US Supreme Court Won’t Hear Zoloft Defense Case
The US Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from a South Carolina teenager who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his grandparents with a shotgun when he was 12 years old, The New York Times reports. Without comment, the justices refused to review the sentence imposed on Christopher Pittman, whose case attracted wide attention not only because of his age and the sentence he received, but because his lawyers blamed Zoloft, the Pfizer antidepressant, for his violent behavior.
The pill wasn’t the central issue, though, in the appeal. In a brief submitted to the court, attorneys from the University of Texas law school argued that the 30-year sentence violates Pittman’s Eighth Amendment protection. The lengthy sentence is “unconstitutionally disproportionate as applied to a 12-year-old child,” they wrote (Here’s the brief). The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled last June that the boy’s trial had been fair and the punishment was just.
The Zoloft defense was hotly debated at the time of the February 2005 trial. Shortly before the killings in November 2001, the 12-year-old had been prescribed Zoloft. His parents had taken him to Chester County, S.C., to live with his grandparents, Joe and Joy Pittman, because he was having trouble at home in Florida, the Times notes.
On the day of the killings, Christopher allegedly assaulted a second-grader on a school bus. Later that day, he misbehaved at choir practice. That night, his grandparents confined him to his room and warned him that he would be paddled if he came out. Christopher did come out, and his grandfather was true to his word, according to the newspaper.
Christopher waited for his grandparents to go to bed, then loaded a shotgun, entered their bedroom and shot them to death in their bed. He then lit several candles and positioned them in an apparent attempt to burn the house down, court records recounted. Then he took some money, weapons and his dog and drove off in his grandparents’ car, the Times writes.
The next morning, the paper adds, two hunters found him wandering in the woods. He told them that he had been kidnapped by a black man who had slain his parents and set their house ablaze, but he had been able to escape. The hunters, who were members of the Corinth Fire Department, took him to a fire station and alerted the police. As the police searched for a black suspect, examinations of the crime scene and the vehicle that Christopher had taken turned suspicion toward him, the Times continues. After being told his Miranda rights, he confessed and was convicted of murder and arson on Feb. 15, 2005.
Afterward, a juror said the jury had agreed that Zoloft might have affected Christopher’s behavior, but not enough to impel him to kill. Pfizer called the case “tragic,” but said, “Zoloft didn’t cause his problems, nor did the medication drive him to commit murder.”
Lisa Van S
According to CNN,. Pfizer wouldnt comment on US Supreme Court’s decision. Hmmmm,. Swayed by Preemption Maybe!
Nadine S
I believe that you are absolutely correct. The same “powers that be” that got him convicted, that interjected themselves into his case, would no doubt be guilty of the sway you speak of.
I suggest everyone read “Our Daily Meds”. Frightening and enlightening and shameful that our government has allowed BigPharma to take over.
pg
Justice?
A child on a drug - Zoloft - in which Pfizer obscured the data for over a decade that showed homicial ideation existed in clinical trials, somehow still manages to ‘blame the child’,
How low can drug makers get when they blame children for what they have known for years their drug causes?
truthman30
This case is awful..
The poor kid was obviously under the influence of Zoloft and also I read that he had previously been going through Paxil withdrawal before they switched him to Zoloft and then he went on to comit this violent act..
13 year old kids dont kill their grandparents , but 13 year old kids withdrawing from or under the influence of meds like Paxil and Zoloft do …
As a former user of Paxil(Seroxat)I can attest that I had increased aggression, behavioural problems , impulsivity and personaliy changes all steming from the drugs effects..
I can only imagine what effect these drug induced feelings can have on the mind of a child or teenager.. At that age it is difficult to know right from wrong if your mind is warped and disturbed from a dangerous and lethal psychiatric drug like Zoloft or Paxil…
This is not an isolated case either..far from it… most of the school shooters were on or coming off psychiatric drugs too..
These drugs are notorious for their side effects and influence on behaviour…
The link between Psych drugs and out of character behaviour, violence and aggression has been established in teens in the pharmaceautical companies own clinical trials..
The link exists in Adults too..
