A man who was told by medics he was vomiting because of a hangover died, aged 27, after suffering a heart attack linked to chronic cannabis use. Joshua Kerfoot fell ill after a Friday night out last October.
By Monday morning Joshua was still ill and paramedics were called, but mum Angela was told he had a hangover.
On Tuesday Angela left Josh at home while she went to the shops but when she came home he was cold. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead later that day, reports MEN.
A coroner concluded Joshua's death was due to chronic cannabis use, and said she had no concerns about the actions of the ambulance service.
An inquest heard that Josh had had two previous admissions to hospital last year with cannabis-induced excessive nausea and vomiting.
Angela said: "He was a kind and loving person. He loved spending time with his family and his niece and nephew. He had quite a few close friends. He was loved by everybody who knew him."
She added: "I called 111 on the Monday morning. They came out and told us he would be fine, and that it was just a hangover. But in the past he was admitted [to hospital] with the same thing. I tried to tell them that, but the paramedics didn't check his history."
Angela said Josh appeared 'fine' and was speaking to her on the morning of his death. He asked her to go to the shops to get him a 'drink of pop' - but when she returned just 20 minutes later, she found he had deteriorated.
"I got home at around 6:35am and found him cold," she said. "All it took was 20 minutes."
Coroner Joanne Kearsley recorded Josh's death as 'drug-related' noting that he had a 'long history of daily cannabis use from a young age'.
The report reads: "He collapsed and died at his home address on the October 18, 2022. He had been unwell for several days with vomiting due to his cannabis use."
Coroner Joanne Kearsley said: “I am satisfied following all investigations that there is no other reason to explain why such a young person has had an acute myocardial infarction. I find it was due to chronic cannabis use.
“The correction conclusion is that this was a drug-related death. “Cannabis use is not safe.”
She added: “I understand the (family's) concern relating to the ambulance service. Given the medical history I heard evidence on I have no concerns with the ambulance the previous day.”
