This book is about Australian's drug culture, or to be more precisely, the marijuana culture. According to the author (who wrote 'He Died with a Felafel in his Hand', which is all about share housing culture) he was approached by his publisher who gave him a heap of money to write this book, and also promised to pay any legal fees that might incur in his research. Thus he travels across Australia, visiting each of the major cities, to learn about the marijuana culture.

The impression that you get from this book is that not only is marijuana quite prevalent in Australia, but the government is also quite lenient with it. It ranges from a simple fine in South Australia, to a warning from the courts in other states. In any case, amongst the youth culture of the country, it is viewed as being an acceptable drug. Now, I have had arguments about the legality of it with people. Some argue that it is illegal in the same way that speeding is illegal. Well, if you travel over the speed limit a certain amount then you are fined, but no conviction is recorded (and these very same people themselves flaunt the road rules as if it was of no consequence). I still fall into the category of those who say that it is not criminal to possess, and certainly not illegal to use (some countries it is actually illegal, and can range in penalties from imprisonment to death being under the influence of the drug).

Now, Birmingham suggests that one reaches a stage in life where one simply becomes board, grows up, and moves on. Well, I would hope so. You see, marijuana is like any drug (and it doesn't necessarily need to be illegal, or even a pharmacuetical) in that it can take control of your life. Those who claim that marijuana is not addictive are probably addicts themselves who are in denial. While it may not create the sickness that heroin does, there is always going to be that craving, that desire to have more, and that desire to be under its influence, because reality is simply not the same. However, there are lots of other substances that are like that (take for instance the adrenalin junky).

Look, don't get me wrong, I think marijuana can be a dangerous substance and that it can act as a gateway drug. I have seen people throw their lives away because of this drug. Either they have gone onto harder substances, or simply just let themselves fall through the cracks. It is very demotivational: you smoke it and you simply do not want to do anything else. In fact, a lot of friends that I have had who have been pot heads have got up my nose simply because all they want to do is to lie back and smoke drugs.

From this book one wonders if he is trying to write an Australian version of Junky? I don't think so, and if he was, he failed. While Burroughs was writing about addiction, and the impact of junk on his life, Birmingham is doing something completely different: he was exploring an Australian subculture. He was not writing a tale of his life. He was travelling around Australia rather than reminiscing on his life. No, this is not an Australian Junky.

Obviously Birmingham made something more of his life: this is clear because he has become a successful author. Now, I likes his books where he was telling a story about his research, but I read two of his works of fiction and found them boring and uninteresting, and haven't read any since. This book is very interesting, especially how he does seem to know the drug culture in Australia and he does have a following among that cutlure. The problem he found, and many people find, is that once they get into that culture it is very difficult to get out. If all of your friends smoke drugs then simply deserting them is not always an option, but it is the choice one needs to make. Even marijuana is a very slippery slope into a pit of nothingness.