FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The debate over marijuana legalization has never been more heated as the issue continues to divide policy makers, the medical community, and the public alike. As the topic of medical versus recreational use continues, many states have already decriminalized possession, while 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana in some form. While it appears that acceptance of marijuana usage is growing, there is much misinformation about it and a lot more that needs to be understood regarding its effects on people, especially on the developing brains of young people.

MARIJUANA: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed (Hazelden; March 2015; $14.95; Original Trade Paperback) by Kevin P. Hill, M.D., a leading expert in marijuana research and addiction treatment and one of the few impartial sources on the subject, provides the evidence both for and against marijuana usage. Hill’s book covers the complexities of marijuana use statistics, the major myths about marijuana use, the controversies around decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana, and the challenges of treating marijuana addiction, including working with parents.

Hill discusses the history of marijuana, how it was first used as medicine to help treat many physical problems, and how a gap has developed today between the science of medical marijuana and the public’s perception of it. He also talks about how the media contributes to the controversy by presenting the more extreme views without fully examining the facts. Hill describes the effects of marijuana on anxiety, depression, and critical thinking and how the effects of marijuana differ in adults and adolescents. The arguments for and against  decriminalization and the legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical uses are presented as he weighs in with his own perspective based on years of research and working with hundreds of clients in his addiction practice.

In MARIJUANA, Kevin P. Hill speaks to important questions such as:

• Is marijuana a harmful and addictive drug?
• Does medical marijuana really help treat certain illnesses?
• How does marijuana affect brain chemistry?
• Is marijuana as dangerous as alcohol and other drugs?

This timely and important book states the facts and actual data regarding marijuana’s risks and benefits, allowing people to make the best informed decisions for themselves and their families.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin P. Hill, M.D., M.H.S., is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard’s McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, and an addiction consultant with a number of professional sports organizations. His marijuana research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and the American Lung Association. In 2013 he was awarded the Alfred Pope Award for Best Research Paper by a Young Investigator at McLean Hospital, and he has authored or coauthored articles in more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Learn more at: http://drkevinhill.com/

ABOUT THE HAZELDEN BETTY FORD FOUNDATION
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs.  It is the nation’s largest nonprofit treatment provider, with a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center. With 15 sites in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Colorado and Texas, the Foundation offers prevention and recovery solutions nationwide and across the entire continuum of care to help youth and adults reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction.. It includes the largest recovery publishing house in the country, a fully accredited graduate school of addiction studies, an addiction research center, an education arm for medical professionals and a unique children’s program, and is the nation’s leader in advocacy and policy for treatment and recovery.

Marijuana:
The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed
By Kevin P. Hill, M.D.
Hazelden Publishing
Publication Date: March 31, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1616495596
Original Trade Paperback/E-book
Price: $14.95
Pages: 240 pp.