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

[New Horizon]

Wasn't there some guy a few years back that died from drinking too much water?

I thought that some college student died very recently from drinking too much water during a hazing ritual.

[biblewonk]

paging Mrleroy

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

Yes, we need to stop them before they start having sex with colored jazz musicians.

No, I'm afraid I'd have to disagree with you on that one. If you want to be racist that's up to you but I'm not going to.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

I tried to click your link, but a parrot emerged from my navel and totally distracted me. I shooed him away with my "Libertarians for Dean" pamphlet.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

You too? That's a relief - I thought it was just me!

When I smoke too many goofballs, not only do I turn into a bat, I see visions of women in barbarian outfits, too. This I consider a benefit, yet some would call it a problem.

[jmc813]

If you want to be racist that's up to you but I'm not going to.

I don't have a racist bone in my body. I was simply citing one of the main rationales used for banning pot in the first place. You are familiar with Henry Anslinger, aren't you?

[kegler4]

"The pro-drug libs I know are fond of asking the question, "How many people have died from smoking marijuana?" and then answering it themselves "ZERO!"

Ah, OK, one.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

LOL!!!! Good one!

Keep trying the link. You'll get there yet!

[B Knotts]

To be fair, that is somewhat disingenuous. By the same measure, the number of people who have died from smoking tobacco is also zero.

Certainly there must be some number of people who have died from secondary effects from smoking marijuana. It's just hard to quantify, especially given the large number of tobacco smokers.

[Rebelbase]

The guy went one toke over the line.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

I was simply citing one of the main rationales used for banning pot in the first place.

Oh, I see. So we should all bring in outdated, ridiculous, arguments when it comes to trying to make our point.

How often have you heard people say "we need to stop them before they start having sex with colored jazz musicians," recently? Please post a few links to FR discussions where this is the main logic against pot. Thanks!

[biblewonk]

Let me remind everyone that more people have died from drinking several quarts of water.

[jayef]

Feel free to post any evidence you have.

[StriperSniper]

Last autumn police issued a warning that big consignments of strong cannabis were being smuggled in from Africa.

Shhhhh!!! It's hidden in the yellowcake.

[Land of the Free 04]

I believe it is the opposite.

You're mistaken---it was Prohibition that boosted the poularity of hard liquor relative to beer and wine. And this is simple economics: criminalization boosts the relative value of highly-concentrated goods over less-concentrated goods.

[Wolfie]

Bet it turns out to be somehting else. Don't look for the same screaming headline in the retraction.

[jmc813]

So we should all bring in outdated, ridiculous, arguments when it comes to trying to make our point.

If the laws created using this racist rationale are still on the books, how the heck are they "outdated"?

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

OK, I'll ask again: Please post a few links to FR discussions where this is the main logic (this being "we need to stop them before they start having sex with colored jazz musicians") against pot. Thanks!

I'll deal with today's world. You feel free to keep dealing with decades ago. (Too much pot hampering the thinking?!?)

[B Knotts]

I don't have any evidence, and I'm not taking a side. Probably the number is fairly low, as the number of marijuana cigarettes typically smoked would likely be so far below the number of tobacco cigarettes that the risk would not be very high, but I can't imagine that it is zero.

[Wolfie]

I guess there are those prone to defend any law, no matter the steaming pile of BS behind its passage.