Over the last 30 years, millions of people have come in contact with cannabis, but there is surprisingly little information available that examines the drug as a whole?its medicinal properties, its function as a commodity traded on a global scale, its role in religion, the many ways it can be cultivated, and its effect on body and mind. In Cannabis Culture, journalist Patrick Matthews finds that researchers have unraveled the complexities of the plant, uncovering in the process much of the chemistry of our minds and emotions. In addition to scientists, Matthews meets a colorful mix of characters?connoisseurs, criminals, and cultivators?who together make up the new cannabis culture.