolithic to the Silk Road to imperial Rome, doctors, priests, shamans, merchants, soothsayers, poets, and others used, studied, and wrote about cannabis. The book will prove to be useful not just for those interested in the history and ethnobotany of cannabis and pharmacology, but also in the Classical world more generally.

Barney Warf, University of Kansas