A mum-of-three is thought to be the first woman in Britain to be poisoned to death by cannabis.
Gemma Moss, 31, collapsed and died after smoking a joint at her home.
Tests found nothing wrong with the devout Christian’s vital organs, although it was suggested she may have had a cardiac arrest triggered by the class B drug.
A coroner recorded a verdict that Gemma, who had moderate to high levels of the substance in her system, died from cannabis abuse. Her death was registered as cannabis toxicity.
The coroner, Sheriff Payne, said: “The postmortem could find no natural cause for her death, with the balance of probability that it is more likely than not that she died from the effects of cannabis.” The inquest heard that Gemma had used the drug for years and had been smoking half a joint at night to help her sleep.
She was found unresponsive on her bedroom floor by her 15-year-old son’s girlfriend on the morning of October 29.
Paramedics were called to the flat in Bournemouth, Dorset, but Gemma was pronounced dead at the scene. She had been prescribed drugs for depression, but was apparently not on them at the time, the inquest in the town heard.
Pro-cannabis group Cannabis Law Reform said it was, “pretty much unbelievable” that anyone could be killed directly by the drug.
In 2004 a man became the first person in the UK to die from cannabis toxicity.
Frequent cannabis smoking can cause short-term mental health problems, including paranoia and memory loss, the NHS has said.
It can also increase the risk of an existing problem becoming a serious psychotic illness. Cannabis contains chemicals that can cause lung disease and possibly cancer. Frequent use can also reduce a man’s sperm count and a woman’s fertility.
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