Canadian Sandra Bergen has successfully sued the drug dealer who sold her the crystal methamphetamine that put her in a coma. Ms Bergen suffered a heart attack and spent 11 days in a coma after taking the drug.

Ms Bergen said that dealer Clinton Davey had known the drug was highly addictive and dangerous but sold it to make money. The judge rejected his defence that Ms Bergen had taken the drug voluntarily.

"I sued him for negligence... for selling me drugs and getting me hooked when I was vulnerable," said Ms Bergen. She hoped her case would inspire others to sue drug dealers. "I think it's a different way to hit drug dealers financially and that's where it will really hurt them," she told CTV news.

In her statement of claim, she said he "knew the drug was highly addictive" and that his dealing was not only "for the purpose of making money but was also for the purpose of intentionally inflicting physical and mental suffering" on her. In his defence, Mr Davey had argued that Ms Bergen "voluntarily consumed illegal drugs, thus contributing to her own condition. She assumed the risks," he said.

Ms Bergen became addicted to drugs when she was 18, CTV news said. She overdosed in 2004 in the province of Saskatchewan shortly before her 20th birthday. In hospital she was hooked up to a respirator. She said she suffered lung, heart, kidney and liver failure and may never be able to have children. She said she has since stopped taking drugs.

There is something a bit surreal about this sort of lawsuit. I suppose I could go on about her not deserving any award since she did make the choice to take the Crystal meth – even if she was vulnerable at the time. While I doubt many dealers will worry unduly at the prospect of a lawsuit - I would imagine a bullet in the head from a rival dealer may be a more pressing occupational hazard.....