poledriver
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Ferguson: Did prosecutors focus unduly on marijuana?
Could marijuana really have contributed to the deadly confrontation between Michael Brown and Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson?
With the record in the grand jury investigation now open to the public, commentators and analysts are poring over the details for explanations as to why the grand jury decided not to indict Mr Wilson for shooting Brown. The drug angle has garnered particular attention and, from some corners, criticism.
According to a toxicology report conducted by the government, Brown had 12 nanograms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - an active ingredient of marijuana - in his blood when he died.
The evidence was presented to the grand jury, and assistant county prosecutor Kathi Alizadeh interviewed the county's toxicologist as to the potential implications.
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Ninety-nine out of 100 people taking marijuana aren't going to get in a fight with a police officer”
Michael A Baden
Forensic pathologist
He told the grand jury that tests indicated Brown had smoked marijuana "within a couple of hours" of his death and it could have had hallucinogenic effects if taken in a high enough dose.
"Technically speaking, I mean, you are not looking at pretty birds and flying snakes and so forth, but you are altering your perception of senses," he said.
Ms Alizadeh later asked if the evidence showed that Brown had a "high dose", to which the toxicologist answered:
"This was a very large individual. I think he was about 300 pounds. So for a concentration of 12 nanograms in a large person, that shows it was a large dose. In a small person, say like 100 pounds, to get to 12 nanograms wouldn't take a lot. A single joint could easily do that. But when you talk about a larger body mass, just like drinking alcohol, larger persons can drink more alcohol because they have the receptacle to hold it."
This exchange has Jacob Sullum, an editor at the libertarian Reason magazine, crying foul.
"By conflating dose with blood concentration, this exchange implies that 12 nanograms of THC per milliliter will make a large person crazier than a small person, which makes no sense," he writes. "If smoking a single joint can raise a 100-pound person's THC concentration that high, and if 100-pound people who smoke a joint do not commonly behave the way Wilson claims Brown did, why should we believe marijuana helps explain why Brown is dead?"
Sullum says that the prosecutors did everything they could to push a "pharmacological explanation" for the aggressive behaviour Wilson claims Brown exhibited in their confrontation.
While prosecutors in the case noted that 5 nanograms is the legal limit for operating motor vehicles in the two US states where pot is now legal, Sullum contends that other studies have shown that higher levels are required for impairment.
"The fact that Brown's THC level was 'over twice' this arbitrary number, as Alizadeh emphasized, does not necessarily indicate he was too stoned to drive, let alone that he had consumed enough marijuana to precipitate a psychotic break."
Vox's German Lopez also questions whether marijuana could have played a role in the Ferguson incident. He points to later grand jury testimony by Michael A Baden, a forensic pathologist hired by the Brown family.
Could marijuana have affected Brown's reactions and behaviour once he was shot, assistant prosecutor Sheila Whirley asked.
"The amount of marijuana he has could cause abnormal behaviour, but usually doesn't," Mr Baden replied.
"Ninety-nine out of 100 people taking marijuana aren't going to get in a fight with a police officer," he said.
Lopez notes that Ms Whirley then questioned Mr Baden's credentials and one of the grand jurors expressed doubt that the expert could know that marijuana wasn't the reason why Brown fought with Wilson.
"There's actually no reason to believe, based on the available research and the scientific understanding of pot, that marijuana would actually make someone more violent," Lopez writes.
"This makes sense to anyone with even a vague notion of marijuana's effects. Pot is most popularly known as a sedative that relaxes users. One of the prominent arguments against its use, in fact, is that it makes users so sedated that they're lazy and, as a result, unproductive."
Cont -
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-30216293
Could marijuana really have contributed to the deadly confrontation between Michael Brown and Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson?
With the record in the grand jury investigation now open to the public, commentators and analysts are poring over the details for explanations as to why the grand jury decided not to indict Mr Wilson for shooting Brown. The drug angle has garnered particular attention and, from some corners, criticism.
According to a toxicology report conducted by the government, Brown had 12 nanograms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - an active ingredient of marijuana - in his blood when he died.
The evidence was presented to the grand jury, and assistant county prosecutor Kathi Alizadeh interviewed the county's toxicologist as to the potential implications.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
Ninety-nine out of 100 people taking marijuana aren't going to get in a fight with a police officer”
Michael A Baden
Forensic pathologist
He told the grand jury that tests indicated Brown had smoked marijuana "within a couple of hours" of his death and it could have had hallucinogenic effects if taken in a high enough dose.
"Technically speaking, I mean, you are not looking at pretty birds and flying snakes and so forth, but you are altering your perception of senses," he said.
Ms Alizadeh later asked if the evidence showed that Brown had a "high dose", to which the toxicologist answered:
"This was a very large individual. I think he was about 300 pounds. So for a concentration of 12 nanograms in a large person, that shows it was a large dose. In a small person, say like 100 pounds, to get to 12 nanograms wouldn't take a lot. A single joint could easily do that. But when you talk about a larger body mass, just like drinking alcohol, larger persons can drink more alcohol because they have the receptacle to hold it."
This exchange has Jacob Sullum, an editor at the libertarian Reason magazine, crying foul.
"By conflating dose with blood concentration, this exchange implies that 12 nanograms of THC per milliliter will make a large person crazier than a small person, which makes no sense," he writes. "If smoking a single joint can raise a 100-pound person's THC concentration that high, and if 100-pound people who smoke a joint do not commonly behave the way Wilson claims Brown did, why should we believe marijuana helps explain why Brown is dead?"
Sullum says that the prosecutors did everything they could to push a "pharmacological explanation" for the aggressive behaviour Wilson claims Brown exhibited in their confrontation.
While prosecutors in the case noted that 5 nanograms is the legal limit for operating motor vehicles in the two US states where pot is now legal, Sullum contends that other studies have shown that higher levels are required for impairment.
"The fact that Brown's THC level was 'over twice' this arbitrary number, as Alizadeh emphasized, does not necessarily indicate he was too stoned to drive, let alone that he had consumed enough marijuana to precipitate a psychotic break."
Vox's German Lopez also questions whether marijuana could have played a role in the Ferguson incident. He points to later grand jury testimony by Michael A Baden, a forensic pathologist hired by the Brown family.
Could marijuana have affected Brown's reactions and behaviour once he was shot, assistant prosecutor Sheila Whirley asked.
"The amount of marijuana he has could cause abnormal behaviour, but usually doesn't," Mr Baden replied.
"Ninety-nine out of 100 people taking marijuana aren't going to get in a fight with a police officer," he said.
Lopez notes that Ms Whirley then questioned Mr Baden's credentials and one of the grand jurors expressed doubt that the expert could know that marijuana wasn't the reason why Brown fought with Wilson.
"There's actually no reason to believe, based on the available research and the scientific understanding of pot, that marijuana would actually make someone more violent," Lopez writes.
"This makes sense to anyone with even a vague notion of marijuana's effects. Pot is most popularly known as a sedative that relaxes users. One of the prominent arguments against its use, in fact, is that it makes users so sedated that they're lazy and, as a result, unproductive."
Cont -
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-30216293