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Her friend said she and Miss Moss smoked cannabis worth about £20 together in the week before her death
A post mortem examination revealed that there were no obvious signs of abnormality in Miss Moss’s body. Pathologist Dr Kudair Hussein told the inquest in Bournemouth there were ‘moderate to heavy’ levels of cannabis-related chemicals in her blood.
Bournemouth coroner Mr Sheriff Payne asked Dr Hussein: ‘You are satisfied it was the effects of cannabis that caused her death?’ Dr Hussein replied: ‘Yes sir.’
In 2004 a 36-year-old man from Pembrokeshire became the first known person in the UK to die from cannabis toxicity.
A spokesman for the National Drug Prevention Alliance, David Raynes, said: ‘It is extremely rare and unusual for a coroner to rule death from cannabis abuse.
‘This case serves as a warning that cannabis can cause immense harm. Cannabis is known to increase heart rate and blood pressure. Cannabis these days is designed to be much stronger to meet demand of users who want a stronger hit.’
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Tests of her vital organs found nothing wrong with them although it was suggested she might have suffered a cardiac arrest triggered by cannabis toxicity
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Cannabis use can lead to significant increases in heart rate and a lowering of the blood pressure. For this reason patients with a history of angina or other cardiovascular disease could be at risk
Miss Moss regularly attended the evangelical Citygate Church in Bournemouth and was baptised there last year.
Miss Furness said: ‘It was one half of a joint to get to sleep. She never smoked in the day. She was really honest about cannabis. She was trying to stop again. She wasn’t excessively smoking.’
In recording a verdict that Miss Moss died from drug abuse, Mr Payne said: ‘Gemma had been a long-term user of cannabis.
‘She suffered from depression and was on prescription drugs to try and deal with that although it would not appear she was taking them at the time of her death.
‘She usually used it (cannabis) in the evenings to try and help her to get to sleep and did not use it in the daytime.
‘The post mortem 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.’
Carolyn Stuart, a coroner’s officer, said: ‘It is very rare to have cannabis toxicity as a cause of death. She was a healthy 31-year-old woman who had nothing wrong with her.’
Russell White, a leader at the Citygate Church, said: ‘Gemma was a good mother and brought up her children mainly on her own.
‘She was full of fun and loved life and loved coming to church. She was a committed member of the church and brought her children along.
'She is very much missed and her death was a real shock to us.’
Miss Moss lived with her sons but it is believed her daughter lives with her father in Jamaica
CANNABIS: THE RISKS (AND MEDICAL BENEFITS) OF THE CONTROVERSIAL CLASS B DRUG
One minor toxic side-effect of taking cannabis is the short-term effect on the heart and vascular system.
This can lead to significant increases in heart rate and a lowering of the blood pressure. For this reason patients with a history of angina or other cardiovascular disease could be at risk.
In Britain, official government statistics listed five deaths from cannabis in the period 1993-1995, but a House of Lords Report from 1998 reports that on closer examination these proved to have been deaths due to inhalation of vomit that could not be directly attributed to cannabis.
Cannabis impairs psychomotor performance in a wide variety of tasks, and fatal accidents, such as from car crashes or from operating heavy machinery, have been recorded.
However, several studies have demonstrated the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids for nausea and vomiting in the advanced stages of illnesses such as cancer and AIDS.
An active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, has been available by prescription for more than a decade in the USA.
Other therapeutic uses of cannabinoids are being demonstrated by controlled studies, including treatment of asthma and glaucoma.
