To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many cannabis-related deaths there were in (a) Crosby constituency and (b) Merseyside in the last 12 months. (284945)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many cannabis-related deaths there were in (a) Crosby constituency and (b) Merseyside in the last 12 months. (284945)

There were no deaths where the underlying cause was drug poisoning¹ and cannabis was mentioned alone or with other substances on the death certificate in (a) Crosby constituency, ² in 2007³ (the latest year available).

There were no deaths where the underlying cause was drug poisoning¹ and cannabis alone was mentioned on the death certificate, and two deaths where the underlying cause was drug poisoning¹ and cannabis was mentioned together with other substances on the death certificate in (b) Merseyside metropolitan county,² in 2007³ (the latest year available).

¹ Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD- 10). Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning (shown in the box below), and where cannabis was mentioned on the death certificate.

² Based on boundaries as of 2009.

³ Figures are for deaths registered in 2007.