Mark Mathew Braunstein (born August 6, 1951) is an American writer, nature photographer, art librarian, and advocate of medical marijuana legalization. His writing focuses on the topics of

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...

, wildlife conservation, animal rights, sprouting, and raw food. Braunstein has written six books, including his sixth, ''Mindful Marijuana Smoking: Health Tips for Cannabis Smokers'', and his first, ''Radical Vegetarianism: A Dialectic of Diet and Ethic'', and many magazine articles.

Life

Braunstein was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. His parents were Benjamin and Clare Braunstein. Benjamin Braunstein (died 2005) was a book critic and a literature and journalism teacher at Bayside High School, Queens, New York City. Clare Braunstein (January 20, 1926 - April 5, 2011) was a homemaker and an editor of the ''Hadassah'' newsletter, and of its cookbook entitled ''One People, One Heart: Culinary Classics''. Mark Braunstein has a brother, Jack A. Braunstein of

Gibson, Pennsylvania Gibson is an unincorporated community located within Gibson Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-A ...

. In 1969, Mark Braunstein graduated from

Farmingdale High School Farmingdale High School is a public high school located in Farmingdale, New York on Long Island. It is the only high school operated by the Farmingdale Union Free School District. The building opened in 1962. The school also serves East Farmin ...

(

Farmingdale, New York Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 8,466 at the time of the 2020 Census. The Lenox Hills neighborhood is adjacent to Bethpage State ...

) In 1974 he received his B.A. degree from the

State University of New York at Binghamton The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public research university in Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four university centers in the State University of New Y ...

. In 1978 he received a Master of Science degree at

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. From 1978 to 1980, Braunstein was Editor at Rosenthal Arts Slides,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. From 1980 to 1983 he was Assistant editor at Art Index in New York City. From 1983 to 1987 he was Head of slides and photographs at

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

. Since 1987, he has been an art curator and art librarian at

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. Originally chartered as Thames College, it was founded in 1911 as the state's only women's colle ...

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

. Braunstein has been a vegetarian since 1966 and a vegan since 1970. In 1981, Braunstein published his book, ''Radical Vegetarianism: A Dialectic of Diet and Ethic''. An "About the Author" blurb in 1990 said this:

Mark M. Braunstein is the author of ''Radical Vegetarianism: A Dialectic of Diet & Ethic''. In addition to editing reference books on art history, he writes about animal rights and wildlife for journals such as ''Animals' Agenda'', ''
Between the Species ''Between the Species: A Journal for the Study of Philosophy and Animals'' (formerly ''Between the Species: A Journal of Ethics'' and ''Between the Species: An Online Journal for the Study of Philosophy and Animals'', also known as ''BTS'') is a p ...
'', ''
Vegetarian Times ''Vegetarian Times'' is an American publication focused on food, culture, health and lifestyle for vegetarians, vegans, and all people interested in plant-based eating. ''Vegetarian Times'' promotes an eco-friendly lifestyle with recipes, and he ...
'', '' Backpacker'' and ''East West''. He lives in a wildlife refuge in Quaker Hill, CT, where his favourite hobby is sabotaging hunting. He served as the guest editor for this issue of the Trumpeter.

On August 6, 1990 (his 39th birthday), Braunstein became a paraplegic due to a spinal cord injury from a diving accident. Since then, he smokes marijuana to control the pain and spasms in his feet and has been an advocate of

medical marijuana Medical cannabis, medicinal cannabis or medical marijuana (MMJ) refers to Cannabis (drug), cannabis products and cannabinoid, cannabinoid molecules that are prescription drug, prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabi ...

legalization. He testified before committees of the Connecticut legislature seven times over 14 years, urging passage of bills to legalize medical marijuana. Braunstein, after discovering that some

prostitutes Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-p ...

were meeting with clients on his private road, began documenting their lives. From his photographs of them and their life stories collected over a ten-year period, he created a literary and photography project entitled "Good Girls on Bad Drugs", which explores the lives of streetwalkers in the New London, Connecticut, area. In October 2017, Braunstein published a book entitled ''Good Girls on Bad Drugs: Addiction Nonfiction of the Unhappy Hookers''. His sixth and most recent book, ''Mindful Marijuana Smoking: Health Tips for Cannabis Smokers'', was published in 2022. Braunstein is single and lives in

Quaker Hill, Connecticut Quaker Hill is a village or neighborhood in the town of Waterford, in the southeastern part of Connecticut, United States. It is located in the northeastern corner of the town, on the west bank of the Thames River (around Smith Cove) north of ...

