The pseudonymous Eric Right, with occasional interjections from his partner Alexandra, recounts his experiences with cannabis in a wide-ranging memoir, HIGHER CONNECTIONS (Humor and Inspiration from a Certified Public Pothead). Right began using the drug in 2019 since which time he has seen numerous benefits as he states in the introduction, “I feel like I have found more peace and comfort with my life and with the universe. When I use marijuana, the world drifts away and I feel like everything I worry about on a daily basis is replaced with happiness, peacefulness, and the ability to connect with other people in a way that I cannot when I’m sober or when I’m drinking.”
Though Right attempts to counter the image of a pothead as an aimless, meandering stoner, as personified in movies like “Up In Smoke” or “Half Baked”, much of HIGHER CONNECTIONS finds his philosophizing and proselytizing drifting into long, unfocused rambles. There are nuggets of wisdom for sure, and Right is resolutely positive in his outlook, but there are very few passages that wouldn’t have benefited from a tight edit and more focus. HIGHER CONNECTIONS is categorized as a self-help book and for those already using marijuana there will be shared experiences that resonate. Others may be intrigued by the obviously positive effect the drug has had on Right’s mental health and general outlook on life, though it’s likely non-users might look for more considered guidance before following Right’s lead. Though credit is given to the authors for providing references and notes to other works cited in their text, there is little in the way of objective evidence-based studies backing up many of Right’s claims for the miracles of marijuana.
There are numerous sections that take the form of lists that are easy to follow and offer a little more clarity to Right’s thought processes and elsewhere there are amusing skits in the form of scripted dialogue. Like the stoner comedies previously mentioned, some of HIGHER CONNECTIONS is highly entertaining and Right has a good turn of phrase backed by an engaging and self-deprecating sense of humor.
Amusing in places and packed with Eric and Alexandra Right’s own insights and opinions, HIGHER CONNECTIONS (Humor and Inspiration from a Certified Public Pothead) is a subjective study on cannabis use in which the authors offer some personal, anecdotal evidence as to the benefits of the drug.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader