Joint Ventures
Inside America's Almost Legal Marijuana Industry
-
- $14.99
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
CNBC anchor Trish Regan takes you behind the scenes of America's thriving pot industry, to show readers things only drug dealers know about this secret world. Forget amber waves of grain. Today, it's marijuana plants that blanket the nation from sea to shining sea in homes, in backyards, and even in our national parks. In Joint Ventures, Trish Regan takes you behind the scenes to explore every aspect of this flourishing underground economy. Her focus is the so-called Emerald Triangle Northern California's Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties where many small-time, part-time marijuana growers contribute to a trade that generates roughly a billion dollars a year. A fascinating investigation into the inner workings of today's exploding American marijuana industryBased on extensive research and interviews by Trish Regan, whose Emmy nominated documentary Marijuana, Inc. attracted more viewers than any documentary in CNBC's historyRegan examines all aspects of this new culture. She reveals how small time growers get their start, make (or lose) a fortune, struggle with violence, try to keep up with constantly changing laws and regulations all while walking an increasingly fine line with the FedsRegan reports on the current and potential impact of legalized marijuana on local economies, uncovers the link between marijuana and violent Mexican cartels, questions whether decriminalization would work on a national scale, as it has in Portugal since 2001
As the decriminalization and legalization debates gather steam, Joint Ventures arms you with the facts on both sides of the issue.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this important follow-up to her two CNBC documentaries covering similar territory, journalist Regan profiles cannabis growers, dispensary owners, and the founder of Oaksterdam University ("the first formal school for marijuana in the United States"), as well as cops, legalization opponents, and people who've lost big after making millions. Regan clearly exposes the inconsistencies between state and federal law and the illogical hurdles that make growing even legal medicinal marijuana incredibly risky. Some of her heroes include growers who are willing to be named, pay taxes, and actively embody a challenge to the "stoner" stereotype essentially normal people looking to create a family-run business while also advocating for the openness and transparency that could make the industry benefit everyone involved. A particularly illuminating section describes the decriminalization of all drugs in Portugal, which had been suffering from widespread heroin addiction, overcrowded jails, and rising rates of HIV. Since the change in policy, deaths from overdoses dropped considerably, new HIV cases fell, and the number of people seeking treatment doubled. Overall, Regan's first book provides a measured cross-section of what's at stake.
