(AUSTIN,Texas,Feb.21,2013)ThenonprofitAmericanBotanicalCouncil(ABC)ispleasedtoannouncethisyear’sJamesA.DukeExcellenceinBotanicalLiteratureAwardrecipients.ThereferenceandtechnicalbookrecipientisMedicinalPlantsandtheLegacyofRichardE.Schultesco-editedbyRainerW.Bussmann,PhD,andBruceE.Ponman;therecipientinthepopularandconsumerbookscategoryisSmokeSignals:ASocialHistoryofMarijuana–Medical,Recreational,andScientificbyMartinA.Lee.

TheABCJamesA.DukeExcellenceinBotanicalLiteratureAwardwascreatedin2006inhonorofnotedeconomicbotanistandauthor,JamesA.Duke,PhD.Itisgivenannuallytobooksthatprovideasignificantcontributiontoliteratureinthefieldsofbotany,taxonomy,ethnobotany,phytomedicine,orotherdisciplinesrelatedtothevastfieldofmedicinalplants.AmonghislongandprestigiouscareerachievementsineconomicbotanyandethnobotanyattheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA),Dr.Dukehasauthoredmorethan30referenceandconsumerbooks.Heisalsoaco-foundingmemberofABC’sBoardofTrusteesandcurrentlyservesasDirectorEmeritus.In2011,duetothediversityofqualitybooksrelatedtomedicinalplants,ABCcreatedtwodistinctcategoriesfortheJamesA.DukeAward.TherecipientofthepopularandconsumerbookscategoryawardwasHealingSpices: HowtoUse50EverydayandExoticSpicestoBoostHealthandBeatDiseasebyBharatB.Aggarwal,PhD,andDeboraYost(SterlingPublishing,2011).Thesameyear,theAmericanHerbalPharmacopoeia’sBotanicalPharmacognosy:MicroscopicCharacterizationofBotanicalMedicines(CRCPress)receivedthereferenceandtechnicalbookscategoryaward.MedicinalPlantsandtheLegacyofRichardE.SchultesThisbook,acollectionofessayspublishedbytheMissouriBotanicalGarden,isbasedontheproceedingsofthe2011symposiumheldinhonorofthegreatethnobotanistandHarvardUniversityProfessorRichardE.Schultes,PhD(1915-2001),onthe10^thanniversaryofhisdeath.“Ifanybodycouldbenamedasthefatherofethnobotany,itwouldbeRichardE.Schultes,”saidco-editorDr.Bussmann.“Noresearcherhaseverdonemorefieldresearch,moretopromotethediscipline,andhasencouragedmorestudentstobecomeethnobotanists,withalmosteveryseniorscientistinthefieldacknowledgingsomeconnectiontoSchultes.”ThebookchroniclestheinfluenceofDr.Schultesonformerstudentsandcolleaguesandshedslightonhisillustriouscareerandthelastingeffectsofthepioneeringethnobotanist.“IamincreasinglyofthebeliefthatRichardEvansSchultes'impacthasyettobefullyrealizedintermsofhishistoricalimportance,”saidABCBoardofTrusteesPresidentStevenFoster.“Roughlyhalfofthechapterauthorsofthebookwerehisstudents.Schultes'careful,conservative,high-qualityscholarshipquietlyaffectedthesocialandpoliticalhistoryofthelasthalfofthetwentiethcentury.”AccordingtoDr.Bussmann,Dr.Schultespublishedroughlytwodozenbooksand500papers,collectedover30,000plantsamples,andconductedcontinuousfieldworkintheAmazonformorethan14years.“[He]createdwhatcanonlybecalledthegoldenageofEconomicBotany,”hesaid.“Thesymposiumvolume,likeSchulteshimself,isan ethnobotanicaltreasure,”saidDr.Duke.“Mythanksandcongratulationstotheeditorsandcontributorsforanotablesymposiumwecantreasureforever.”“ThereisnodoubtamongthoseinthefascinatingfieldofethnobotanythatProfessorSchulteswasthegreatestethnobotanistofourtime,orpossiblyofanyera,”saidABCFounderandExecutiveDirectorMarkBlumenthal.“Hisstudentswereprofoundlyinspiredbyhisteachings,andmanyhaveembracedethnobotanyastheirprimarypassionandinspirationfortheircareers.”ManyofSchultes’formerstudentsarepartofABC,eitherasamemberoftheABCAdvisoryBoardorafriendoftheherbalcommunity.Theseinclude,butarenotlimitedto,thefollowingscholars,authors,educators,andconservationbotanists,amongnumerousothers:MichaelJ.Balick,PhD,oftheNewYorkBotanicalGarden;WadeDavis,PhD,explorer-in-residenceattheNationalGeographicSocietyandbest-sellingauthor;DjajaD.Soejarto,PhD,attheCollegeofPharmacyattheUniversityofIllinoisatChicago;StevenKing,PhD,ofNapoPharmaceuticals;MarkPlotkin,PhD,directoroftheAmazonConservationTeam;PaulAlanCox,directorofSeacology;RobertBye,PhD,directoremeritusoftheBotanicalGardenoftheInstituteofBiologyoftheNationalAutonomousUniversityofMexico;andtheiconicintegrativemedicinepioneerandbest-sellingauthorAndrewWeil,MD.Dr.BussmannandMr.PonmanweregratefultobechosenfortheExcellenceinBotanicalLiteratureaward,praisingitsnamesake.