CORONER: CANNABIS POISONING KILLED BRITON

In what may be a world first, a UK man's death has been officially
described as having been caused by marijuana.

The news comes just before cannabis is to be reclassified in the UK as a
Category C drug from the more stringently controlled Category B
classification. Category C drugs are typically prescription-controlled
drugs in ordinary use, such as Valium. Category B drugs, like amphetamines,
are considered more dangerous and attract a greater degree of legal penalty
for abuse.

While heavy cannabis use is typically associated with mental disorders, the
decision to list cannabis toxicity as a cause of death breaks new ground.

According to press reports, a British man, Lee Maisey, 36, had smoked 6
cannabis cigarettes a day for 11 years prior to his death in Summerhill,
Pembrokeshire, last August.

The coroner found during an inquest that other causes of death could be
ruled out and laid the blame directly on Mr Maisey's cannabis consumption.

"This type of death is extremely rare," Professor John Henry, a
toxicologist at Imperial College, London, said after the inquest at
Haverfordwest, west Wales, according to The Age. "I have not seen anything
like this before. It corrects the argument that cannabis cannot kill anybody."

According to The Mirror, Mr Maisey's cannabis use amounted to " 24,000
reefers" over the 11 year period.

The reclassification of cannabis from a Category B to a Category C drug is
scheduled to take place on January 29.

The ruling has led to renewed objections by the Opposition and
anti-marijuana groups to the reclassification.