First pick: Cannabis Pharmacy

Michael Backes wrote Cannabis Pharmacy. Andrew Weil, MD, wrote the foreword. The third edition came out in 2017 from Black Dog & Leventhal. Backes ran Cornerstone Research Collective, a Los Angeles dispensary that collected patient outcome data.

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The book has three parts. Part one covers the endocannabinoid system, THC, CBD, and terpenes. Part two covers delivery methods: inhalation, vaporizing, oral, sublingual, topical. Part three lists conditions in alphabetical order with symptom notes, dose ranges, and product suggestions.

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Why it ranks first: it pairs pharmacology with practical dose guidance. Most books do one or the other. Backes cites studies and marks where evidence is thin. That matters for a patient who wants to know what is proven and what is not.

Cannabis Books 2024: A Guide to the Best Reads by Category

Cannabis Health Index

Uwe Blesching, PhD, wrote this one. North Atlantic Books, 2015. The format is a table system. Each condition gets a list of studies and a score for evidence strength. Patients who want to read the research themselves will find it useful. The writing is denser than Cannabis Pharmacy. Fewer dose charts.

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Marijuana Medical Handbook

Dale Gieringer, Ed Rosenthal, and Gregory Carter, MD, wrote this. Quick American, 2008. It is the oldest book on this list. It covers dosing, vaporizers, cooking, and legal risk. The science sections predate most modern CBD research. Keep it as a practical reference, not a current medical guide.

Cannabis is Medicine

Bonni Goldstein, MD, wrote this. Ten Speed Press, 2020. Goldstein is a pediatrician who treats children with severe epilepsy. The book leans on case reports from her practice. Strong sections on drug interactions and on starting low doses. Less useful for patients who want strain-level detail.

CBD: A Patient's Guide to Medicinal Cannabis

Leonard Leinow and Juliana Birnbaum wrote this. North Atlantic Books, 2017. The focus is CBD and THC to CBD ratios. It explains how to read a lab test and how to build a dose schedule. Good entry point for a patient who does not want to get high.

How to choose

None of these books replaces a doctor. The FDA has not approved cannabis flower or extracts for any medical use. It has approved three cannabis-related drugs: Epidiolex, Marinol, and Syndros. Book claims about wide-ranging benefits outrun the trial data in many cases. Read the evidence rating in each book before you trust a dose.