It may be possible to die as a direct result of smoking cannabis without the influence of other drugs, scientists have warned.
Scientists have identified two people in Germany who died purely as a result of smoking the drug.
Cannabis has been known to cause death when laced with other substances, by triggering a heart condition or by causing respiratory cancers.
However, whether it can be directly lethal has remained unclear, 'New Scientist' reported.
Benno Hartung of University Hospital Dusseldorf in Germany and his colleagues conducted post-mortems on 15 people whose deaths were linked to cannabis use.
They conducted numerous tests, including an autopsy, a toxicology exam, genetic tests and histological analysis of all organs.
The tests were performed to rule out other factors that might have contributed to death, such as alcohol use or liver disease.
Two of the deaths could not be attributed to anything but cannabis intoxication, the report said.
Both were men who died of cardiac arrhythmia - a condition where the heart beats too quickly or slowly.
Researchers believe that this was triggered by smoking cannabis.
Both men had enough THC - an active chemical in cannabis - in their blood to suggest they had taken cannabis within hours of death.
Neither of the men had a history of cardiovascular problems or channelopathies - diseases that increase the risk of heart problems by affecting ion channels.