“JamesDukeisoneofthemostrespectedcolleaguesinourfield,andhasfordecadesbeentheleaderofthesystematizationandpublicationofethnobotanicalinformationandthe phytochemicaldataassociatedwithit,”saidDr.Bussmann.“Heisalsooneofthemostprolificandwidelyreadauthorsinthefield.ToreceivetheJamesDukeAwardisanexceptionalhonortoboth,usaseditors,andtheMissouriBotanicalGarden.”MedicinalPlantsandtheLegacyofRichardE.Schultescanbepurchasedfor$24.95throughtheABCe-storeorotheronlineretailers.SmokeSignals:ASocialHistoryofMarijuana–Medical,Recreational,andScientificMartinA.Lee,whospentthree-and-a-halfyearsresearchingandwritingthebook,isanaward-winninginvestigativejournalistandco-authorofAcidDreams:ACompleteSocialHistoryofLSD–TheCIA,The60s,andBeyond(GrovePress,1985).ThepublicationofSmokeSignalsbyScribner,adivisionofSimon&Schuster,Inc.,coincidedwitharobustpublicdiscussionofmedicinalcannabisduringthe2012electionseason.Currently,18statesandtheDistrictofColumbiahavelegalizedmedicinalcannabis,and,lastNovember,ColoradoandWashingtonbecamethefirststatestodecriminalizethepossessionofuptoanounceofcannabisforpersonalusebyadults.“WhenIbeganwritingaboutcannabis,Ihadnoideaabouttheimpressivescientificdata,mainlybased onpre-clinicalresearch,thatpowerfullyvalidatestheexperienceofmanymedicalmarijuanausers,”saidLee. “Public attitudes reflectconflictingclaimsaboutmarijuana'spotentialbenefitsandrisks.Therehasbeenadeliberate efforttocreateuncertaintyaboutwhatthesciencesaysaboutcannabis. Iwouldcompareittocorporate-driveneffortstocreatescientificuncertaintywithrespecttoclimatechange.ThepublicdiscussionaboutmarijuanacontinuestobehauntedbytheghostsofReeferMadness,”hesaid,referringtothe1936Americanpropagandafilmthatheavilydistortedthephysical,psychological,andsocialeffectsofsmokingcannabis.Fosterexplainedtheimportanceofpubliceducationanddebateinatimewhencannabisisstillviewedbymanyastaboo.“Wedon'tgettothenextstageofunderstandingthephytochemistry,pharmacology,andmedicalpotential,unlesswegothroughaperiodofsocialrevoltagainstthewaythingsareandhavebeenforfartoolong,”hesaid.“Andwedon'tgetthereasasocietyunlesswedounderstandthesocialhistory. Thatistheonlywaythatweasasocietyaregoingtomovethescienceforwardinarationalway.”“Myexciting,sometimesdangerous,andalwaysinterestingcareerhasseenmeinthecocafieldsofLatinAmerica,poppyfieldsinLaos,andganjafieldsinJamaica,”saidDr.Duke,whoworkedforseveralyearsonaUSDAcollaborationwiththeDrugEnforcementAgency’santi-narcoticprogram.“Theirprogramstargetedcannabis,thecocabush,andtheopiumpoppy,eachwithlonghistoriesofmajormedicinalactivities.[SmokeSignals]ishistoricallyimportant,butmygreaterinterestisinthemedicinalbulletsthatLeepresents.”Themeticulouslyresearchedbookaimstohelpeducatereaderstounderstandthelong,often-contentioushistoryofcannabis,includingitsuseasmedicine.Accordingtothepublisher’swebsite,SmokeSignals“drawsattentiontounderreportedscientificbreakthroughsthatarereshapingthetherapeuticlandscape.”Medicinalcannabishasbeenstudiedasapotentialtreatmentforawidevarietyofhealthconditionsincludingchronicpain,cancerandchemotherapysideeffects,andheartdisease,amongmanyothers.“I'mverypleasedthattheAmericanBotanicalCouncilrecognizestheimportanceof clear,incisivereportingaboutcannabis,”saidMr.Lee.“Theplant deservesit.”SmokeSignals:ASocialHistoryofMarijuana–Medical,Recreational,andScientificretailsfor$35.00andisavailableforpurchasefromthepublisher’swebsite.AnexcerptfromSmokeSignalswaspublishedintheDecember2012issueofHerbalEGram,ABC’smonthlye-newsletter,whichisavailableonlinetoABCmembers.TheawardeeswillreceivetheABCJamesA.DukeExcellenceinBotanicalLiteratureAwardatthe8^thAnnualABCBotanicalCelebrationandAwardsCeremonyonMarch7,2013inAnaheim,California.TheABCeventoccursduringtheannualNutraconnutrition,naturalproducts,anddietarysupplementsconferenceandNaturalProductsExpoWest.TheABCBotanicalCelebrationandAwardsCeremonyisunderwrittenbygenerouscontributionsfromthefollowingmembersoftheherb,dietarysupplement,andnaturalproductsindustry(i.e.,rawmaterialsuppliers,supplementandteamanufacturers,analyticallaboratories,alawfirm,aninsurer,amediacompany,andatradeorganization):