As a sophomore in college, Tarris Batiste began analyzing his relationship with cannabis, taking notes about an increasingly complicated element of his life and outlining what would become his first book, “Don’t Let It Smoke You: Creating a Non-toxic Relationship with Cannabis.”
“I really started to see the way I was smoking at the time, the way it was controlling me,” says Batiste, a college athlete before graduating and eventually starting his career in the cannabis industry. “When you play on a sports team, everybody knows you as a certain guy for certain things. I was kind of known as the weed guy at that time.”
After college, Batiste dove into researching cannabis consumption with an open mind. He visited Colorado and met with cannabis entrepreneur Kevin Damata. He traveled to California to get the perspective of Carla Lowe, a longtime anti-drug activist who was involved in the Reagan administration’s “Just Say No” campaign. And he sat down with the neuroscientist Dr. Michael Kuhar on the Emory University campus in Georgia.
Batiste, who grew up in Georgia, then went to Indiana State University for his freshman year before transferring to Georgia State University, spent about eight years researching and writing “Don’t Let it Smoke You” and published the book in 2021 through Jones Media Publishing.
Through his research, he learned two particularly important things about cannabis consumption. One is that it’s personal: what works for one person doesn’t always work for another person. This stretches from products and strains to consumption habits and other health and wellness aspects.
The second lesson was about balance. For Batiste, it was a failed drug test in college that triggered his introspective journey, but he never stopped consuming cannabis altogether. He learned how to balance it better with the rest of his life.
“I’m not against using cannabis,” he says. “I smoke often myself. But there are also cons to it that people should be aware of and that’s pretty much what the book is about.”
The dedication of his book sums it up eloquently: “Weed can have power over you, whether you’re using it medically or recreationally — smoke it, but don’t let it smoke you.”
When asked what his relationship with cannabis is like today, Batiste paused momentarily.
“I have my seasons,” he says.
Batiste says reactions to the book have been mixed. Some people don’t want to hear anything negative with regards to cannabis, while others recognize similar challenges to what Batiste has experienced.
“I’ve run into both of those different perspectives and it kind of humbles you,” he says.
Up next, Batiste has plans of writing another book, and also hopes to see “Don’t Let It Smoke You” made into a movie. “Don’t Let It Smoke You” can be purchased through Amazon.