Editors of High Times Magazine - The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook: More Than 50 Irresistible Recipes That Will Get You High

The author wishes to acknowledge the work of many cannabis cooks, without whom this book would not have been possible. The staff of High Times fondly remembers Chef Ra, also known as Jim Wilson, author of the Psychedelic Kitchen column for fifteen years before his untimely passing in 2006. We are also very grateful for the ongoing work of Ashley Boudreaux and Chef Mike Delao, our current cannabis recipe contributors. Long live Space Cake Friday!

Special thanks to my coworker and fianc Dave Bienenstock for his help, inspiration, and constant support while I was working on this project. HT Production Assistant Max Abrams was indispensable in searching the archive for photos.

Countless others offered recipes for this edible compendium, and Id like to thank Eddie Huang, Bobby Helen, Bliss, Valerie Corral and the WAMM baking crew, Hempie Chef Raquel, Evan Budman, Ed Murrieta, Subcool and Mz. Jill, Mary Aught-Six, Dr. William Courtney, Kristen Peskuski, the staff at Coffeeshop Chocolata, Natasha Lewin, Bobby Black, Dave Miss, Easy Bake Dave, Junius, and Dennis Peron. I am grateful to Mike Corral, Addison, Christy from 13 Glass, and Ken from Chameleon Glass for their help with the props.

In memoriam: Chef Ra, Jack Herer, Brownie Mary (a.k.a. Mary Jane Rathbun), and Alice B. Toklas, who helped to reintroduce cannabis cookery to society at large.

This book owes its life to the consistent efforts of Steve Mockus, Suzanne LaGasa, Erin Thacker, Emilie Sandoz, Becca Cohen, and my awesome agent, Alex Glass at Trident Media Group. And a big thank-you to Sara Remington for the beautiful photos!

Mention the word marijuana, or better yet pull out your stash, and the first thought that springs to most stoners minds is rolling a joint, packing a pipe, toking a bowl, hitting a bong, or putting a flame to some other smoking accessory. But it wasnt always that way.

Ancient people almost exclusively ate their cannabis, saving seeds for food, and using the resinous flowers for medicinal, recreational, and spiritual use. One of the oldest recipes for cannabis-infused sustenance comes to us from India. Called bhang, this legendary cocktail of cannabis, milk, almonds, and garam masala adds a potent punch to a Hindu religious festival called Holi, celebrated each spring in honor of the cannabis-loving deity Lord Shiva (). Meanwhile, One Thousand and One Nights, the classic text of ninth-century Islamic literature, includes a story about two hashish eatersa practice gratefully emulated by Pariss legendary Club des Hachichins of the nineteenth century, which saw Baudelaire, Dumas, and other leading lights of French literary society mixing their hashish into coffee for a truly inspiring elixir.

In the Western world, cannabis tinctures, which dissolve the plants active ingredients into an alcohol solution, would remain widely available in pharmacies until the late 1800s, offered over the counter as a treatment for melancholia, pain, stomach cramps, and other common maladies. But the concept of smoking pot didnt become fashionable in the United States until early in the twentieth century, when migrating Mexican workers introduced the practice to the Southwest, and traveling jazz musicians subsequently spread it to the rest of the continent.

So while smoking herb boasts a long and impressive pedigree in the modern world, never forget that eating cannabis is a hallowed human tradition thats literally older than history. Understanding Cannabis sativa as simply another nourishing, healing, helpful flower is key to removing much of the fear and misunderstanding heaped upon a hapless public and a largely harmless plant by decades of government propaganda.

Pot brownies, a mainstay of counterculture cuisine since the 1950s, remain the most common way modern people first ingest cannabis. Usually these dope desserts arrive as a rite of passageeaten with your stoner circle in order to enhance summer concerts, 3-D sci-fi movies, camping trips, or backyard potlucks. Senior citizen and tireless activist Brownie Mary earned the ganja brownie new respect in 1992, after her third arrest for distributing her famous chocolate medicinals to AIDS patients in San Francisco made her a cause clbre for the early medical marijuana movement ().

In the 60s and 70s, the food revolution became a part of the general countercultural lifestyle, as hippies went vegetarian and investigated ethnic foods previously unheard of in the United States, such as tofu and seaweed, falafel and hummus, curries and lentils, burritos and arepas. More than anything, they sought something authentic to eat in a country quickly surrendering its culinary heritage in favor of fast food and plastic-wrapped, frozen, prepackaged TV dinners. And while the unfair stereotype of stoners as junk food junkies persists to this day, the fact remains that counterculture cuisine championed by ganja-loving hippies and health foodies has provided a parallel food movement based on good nutrition and organic farming that our increasingly unhealthy society sorely needs. Indeed, the emergence of the local-food movement and embrace of seasonal, sustainable cooking by chefs nationwide owes its roots to a hippie sensibility thats green in all senses of the word.

In 1996, the historic passage of Californias Proposition 215 effectively legalized medical marijuana in California, opening the door for more and more people to realize the benefits of eating their stash instead of smoking it, which include preserving the health of the respiratory system, reducing the smell of pot smoke on hands and clothes, and the ability to discreetly medicate in many places where smoking would be inappropriatenot to mention illegal. Cannabis also produces profoundly different effects when ingested through the digestive system, rather than absorbed by the lungs, with most users reporting a longer-lasting experience that provides a high for both the body and mind.

So why has the humble brownie remained so popular, when cannabis can be infused into any food or drink that contains butter or oil? Partly it has to do with tradition, but perhaps its also because chocolate very effectively covers up the flavor of marijuana, rendering it more palatable for those who are unaccustomed to the taste. Hopefully, as marijuana becomes popular as simply another culinary herb, well see increased appreciation for its unique flavor profile and cease attempting to hide it.

Cannabis as a whole plant is extremely versatile as an ingredient. Lately, the medical marijuana edibles industry has been the key to moving beyond brownies, expanding our pot palates astronomically, as creative canna-chefs in a now competitive field have infused the herb into just about any dish you can imagine. You can find prepared, herb-infused salad dressings, savory dips, powdered drinks, sodas, smoothies, baked goods, and sweets in many dispensaries, not to mention topical lotions, massage oils, and soaps using cannabis as an active healing ingredient.

The newly emerging medical cannabis edibles industry is a recent phenomenon, but hemp foods and body-care products have been a mainstay in many health food stores for decades. Hemp and cannabis are related plants but different in a few important ways. Hemp contains little to no detectable THC, and so it is not psychoactive in any form. But while hemp intrinsically lacks the chemicals that make humans euphoric, it still contains many healthful amino acids and antioxidants. Hemp also contains cannabidiol (CBD), an important cannabinoid with many medicinal effects. Hemp flour, oil, protein powder, seeds, and milk are staples of a healthy diet. Natural food companies have started using hemp seeds and flour in frozen waffles, granola bars, breakfast cereal, and other food items.