The Marijuana Review Vol 1., No 1. Oct-Dec 1968

Buffalo: LeMar International, 1968. First Edition. Very Good. Publisher's newsprint self-wraps rebacked with Japanese paper. Notes from a former seller: "First issue of the first periodical devoted to marijuana. Co-edited by countercultural icon Ed Sanders and future cannabis historian Michael Aldrich, the magazine developed out of LeMar International (LeMar for "legalize marijuana"), one of the first advocacy groups for the drug internationally. Founded in the Lower East Side by avid marijuana advocate Allen Ginsberg and Beat-adjacent writers and creatives in 1964, the marijuana-legalization lobby organized marches and public symposiums in an attempt to destigmatize pot use. After Ginsberg and his cannabis comrades (including literary critic Leslie Fiedler, one of the review's "gurus") moved to the west coast in 1971, LeMar was folded into Amorphia, and eventually merged with NORML, currently the largest cannabis-legalization advocacy group in the nation. In the mid-60's, Aldrich was a PhD student at SUNY Buffalo (his thesis was on "Cannabis and Folklore") and working as Ginsberg's assistant. In 1967, he formed the first college chapter of LeMar and helped Ginsberg and bookseller and founding member of the Fugs Sanders design and produce The Marijuana Review. Each issue included legalization updates, advocacy campaigns, pricing, poetry, artwork by up-and-coming artists, and more. The groundbreaking publication ran until 1973m with a total of nine issues. This premiere issue includes an article on marijuana and the military, edibles recipes, a feature on contemporary "pot busts" on college campuses, statistical information, historical notes, regional pricing, and more. Illustrated in black-and-white. Skillfully rebacked, some chipping at edges, embrowned and exceedingly fragile. A scarce survival.