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fiogf49gjkf0d The Local
German doctors: Cannabis can kill youPublished: 25 Feb 2014 14:31 GMT+01:00Marijuana can be deadly, according to German researchers, who claim to have discovered the first deaths caused by cannabis.
The researchers in Düsseldorf, North-Rhine Westphalia, have been investigating cannabis-related deaths since 2001 and performed post-mortem examinations on 15 people whose deaths were linked to the drug.
They believe two of those deaths could not have been caused by anything other than cannabis, according to a study published in Forensic Science International this month under the title “Sudden unexpected death under acute influence of cannabis”.
One of the men was an athletic 28-year-old found dead by his girlfriend next to an ashtray containing cigarette paper and marijuana. The autopsy found that there were no pre-existing medical conditions.
The second case was a healthy 23-year-old man.
Benno Hartung from the University Hospital in Düsseldorf said he and his colleagues performed autopsies and toxicological tests to rule out other causes of death such as liver disease and alcohol use.
“It’s a diagnosis of exclusion so you have to rule out all other possibilities,” Hartung told New Scientist.
Hartung claims that the two deaths from cardiac arrhythmia were directly the results of cannabis use, with marijuana apparently causing a sudden change in heartbeat.
The 36-year-old admitted it was “a very rare event” but that recommended other researchers now investigate deaths involving marijuana.
“Even though it may be rare, I hope others investigate death by cannabis intoxication in other cities. Particularly in light of the increased use of cannabis for pain relief,” he told New Scientist.
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