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ASH Daily News
22 November 2002

HEADLINES

Cannabis and mental health
First UK action against US tobacco industry pending
Cholesterol drug may cause ‘heart failure epidemic’


FULL TEXT


Cannabis and mental health

Several of today's newspapers warn that frequent cannabis use appears to
increase the risk of depression or schizophrenia in the user's later life.
An Australian study followed the progress of 1,600 schoolchildren, and found
that by the time they had reached the age of twenty, 60 per cent had used
cannabis and 7 per cent were using it regularly. Daily use in young women
might lead to a five-fold increase in the odds of suffering later depression
and anxiety, while weekly use doubles the threat. Research carried out in
Sweden indicated that cannabis use might carry a 30 per cent increased risk
of schizophrenia, while a New Zealand study also revealed a link. The three
studies are published in the BMJ.

PDF of BMJ study: <http://bmj.com/cgi/reprint/325/7374/1183>
Source: Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Express, 22, November 2002



First UK action against US tobacco industry pending

The Daily Telegraph profiles Gabrielle Van der Velde, the British woman
attempting to sue Philip Morris for unlimited damages.

Ms Van der Velde lost her husband, David, to lung cancer in 2000. David Van
der Velde had smoked ever since he was 12 and died at the young age of 46.

Van de Velde’s case will rely, in part on public admissions made by Philip
Morris and other tobacco industry figures about the addictive nature of
nicotine. Philip Morris has stated that if her case is successful it could
open the floodgates for smokers in the UK - and worldwide - to launch legal
actions in American courts.

A preliminary hearing is due in eight weeks, when a decision will be taken
on whether litigation can take place in the US. Last month a former smoker
who sued Philip Morris after developing cancer was awarded a record £18bn in
punitive damages by a court in California. The award is currently subject to
appeal.

However, unlike the US, UK litigation culture is tempered by the losses that
can be incurred by law firms taking on the tobacco industry. Despite this,
in Scotland, the wife of a deceased smoker is taking legal action against
Imperial Tobacco. But in England, litigation on behalf of 50 lung cancer
victims collapsed in 1999. The judge ruled that most of the claims had been
launched too long after the original diagnosis of lung cancer (civil
proceedings must be launched within three years of diagnosis). As a
consequence, the lawyers, who were representing the group on a no-win no-fee
basis, lost £2 million.

Source: Daily Telegraph, 22 November 2002



Cholesterol drug may cause ‘heart failure epidemic’

American research suggest that “lifesaving” statin drugs could cause an
epidemic of heart failures because the drugs also deplete the body’s ability
to produce coenzyme Q10 which is essential for the heart.

Statin drugs are taken by one million people each day in Britain to reduce
the risk of heart diseases and strokes by reducing cholesterol levels.

Source: Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, 22 November 2002


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Naj Dehlavi
Action on Smoking and Health
102 Clifton Street
London EC2A 4HW
http://www.ash.org.uk