Mel Frank is the pseudonym of James J. Goodwin (b. 1944). He is a photographer, botanist and author of three cannabis cultivation books which combined have sold well over a million copies. A 1978 New York Times review of his Marijuana Grower’s Guide—considered the “bible of bud”—launched Frank into the cultural mainstream, calling it “an extremely clear and interesting essay in practical horticulture, as accessible a study of a single plant, at this high level of seriousness, as one is likely to find.” Now a legend in the weed world for over forty years and known as the "godfather of marijuana growers," Frank is a much sought after consultant, author, photographer, and expert on California’s newly decriminalized plant.