UK Doctor Claims Cannabis Clear Cause of Death
July 2nd, 2009 by Rick
The drug warriors must be salivating at the mouths from the following story run by the UK site The Daily Mail. Cheshire deputy coroner Geoff Roberts is apparently attempting to become the first person in history to successfully link smoking marijuana to a death.
Adie Gardner, a 17-year old former pot smoker, had a seizure last year in October which led to a heart attack. Despite past drug use with amphetamines and cocaine and having a heart attack a year before the one that killed him, the coroner believes that his cannabis use caused his death.
Dr. Roberts said:
Very sadly this young man died as a result of the direct toxic effects on the heart that the use of cannabis had, as such it was an avoidable death. [...] The post mortem showed no findings of recent drug use. But his body was left with a legacy of using cannabis in the past which directly led to his death.
Really? It’s curious to note that he had a history of drug use, including meth and coke, yet the doctor attributes smoking herb as the cause of his death. It would be more credible that he was nervous on his second day of his new job and he had a heart attack, the direct result being stress combined with a weakened heart from past drug abuse and already having suffered a heart attack once before.
The really crazy part of this story is the fact that there are other doctors that agree with the coroner.
Dr. Mark Nicol, the doctor that treated him before said:
Drug problems were acknowledged at that time. This case highlights that Cannabis is potentially life threatening.
At least he said potentially. Many things in life can be potentially life threatening. Mere case of wordplay.
Dr. Sally Hales, the doctor that conducted the post-mortem, said:
A history of using cannabis, amphetamines and cocaine would appear to be the most likely cause’ of the teenager’s death.
At least she included the other drugs… maybe the fact that he had a heart attack before and this time around he had myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) factored into his death. Once someone has a heart attack they are susceptible to future heart attacks.
There are simply too many factors that could have led to the teenage Gardner’s death to come out and say that marijuana was ultimately the cause of his persistent condition. Unfortunately, this is how the drug warriors operate… keeping the truth from the news and obscuring it with anything and everything that will justify their prohibition against marijuana and inane scientific claims.
Jimson Weed Carries Some Suspect Effects
June 19th, 2009 by Rick
Due to a recent overdose from jimson weed seeds by three teens in Spokane, another hallucinogenic plant has been put on the radar. Datura stramonium, a member of the nightshade family, has foul-smelling leaves, prickly fruit and purple or white trumpet-shaped flowers that often grow wild, up to seven feet tall, in the United States.
Spokeswoman Julie Graham, for the Spokane Regional Health District said:
People should be wary of jimson weed’s toxicity.
Never heard of jimson weed? Apparently it has many slang names:
- augushka
- ditch weed
- stinkweed
- loco weed
- Korean morning glory
- Jamestown weed
- thorn apple
- angel’s trumpet
- devil’s trumpet
- Beelzebub’s Twinkie (haha)
- devil’s snare
- devil’s seed
- mad hatter
- crazy tea
The Navajo had a little folklore with the plant:
Eat a little, and go to sleep. Eat some more, and have a dream. Eat some more, and don’t wake up.
Medical experts say:
The plant’s seeds, leaves and flowers are dangerous and should not be eaten, smoked or brewed into a tea.
Apparently the health problems it generates leaves some cause for concern:
- extreme dilation of the pupil
- flushed, warm and dry skin
- dry mouth
- urinary retention
- slowing or stopping of intestinal movement
- jerky movements
A jimson weed overdose could lead to hypothermia, a coma or even seizures. Already there have been deaths linked to this plant’s use.
