Book Review: JM Balbuena’s Green Renaissance
By: Dina Nagib
If you’ve met JM Balbuena, you know that she’s a friendly, soft-spoken, intelligent person who cares deeply and shows up. But when you read one of her books, you see her intelligence shine on another level, you hear her voice LOUDLY and you see her statements are backed by facts. I am incredibly impressed by everything JM has accomplished and Green Renaissance is another achievement for her growing list!
After reading The Successful Canna-preneur last year, I was eagerly awaiting the release of Green Renaissance and quickly devoured it, learning an incredible amount about the history of the plant. As a member of the industry and a longtime cannabis enthusiast, I have above-average knowledge of cannabis and the plant, but still learned a lot from JM’s new book and wanted to summarize some of my learnings.
The book covers a lot of ground and that’s something I really liked about it. It’s comprehensive and concise and keeps moving from topic to topic. Green Renaissance begins with a history of the plant and how it was used in various cultures at different points in time and leads to how we got to where we are now. It was interesting to learn how cannabis has been embraced around the world and then how it transitioned to being criminalized and used as a form of racism and fearmongering.
It also includes the history of cannabis advocates, in a section Heroes vs. Villains, which was interesting to learn more of the history behind names that are well-known in the space. I personally did not know the story of Jack Herer even though I have smoked that strain (supposedly!). It was cool to learn why he is important and what he did for the plant.
In addition to historical information, Green Renaissance also covers the science of the plant and some biology of the endocannabinoid system. As someone with a background in pharmaceuticals, including a biology degree, I was incredibly impressed with the breadth and accuracy of the scientific information provided. This was also true around the topic of hemp and hemp-derived cannabinoids and I found JM’s discussion especially interesting.
Finally, any cannabis conversation wouldn’t be complete without talking about the culture and community. Cannabis is about the people and this is a thread throughout the book and also something that is specifically focused on. I am personally proud of how this book represents our community and cannabis culture and I’m impressed with the scope covered.
JM is not only knowledgeable but also inspirational and concludes her book with a call to action. After reading about advocates, activists, and people that have risked a lot for the plant, you have encountered various ways that you can make a difference. As someone who benefits from the industry and the plant, this is something that is important to me and I felt reinvigorated by what was said and motivated to continue to try and increase my own advocacy in new and impactful ways.