Books

* LCC
2009024467
Foreword by

Viktoras Kulvinskas The Hippocrates Health Institute (HHI) is a nonprofit organization in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, originally co-founded in 1956 in Stoneham, Massachusetts, by Lithuanian-born Viktoras Kulvinskas and Ann Wigmore. The Hippocrates Health Institu ...

. ** * * LCC
99014286
* * LCC
2013002999
**Gail Lord (November 19, 2013).
Microgreen Garden: Indoor Grower's Guide to Gourmet Greens

Spirit of Change
Retrieved 2024-04-14. (Review). Winter 2013. * **
"Braunstein collects the life stories of several young, female addicts in this nonfiction work

Kirkus Reviews
Retrieved 2024-04-14. (Review). October 2, 2018. * LCC
2018966460
*Braunstein, Mark Mathew (2022-07-17).
Mindful Marijuana Smoking: Health Tips for Cannabis Smokers
'.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...

. ISBN 978-1538156674
LCCN 2021051061

Articles

* * * * * * * * * * * Check the issn. * * * * * * * * * * *Braunstein, Mark Mathew (2022-09-01).
Playing With Fire - Safer Ways to Tune up your Cannabis Ignition System
. ''Weed World Magazine''. Coventry, England (Issue 159, early Fall 2022).

ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit to uniquely identify a periodical publication (periodical), such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs a ...

br>1362-3540
Retrieved 2024-04-14. “Countless medical studies have shed light upon the health risks of smoking herbs, be they tobacco or cannabis. Yet most smokers hide behind a smokescreen of denial in recognizing the risky business of inhaling the ignition fumes from lighters or matches.” *Braunstein, Mark Mathew (2022-11-01).
Waterpipes - The Big Bong Theory
. ''Weed World Magazine''. Coventry, England (Issue 160, late Fall 2022).

br>1362-3540
Retrieved 2024-04-14. “While the waterpipe had for centuries traditionally been used for tobacco, waterpipes are now associated only with cannabis use.” *Braunstein, Mark Mathew (2023-01-01).
Eat and Drink to Reduce the Health Risks of Smoking Cannabis
. ''Weed World Magazine''. Coventry, England (Issue 161, Winter 2023).

br>1362-3540
Retrieved 2024-04-14. “Except for the nicotine in tobacco and the cannabinoids in cannabis, the smoke from the two herbs is quite similar. The nutrient loss from smoking tobacco is well documented, but there is no research about how smoking cannabis, too, might adversely affect your body’s storage and usage of nutrients.” *Braunstein, Mark Mathew (2023-09-01).
How to Preserve the Potency of Pot
. ''Weed World Magazine''. Coventry, England (Issue 165, early Fall 2023). ISSN
1362-3540
Retrieved 2024-04-14. “Warmth. Light. Air. Water. The same elements that empower living plants to grow and flourish also reduce the potency of cannabis after it’s been dried and cured.” *Braunstein, Mark Mathew (2024-12-01).
A Plentitude of Self-Portrait Paintings

Brunswick, Maine (Number 56, Winter 2024-25). ISSN 2163-0909. Retrieved 2024-12-15. “It is one thing to understand what we see, and another to understand ourselves through what we see.”

Notes

External links

* * TV documentary about Braunstein's injury & recovery from his plunge into paraplegia by diving off a footbridge into a river. {{DEFAULTSORT:Braunstein, Mark Mathew 1951 births Living people 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American non-fiction writers American animal rights scholars American male non-fiction writers American writers with disabilities American veganism activists Binghamton University alumni Farmingdale High School alumni Jewish American non-fiction writers People with paraplegia Pratt Institute alumni Raw foodists

Life

Books

Articles

See also

Notes

External links