Cannabis is blamed as cause of man's death

Telegraph Group Limited ^ | 20/01/2004) | Richard Savill

[Dubya]

A man of 36 is believed to have become the first person in Britain to die directly from cannabis poisoning.

Lee Maisey smoked six cannabis cigarettes a day for 11 years, an inquest heard. His death, which was registered as having been caused by cannabis toxicity, led to new warnings about the drug, which is due to be reclassified this month as a less dangerous one.

"This type of death is extremely rare," Prof John Henry, a toxicologist at Imperial College, London, said after the inquest at Haverfordwest, west Wales.

"I have not seen anything like this before. It corrects the argument that cannabis cannot kill anybody."

The inquest heard that Mr Maisey had complained of a headache on Aug 22 last year. Next morning he was found dead at the house he shared with a friend, Jeffrey Saunders, in Summerhill, Pembrokeshire.

Michael Howells, the Pembrokeshire coroner, said Mr Maisey was free from disease and had not drunk alcohol for at least 48 hours. Post-mortem tests showed a high level of cannabinoids in his blood.

He recorded a verdict of death by misadventure because Mr Maisey had died while taking part in an illegal activity. The death led to a warning about the changing strength of Dr Philip Guy, a lecturer in addictions at the University of Hull, said: "Cannabis is not the nice hippy drug it used to be. It has been experimented with to produce stronger varieties."

Dr Guy said that death was more likely if users ate the drug rather than smoked it. "I would not be surprised if in this case the deceased had ingested a fatal amount of cannabis."

Last autumn police issued a warning that big consignments of strong cannabis were being smuggled in from Africa. On Jan 29, cannabis will be reclassified from a class B to a class C drug.

The shadow home secretary, David Davis, said last night: "This highlights what we have been saying about the effects of cannabis all along. When will people wake up to the fact that cannabis can be a harmful drug?

"By reclassifying the drug David Blunkett has shown he has lost the war on drugs. In my eyes, it's nothing more than an admission of failure."

Tristan Millington-Drake, the chief executive of the Chemical Dependency Centre

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

LOL!!!! You conveniently cut off my statement and left off your best argument. That of "Oh yeah!" LOL!!!

Yes, that describes me very well! LOL!!!

Good luck kicking the drug habit. Many Freepers will be pulling for you!

[dread78645]

The federal government in this country has tried for years to establish a lethal dose of cannabis for humans and has failed miserably.

Well, to be complete, they found a LD50 in rats at a weight equivalent to a human smoking 300 joints at once.

(Kids! This is a professional. Don't try this at home!)

[headsonpikes]

I hope you all get better!

Sorry - no one gets out of here alive.

[cookcounty]

"He recorded a verdict of death by misadventure...."

Only the Brits could come up with this.

[Dead Corpse]

Do grow up, will you?

[CDHart]

Wonder how he could afford it?

Carolyn

[Wolfie]

Well, to be complete, they found a LD50 in rats at a weight equivalent to a human smoking 300 joints at once.

Ah yes, Verminous Bogarticus

[Wolfie]

close tag (I hope)

[Land of the Free 04]

And they say *pot* makes you immature.

[Lady Jag]

[missyme]

There is alcohol and then there is Alcoholics!

There also "Pot" and there is Potheads!

The reason they are trying to get the Medical Marijuana law passed (Fed's Don't)is because it helps with many medical conditions: Glaucoma, Nausea from Chemotherapy and other stomach ailments, Sleep Disorders, Anxiety attacks.

Is valuim, ambien, alcohol a better drug because the government deem them legal? In fact these drugs are highly addictive.

[dread78645]

criminalization boosts the relative value of highly-concentrated goods over less-concentrated goods.

Correct. During prohibition distilled spirits, brandy, and beer rose in price by 400, 450, and 700% respectively.
Although the effects of 1 shot of liquor is the same as 1 beer, the chance of getting arrested while supplying beer was higher --it makes beer more costly.

[Lady Jag]

Amazing how this is the first cannibis death in, oh say, 15 or 20 thousand years.

It is UK National Health, people; no validity.

Note and learn this is what we'll get if the bleeding liberals have their way, socialism to die for.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

Do grow up, will you?

From a pot defender. LOL!!! This is the best argument I've heard yet.

Yawn... this has gotten tiresome. Have fun calling Freepers socialists and communists!

[AxelPaulsenJr]

Re: You're post. See post above.

[AppyPappy]

Alcohol is different than marijuana. If legalized, farmers will try to get more TCH content per acre, thereby raising the income. Why buy wimpy dope for the same price as kickass dope?

[AxelPaulsenJr]

My apologies: For a response to your post, please see post number 110.

[CygnusXI]

"The reason they are trying to get the Medical Marijuana law passed (Fed's Don't)is because it helps with many medical conditions: Glaucoma, Nausea from Chemotherapy and other stomach ailments, Sleep Disorders, Anxiety attacks."

Anxiety attacks?
I can see the others, but to me pot is not good for people who are prone to anxiety attacks.

[Protagoras]

you deserve to die you freakin moron. you had it coming to you.

Another credit to the warriors ranks.

[missyme]

MY Doctor had a previous Panic Disorder condition and smoked "Pot"to alleviate his symptoms...He is ok now...