A coroner has said “cannabis use is not safe” after a Bury man was ruled to have died as a result of a heart attack brought on by use of the drug.

Joshua Andrew Kerfoot had been using the class B drug since the age of 11.

But in October last year, the 27-year-old came home from a night out and was vomiting for several days.

His mother Angela Kerfoot returned home from the shops and found him in a worse state.

He was taken to Fairfield General Hospital on Tuesday, October 18 and pronounced dead there later that day.

An inquest into the death of Joshua, who lived on Garside Hey Road in Brandlesholme, took place at Rochdale Coroners Court yesterday, Thursday.

The family said an ambulance was called the day before he died but the paramedics said the issue was simply a hangover.

Angela said her son had either been up to vomit or had been in bed for days after going out on the night of Friday, October 14.

She said she went to get some items from the shop at 6.15am on the morning of his death and returned at 6.35am when she found him cold and in a worse state.

Angela said: “He was a pain in the bum but I wish he was here now.”

Father Carl Kerfoot asked: “Why has this not been picked up the day before when the ambulance came to him?”

The court heard Joshua had been taken into hospital twice in 2022 with cannabis induced hyperemesis in February and June.

His GP practice Woodbank Surgery had wanted him to visit for tests but he did not go.

Angela Kerfoot said: “I kept telling him to go but he would not listen to me.”

Abdul Ganjifrockwala, a consultant hiptopathologist, carried out a postmortem examination.

He said there had been a heart attack and that the only possible explanation was cannabis use.

The consultant also said this would have begun between 12 and 24 hours before his death.

Coroner Joanne Kearsley concluded that it was a drug-related death.

She said: “There is no other reason that can be offered to explain why such a young person has had an acute myocardial infarction.

“It must have been 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 father’s concern relating to the ambulance service.

“I have no concerns with the ambulance the previous day.”