On the DPFCA list Bruce Mirken wrote:
--
The full Beckley Foundation report, which has some flaws but is
generally quite good, is online here:
http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/policy/cannabis_commission.html

The reference to two reported overdose deaths is taken out of context
in the New Scientist article. It's on page 23 of the report, and says
that 2 deaths have been reported, "but it is not clear that THC was
responsible." Two references are given, which I have not checked.

-- Bruce Mirken, Director of Communications
-- Marijuana Policy Project
-- P.O. Box 77492 -- Capitol Hill -- Washington, D.C. 20013
-- http://www.mpp.org -- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
-- phone  415-668-6403 (office) -- 202-215-4205 (cell)
____________________________________________________

This article is wrong. Overdose deaths due to cannabis are zero, and were
listed as zero in the Beckley report.

Beckley did mention two deaths due to possible cannabis toxicity from a
table in Gable's 2004 article in Addiction, but this was disputed by Kalant,
one of the supposed sources. The other source was an article from an obscure
Belgian journal in 1969 for which not even the abstract is available online.
Apparently, a young man was found dead with no obvious cause, and there was
cannabis in the vicinity, a case of guilt by association. That is not
scientific.

Given this, I believe the number is still zero.
Cheers,
Ethan Russo

Ethan Russo, MD
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