No disclaimer - Foreword entitled "Why you should grow your own" states:

"1. If you are going to use marijuana, growing your own is the best way to avoid contact with any criminal element and insure (sic) a safe and uncontaminated supply.

2. Our governmentÃs extermination campaign against cannabis is immoral and unjust. By growing your own you stand up for the right of this beneficial plant to exist.

3. Cultivation of any plant draws one closer to nature. Your relationship with cannabis can be extremely rewarding.

4. The financial rewards of home cultivation are mindbioggling. The plant is worth its weight in gold and several ounces can be produced every 90 days in a space no bigger than a garbage can. Can anyone tell me a more profitable hobby than this?"

This glossy large-format book is a collection of articles by an number of authors who have appeared in the popular American magazine. There are a large number of illustrations and contributions/case histories from magazine readers who have grown their own cannabis.

Part 1 - Ode to cannabis cultivation - re Kentucky Hemp fields - general introduction

Part 2 - Beginners guide to cannabis cultivation. Includes contributions from Mel Frank (Introduction to cannabis) & George Lassen (The Seed), other articles entitled "pot for pennies" "the micro-security garden" - this involved growing in a closet with advice on avoidance of odours and minimising costs. "Stealth metal - the electric garbage can" and "the ten most asked grow questions".

Part 3 - Indoor Growing - Includes articles entitled "Ten steps to setting up a grow-room (Cervantes), Indoor growing for beginners (includes diagram of self-contained growing unit with many similarities to the Kushti Box), Electric lights for plant growth (Frank), Keeping the electric bill cool (Gold)" Covers most aspects of indoor growing, use of lights, fertilisers, ventilation, avoidance of detection etc.

Part 4 - Outdoor Cultivation - Includes articles entitled "The secret garden (Lassen), Covert cultivation, Organic outdoor growing, Organic nutrients for your plants (Alexander), Pot on the Edge, Barrels in the sun (watering techniques)". Mostly concerned in avoidance of detection for clandestine outdoor growers in rural sites, coping with pests (animal and human) and the problems associated with outdoor growing. Not particularly relevant to UK situation, as the climate and daylight strength is very different in the USA to the UK.

Part 5 - Advanced Techniques - Includes articles entitled "Summer insect control (Frank), Beat the Heat, Growing and breeding spice ganja, Breeding for big buds (Cervantes), Indoor cannabis breeding (Clarke), Taking the guesswork out of harvesting (Frank), How to preserve pot potency, Indoor growing by the plantlet method, Cyber-hydroponics, The great Hydro-v-Bio debate.

Comment: The general style of this book is that of popular journalism, with plenty of photographs, clear diagrams, and text boxes containing brief news stories, tips or anecdotes, many submitted by readers. The general impression is one of active encouragement of the reader to grow cannabis, as evidenced by the wording of the non-disclaimer, and the many tips for avoidance of detection of indoor or outdoor systems. The book deals with most aspects of cultivation, indoor or outdoor, use of HID growlights, organic vs hydroponic growing media, and small scale indoor systems very similar in concept to the Kushti Box.