Author/editor Jeremy Daw exhibited a curiosity in altered states at a young age – a very young age, in fact. Even prior to his own birth, he had been caught on a sonogram cutting off his own flow of oxygen by squeezing his umbilical cord until he passed out, releasing his grip. His mother reports that he would do this over and over again for hours.

Eventually he learned to channel his curiosity into more productive pursuits, earning a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Texas – Tyler before studying literary criticism at New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and law at Harvard.  In the first years of graduate school he began suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome – a medical term meaning “we don’t know what’s wrong with you.”  Experiencing daily nausea so severe that eating became a challenge, Jeremy became increasingly more frustrated as one M.D. after another prescribed a pill which didn’t work.  His weight dropping to nearly dangerous levels, he finally followed the advice of a friend and tried smoking marijuana.

The results were astounding.  Marijuana eliminated his nausea far better than any pill he had tried, and he began to gain weight again.  By the time he enrolled at Harvard Law School in the fall of 2004, he had begun using marijuana on a daily basis to control his gastrointestinal symptoms.  With the help of diet changes and acupuncture, he has since been able to reduce his usage while maintaining a healthy appetite.

After his graduation from law school in 2008, he has been active in exposing the under-reported story behind the federal and international prohibition against cannabis and promoting the medical benefits of marijuana even while remaining candid about the handful of risks which should be considered.  His history, Weed the People: From Founding Fiber to Forbidden Fruit, is scheduled for publication in fall of 2012.