Photo by Mike Kepka

Emily Dufton

“An oracle of knowledge on all things marijuana” - Boston Herald

I’m a drug historian and writer based near Washington, D.C. I received my BA from New York University and earned my Ph.D. in American Studies from George Washington University.

My first book, Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America, traced over 50 years of cannabis activism and was named one of “The 8 Best Weed Books to Read Right Now” by Rolling Stone and one of “The Top 5 Cannabis Books to Have In Your Personal Library” by 10buds.com.

Since its publication, I’ve become a commentator on America’s changing cannabis scene. I’ve appeared on CNN, the History Channel and NPR’s Back Story with the American History Guys, and my writing has been featured on TIME, CNN, Smithsonian Magazine, and the Washington Post.

I’m currently working on my second book, Addiction, Inc.: Medication-Assisted Treatment and America’s Forgotten War on Drugs (under contract with the University of Chicago Press). It’s the history of the development and commercialization of the opioid addiction medication industry. In 2021 I won a Lukas Work-in-Progress Award to help finance its writing. In 2022 I won a Robert B. Silvers Grant and a Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant. I’m deeply grateful for all the support.

I’m also a podcast host on the New Books Network, where I interview authors on new books about drugs, addiction and recovery.

I live in the People’s Republic of Takoma Park, Maryland, with my husband Dickson Mercer and our two children.