Pot Luck.(Pot Planet; Loaded)(Brief Article)

"I'm the tour guide for a global gourmet-ganja holiday." So writes Brian Preston, a Canadian journalist, with just a hint of gloating, in POT PLANET (Grove), a gimlet-eyed and often hilarious account of the author's round-the-world reefer safari. With Britain's downscaling of penalties for marijuana possession currently stirring up controversy, Preston's book comes along at a propitious moment. And while Preston admits to recreational use and appears to condone efforts to legalize the drug he offers a surprisingly clear-headed view of potheads worldwide. Researching marijuana mores in twelve countries, from Canada to Cambodia, Preston rubbed shoulders--and puffed on joints--with devotees who fry their morning pancakes in hemp oil, discuss the subtle differences between Sweet Skunk and Bubbleberry as if they were comparing fine wines, have ...