Q. Has Anyone Ever Died From Smoking Marijuana? A. No; not one single case, not ever. THC is one of the few chemicals for which there is no known toxic amount [10]. The federal agency NIDA says that autopsies reveal that 75 people per year are high on marijuana when they die: this does not mean that marijuana caused or was even a factor in their deaths. The chart below compares the number of deaths attributable to selected substances in a typical year: Tobacco...............................340,000 - 395,000 Alcohol (excluding crime/accidents).............125,000+ Drug Overdose (prescription)............24,000 - 27,000 Drug Overdose (illegal)...................3,800 - 5,200 Marijuana.............................................0 *Source: U.S. Government Bureau of Mortality Statistics, 1987