There are many thousands of people who have reported the same exact side effects of SSRI’s on a forum called paxil progress and other websites around the internet..
http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/
There is a database of thousands of stories collected about violence and SSRI’s on another web site
http://ssristories.com/
I find this case both sad and ironic, a young child is sentenced to life for a crime which was influenced by a psychiatric medication , yet GSK who makes Paxil was recently let off the hook for failing to warn doctors about the same side effects of their SSRI drug paxil in children…
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hP6zVeQeBkSt2SrG6Dg-oiy7JrsQD8VK24V81
The four-year probe by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, completed earlier this month, said the British company should have revealed more quickly that Seroxat sometimes increased the suicide risk in teenagers — by more than six times.
But without stronger legislation in place, the MHRA admitted there is no chance of prosecuting the company for what the agency perceives as an ethical lapse.
“I remain concerned that GSK could and should have reported this information earlier than they did,” MHRA chief executive Kent Woods said in a statement.
Who are the real criminals in all of this madness?..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89gOwL_2xeg
Atlex
First, for those of you commenting about this Supreme Court decision not to review the lower court decision, this was not about his guilt or innocence; nor was it about the role that Zoloft did or did not play. It was solely about whether the trial was conducted fairly and whether the length of the sentence was appropriate or not.
At the risk of personal insults, I also challenge “Truthman” in his assertion that Zoloft was the cause of the crime. As “Truthman” states, he has only read about the case. He was not in the court room where a jury heard all of the evidence from both sides and made its determination.
Finally, I really question the sanity of those who think the pharmaceutical industry holds sway over all decisions made in this country. If that was the case, why are all three remaining candidates for president considered relatively anti-pharma? If Big Pharma has such sway of the judicial system, how come many of them have had to pay huge penalties for what is considered inappropriate marketing? In your view, if a decision comes down against the industry, the decision is just. If the decision comes down in favor the industry, the system must be corrupt. Which is it?
truthman30
Hello Atlex..
Ruffled your little feathers have I? ..
I didn’t say Zoloft was the “sole” reason as to why this poor kid commited this crime..
I said it played a role..
Children cannot be held responible for their behaviour if they are on medications like Zoloft which are PROVEN to increase suicidal thoughts, aggresson and hostility.. (if you dont believe me check out the side effects from pharmas own SSRI web sites or the FDA) ..
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/InfoSheets/HCP/sertralineHCP.htm
http://www.paxilcr.com/
How many children in the US kill their grandparents every year Atlex? ..
I know of only this case, and isn’t it strange that the kid just happened to be on SSRI’s drugs at the time..
SSRI drugs which are PROVEN to be linked with the behaviour which this kid obviously developed from the use of the drug…
It is also an amazing coincidence that most of the school shooters were prescribed loads of psych drugs too isn’t it Atlex? ..
Wow.. What a “coincidence”…
The way I see it is Atlex..
You will defend the industry no matter what proof or evidence there is out there about the dangers of SSRI drugs..
Why do you do this?..
Because you don’t want to accept the harsh reality or the truth ..
And because you are not willing to accept the reality you will not accept the evidence..
I don’t make comments here in order to change your mind or convince pople like you, I do it because I am hoping to bring awareness to the mass fraud of SSRI’s and the callous behaviour of pharmaceautical companies…
And even if I can make one parent or one individual aware and informed about the true “risks and benefits” of SSRI drugs then I will feel thats my job done…
Unfortunately, I did not have that luxury of “informed consent” myself Atlex when I was prescribed Seroxat(paxil)in the late 90’s because your beloved industry were neck deep in suppressing the real side effect profile at the time… And I consider myself to be somewhat lucky in that I have lived to tell the tale.. Many others who were prescribed Paxil were not so lucky..
I know more about these drugs, the industry you work for and how it all operates than you could ever fathom Atlex..
And what I have learned and experienced has not been pretty…
truthman30
And on the subject of pharmaceutical companies influence on the legal system Atelx..
Isn’t prempetion a perfect example of conflict of interest?..
How many politicians in the US have shares or stocks in Pharma? .. I bet theres a lot more than you could imagine..
why do you think these pro pharma laws are coming in now?..
Because they are lobbied by the industry that’s why..
