Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jan 2007
Source: Fulcrum, The (U of Ottawa, CN ON Edu)
Copyright: 2007 The Fulcrum
Contact:  http://www.thefulcrum.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2664
Author: David McClelland
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

BUD INC. MAKES HUMANIST CASE FOR LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

Before reading Ian Mulgrew's Bud Inc., if I had been asked what 
Canada's most profitable agricultural product was, I probably would 
have said something pedestrian like cattle or wheat. I would have 
been wrong. According to the Vancouver Sun writer's 2005 non-fiction 
work, the answer is, in fact, marijuana.

Bud Inc. is subtitled "Inside Canada's Marijuana Industry" and is 
presented as a look at the economics of pot in Canada, an argument 
for its legalization, and--perhaps most interestingly--as a way of 
humanizing those involved with the sale and production of the plant. 
While the book is promoted as being about business and economics, 
don't let that scare you away. It's highly engaging, and all the 
statistics used are easy to understand.

Mulgrew accomplishes this by tying the information he gathered on the 
marijuana industry together through a narrative constructed from his 
meetings and interviews with people he met while researching the 
book. They range from well-known marijuana activist Marc Emery to 
Mary Jean Dudson, better known as Watermelon, who owns a pot-friendly 
nightclub.

Other colourful personalities help draw you into the surprisingly 
complex world of marijuana production. Mulgrew works to bust the 
misconception that this world is filled with criminals and gangsters, 
and expose that it is instead populated by people who just want to be 
able to grow and sell the crop they love, without being arrested for 
it. Although many statistics are thrown at the reader, the growers 
and sellers featured in Bud Inc. make the book truly eye-opening, and 
their words and actions speak far louder than politics for the 
legalization of marijuana.

Many of the statistics cited are quite shocking, like that Canadians 
spend nearly $1.8 billion annually on cannabis and cannabis-related 
products. The author frequently drops these easily remembered and 
interesting factoids to keep the reader engaged.

Unfortunately, Bud Inc. is not without its faults. Mulgrew 
occasionally goes off on short tangents, or too often jumps between 
his central narrative and background information. This makes the book 
seem choppy in places. It can be easy to get distracted and lose 
track of what Mulgrew is talking about. Ultimately, this is a minor 
distraction in an otherwise fascinating book.

Bud Inc. atypically presents the marijuana industry in Canada as a 
very real and legitimate entity. If you've already made up your mind 
one way or the other about the debate, Bud Inc. may not change your 
opinion--but I guarantee it will give you something to think about.