The Price of a Life is the story of money and marijuana in northern California's Emerald Triangle. It tells the history, from dentalia shells to gold and from lumber and paper dollars to the emergent weed economy. Under the nom de guerre of Dr Loon, Jerry Martien has followed this story since the early 1970's, told through historical document and personal experience, adding up the gains and the costs of adopting marijuana as a cash crop. Martien is also the author of Shell Game (1996), which tells the earlier history of money in North America, from wampum beads to federal reserve notes.