Drug Deaths: In the Press vs. In Reality (there's a big difference)

[2 Much Tribulation]

The David McCandless blog "Information is Beautiful" (recently featured on different topics at the TED conference) has a very interesting data set & graph comparing media-reported drug deaths and actual drug deaths.

It notes (with an asterisk) on "cannabis" that the drug deaths attributed to marijuana are 'highly questionable'.

The number of official deaths (statistically), for the UK, during the year 2008, numbered 19.

The number of deaths in the UK for 2008 that were REPORTED in the press for cannabis/marijuana numbered

92.

That's over-reporting deaths by marijuana by 484%, even when compared to the UK government's own questionably high death figures for cannabis.

I don't smoke pot, but I was thinking that some on DU who do may want to light one up in order to relax after seeing this data showing media distortion regarding marijuana! :)

Check out the entire graph, showing over-reported deaths (cannabis, ecstasy, aspirin) and under-reported deaths (e.g. alcohol, antidepressants, heroin, methadone).

Read a little at this link, and scroll down to see the full graph - it's worth a look. Information is beautiful -- or at least can be with the right organization and proper content.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/nov/06/drugs-bnp

[MannyGoldstein]

1. How does one die from cannabis?

Choke to death while swallowing a handful? Have a bail fall down on your head?

[Land Shark]

2. I'm informed this has been extensively & personally researched by many people

And, apparently, you can't die from it. As it says, more or less, in the OP link that has the graph and text discussion.

[Mz Pip]

8. Choking to death

on a bag of Oreos? :shrug:

Can't come up with much of anything other than that.

[Romulox]

3. Unrec; one cannot die from cannabis. nt

[Land Shark]

5. One can die from unrecs that don't read the OP, however. Practice safe unreccing. thx

[Romulox]

6. I read it. One STILL cannot die from marijuana. Any number of deaths > 0 is "overreported"

So I stand by my unrec. I'm not going to concede just a wee bit of nonsense (i.e., the idea that any number of deaths may be contributed to the ingestion of marijuana,) "for the greater good". :hi:

[Trajan]

4. I think those that die from cannabis ....

Are actually dying from smoking ..... Possible lung cancer or exacerbation of other pulmonary disorders could easily account for 19 in a year ...

While the link to cancer is tenuous, it is intuitively clear to most people that pumping hot gas into your lungs and exposing your delicate tissues to the organic byproducts of burning cannabis, even in trace amounts, cannot be considered a good thing for those with compromised pulmonary systems ...

[Romulox]

7. No.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729.html