Let this be a lesson to the kids: Don't do drugs... especially liquid ones.

The speculation that singer Amy Winehouse died this week from a drug overdose may be premature.  According to a report in The Sun, her family believes it was her decision to go “cold turkey” from binge alcohol drinking that may have killed her.

(The Sun) Family sources say Amy died after ignoring her doctor’s advice to cut down on her heavy drinking gradually.

And the tragic star’s loved ones believe she was killed by a seizure because her tiny 4ft 11in frame could not cope with such a dramatic withdrawal.

Revealing more details of the dad’s tribute, the family source said: “He wanted everyone to know that he, her boyfriend and her manager believed it was actually the complete opposite.

“He said doctors had told Amy to gradually reduce her intake of alcohol and to avoid bingeing at all costs. Amy told him she couldn’t do that. It was all or nothing and she gave up completely.

“Mitch said the shock of giving up, after everything she had been through over a bad few years, was just too much for her to take.”

That’s the legal drug, right?  The one you can die from not taking, huh?  Meanwhile, we use the herb that can’t kill you when you take it and when they try to make us go to rehab, we can’t say no, no, no.  When we’re caught with the herb, drug courts will force us into a treatment facility while alcoholics who can’t find a spot in treatment will just try to quit cold turkey.  And some of them will have seizures, fall into a coma, and die.

Ghana News :: Amy Winehouse suffers from marijuana poisoning? ::: Breaking News | News in Ghana | entertainment
Amy Winehouse’s hospital dash in July was the result of marijuana poisoning and not a reaction to medication, a tabloid report has claimed.

The Rehab singer was admitted to a London hospital on 28 July after falling ill at her home.

Her representative subsequently released a statement blaming her condition on an adverse reaction to medication she is taking to help kick her drug addiction – which the star’s father Mitch has also backed.

But now The Sun newspaper is claiming Winehouse had in fact become sick after allegedly smoking pot for more than a day.

And pals fear Winehouse’s reported addictions will leave her needing medical help for years to come.

A source tells the publication, “Mitch does everything he can to protect his daughter – but his ‘explanation’ for Amy’s hospital dash in July was simply untrue.

“She had smoked an inhuman amount of hash which resulted in acute cannabis poisoning. You have to take a s**tload of pot to suffer that severe a reaction.

“It’s thought she had been smoking it for 36 hours… She is in need of years of psychiatry and medical treatment if she has a hope (of fully recovering).”

Acute cannabis poisoning?  Tell me exactly how you poison someone with a substance that is not toxic?  This is the kind of shoddy journalism that helps to keep marijuana illegal.  She had an adverse reaction to smoking an enormous amount of hash, but that’s not a “poisoning” it’s an “overdose”, if anything.

Given the drugs and alcohol Winehouse is known to abuse, perhaps her friends and family should rejoice that she’s taken to the safer drug – cannabis.

Download the NORML Daily Audio Stash for 2008-02-15

It is with heavy heart that we publish today’s NORML Daily Audio Stash and dedicate it to the memory of Dr. John Morgan, M.D., who passed away suddenly today. Dr. Morgan was on the Board of Directors of NORML and co-author of the excellent debunking manual, Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence. John was a friend to so many in the movement and he was always ready to help in any way he could to fight the battle against the insanity of adult marijuana prohibition. He will be missed. Listen with the Stash as NORML Founder and Legal Counsel Keith Stroup remembers his friend, Dr. John Morgan, M.D.

[UPDATE: Here is video of Dr. Morgan from the Drug Policy Alliance, speaking about Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts. -- "R"R]

We also take our usual Friday look at the Cannabis Community with our CelebStoner.com blogmaster Steve Bloom with discussions about Amy Winehouse and the Grammy’s, Roger Clemens and steroids, and the officially endorsed CelebStoner.com presidential candidate, Barack Obama. NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre joins us to discuss the front-page LA Times article about the 2nd-largest doctor’s group recommending rescheduling of marijuana for medical purposes. And we get jammin’ with some new reggae from the Easy Star All-Stars.

Download your Audio Stash now and enjoy it all weekend! And you can join me for more political talk LIVE from 2pm-4pm Eastern on my show, The Russ Belville Show, airing on XM Satellite’s Air America Channel 167, Chicago’s AM 820 WCPT, and Sunday at 8am-10am Pacific on Portland’s AM 620 KPOJ.