Cannabis, Forgetting, and the Botany of Desire

by Ignacio Chapela

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[M Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Omnivore's Dilemma was great, and after hearing Pollan speak at the Drue Heinz lecture series a few months ago, I decided to read one of his earlier books. Though there are a few too many desultory odes to Nature's grand wisdom, The Botany of Desire is a satisfying and informative read about four species of plants that Pollan claims have domesticated us (as opposed to us domesticating them): the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. Each chapter pits Apollo (order) against Dionysus (passion, disorder), with Man and Nature constantly switching camps. Man wants neatly ordered rows of genetically modified potato monocultures to support the food industry, or dense but tidy marijuana clones to provide a good high, but that high itself is Dionysian. Straight-stemmed tulips are the epitome of Apollonian perfection, but the \broken\"" ones infected by a virus that creates wild, Dionysian splashes of color but weakens the plant were the cause of the great tulip speculation in Holland (and the subsequent stock market crash). The chapters on apples and tulips are interesting, but those on marijuana and potatoes are far better, delving into genetic engineering and scary prospects, such as irremediable property seizure for mere suspicion of growing pot, or proprietary seeds that grow sterile plants. (Which Monsanto loves, of course, because they can sell farmers new seeds the following year.)

Selected passages:

[Pollan experiments in his garden by planting Monsanto NewLeaf potatoes, which have a beetle insecticide, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) integrated in their genes.] \""By 'opening and using this product,' the card informed me, I was now 'licensed' to grow these potatoes, but only for a single generation; the crop I would water and tend and harvest was mine, yet also not mine. That is, the potatoes I would dig come September would be mine to eat or sell, but their genes would remain the intellectual property of Monsanto, protected under several U.S. patents. ... Were I even to save one of these spuds to plant next year—something I've routinely done with my potatoes in the past—I would be breaking federal law.\""

\""The Food and Drug Administration told me that, because it operates on the assumption that genetically modified plants are 'substantially equivalent' to ordinary plants, the regulation of these foods has been voluntary since 1992. Only if Monsanto feels there is a safety concern is it required to consult with the agency about its NewLeafs. I'd always assumed the FDA had tested the new potato [common in McDonald's fries and commercial potato chips], maybe fed a bunch of them to rats, but it turned out this was not the case. In fact, the FDA doesn't even officially regard the NewLeaf as a food. What? It seems that since the potato contains Bt, it is, at least in the eyes of the federal government, not a food at all but a pesticide, putting it under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency. Feeling a bit like Alice in a bureaucratic wonderland, I phoned the EPA to ask about my potatoes. As the EPA sees it, Bt has always been a safe pesticide, the potato has always been a safe food, so put the two together and you've got something that should be safe both to eat and to kill bugs with.\""

\""The bubble logic driving tulipomania has since acquired a name: \""the greater fool theory.\"" Although by any conventional measure it is folly to pay thousands for a tulip bulb (or for that matter an Internet stock), as long as there is an even greater fool out there willing to pay even more, doing so is the most logical thing in the world.\""

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[Thomas Bray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the transcript of a lecture series is always a bit of a gamble. Those proud, clear, and confident voices that ring out over the pages of a well-written book aren't always the same when thrown onto a stage. Still, Pollan's contribution to this - despite the vocal filler that tends to accompany a transcribed work - is enjoyable to read. The Botany of Desire is my favorite of Pollan's book-length works, and his lecture is a lovely taste of the book as a whole.

The other two contributors... not so much. I read their lectures, but not with much interest. I'd say that if you've read The Botany of Desire you've already gotten the meat of this smaller work. For a Pollan completionist (like myself), it's a fun addition to the collection.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pollan has a tendency towards purple prose and taking his own speculation too seriously, but once you get past that you'll find a unique approach and a compelling thesis. Read this if you're curious about how the histories of plants and people have shaped one another.

[Arnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've signed on to a college horticulture class. It's interesting. This was one of the texts used. It's more about the state of Industrial farming and how we view food. It's an eye-opener really. If the science of sustainability interests you. This is a good one to read.

[Jane]

I don't know if this is the same, but I read Michael Pollan's "Botany of Desire". Each section engaged me less, so that my favorite was about apples.