Big Pharma has huge influence in the corridors of power from Washington to London and everywhere else in between.. Someone wise said to me once “Big Pharma has its tentacles everywhere” , and from my 6 years of research I would consider this a very true statement…
Atlex
Truthman, paranoia can be treated with medication.
Nathan
Truthman says: “It is also an amazing coincidence that most of the school shooters were prescribed loads of psych drugs too isn’t it Atlex?”
Wow, that is an amazing fact Truthman. Imagine, mentally ill people being prescribed psych drugs. The horror!
Here’s a quote from an NBC news article I read recently about school shooters: “Only one-third of the attackers had ever been seen by a mental health professional, and only one-fifth had been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Substance abuse problems were also not prevalent. “However, most attackers showed some history of suicidal attempts or thoughts, or a history of feeling extreme depression or desperation.” Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures.”
harpy
Pharmaceuticals aside, there is something wrong when a 12yo is sent to prison for 30 years. We don’t even give lip-service to rehabilitation anymore, do we?
Jack2
I thought about that too Harpy. I don’t think moving from the Florida court system to the South Carolina court system helped this kid.
Atlex
Harpy, I wholeheartedly agree. No 12 year old, particularly one with significant mental health issues should be treated this way by the justice system.
truthman30
Atlex , Nathan..
You are both gobshites.. (it’s slang.. go research it!)
“paranoia can be treated with medication” ? Says Atlex..
Well, isn’t it unfortunate that your debating skills and arrogance can’t? ..
Wake up Atlex ..
The pharma indistry is corrupt to the core and well you know it.. (you just won’t admit it to yourself) ..
Yo only have to look at the regular articles here on Pharmalot to see that corruption and greed are what motivates the pharmaceautical industry..
Whether this is down to its competitive nature or its apparant lack of ethical management is for yourself and Nathan to figure out..
I’m just a well informed patient advocate who happens to know more about the reality of the industry than you do…
. “However, most attackers showed some history of suicidal attempts or thoughts, or a history of feeling extreme depression or desperation.” Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures.”
..Most attackers were prescribed psyciatric drugs..
.. and the meds pushed them over the edge…
Thanks Nathan you’ve made my point for me again! (its great when you do that) ..
:)
Lisa Van S
To All who have posted here,
I have come to know and love this child,…
First and foremost, Christopher “NEVER” had a significant mental health issue. I attended the hearing, and I posted his bail.
What is not known,… is this,.. Christopher “was offered” a plea deal, and could have possibly walked out of the courtroom as a free teenager. He didnt because one of his Attorney’s allowed their inflated ego to cloud their judgement.
In the end,.. had it not been for the side effects of zoloft, Joy and Joe Pittman would be alive today, and Christopher would be serving his country, in the U.S. Army.
LetEmRot
Yup. Great kids with absolutely no mental issues definitely have the habit of shotgunning their Grandparents to death, then creating a cover story and trying to burn down the house to cover their crime, THEN blame it on the Magic Black Guy. *rolls eyes*
He should be thrilled he only got 30 years. Too bad he can’t be “put to sleep” like any other vicious animal that has gone bad, to prevent the possibility of his defective genetic material being spread further if he ever breeds.
Atlex
Lisa,
I sympathize with your view, but I find it hard to believe that this child had absolutely no mental health issues. That is not consistent with the evidence presented at the trial. The prescribing physician diagnosed a mental disorder and made a prescribing decision. From my reading of the news associated with the trial, there was justification to the prescribing physician’s diagnosis. That being said, this was undoubtedly an injustice. It doesn’t matter whether Zoloft did or did not have an impact on the crime; plain and simply the judicial system mistreated him.
Atlex
HorusCat
truthman,
With great apprehension I enter this fray, because I do not want to rehash previous SSRI debates. A couple of things, though:
1. A teenage girl in Pennsylvania just killed her whole family because her parents didn’t like her boyfriend. SSRIs were not involved. The Menendez brothers were not on SSRIs. I don’t know if we live in a time where violence is becoming easier for people (didn’t Lizzie Borden kill her parents?) or whether the rapid spread of news means we know about all these events more than we used to. But I have to challenge your assertion that kids don’t kill their parents–it happens all the time, and they aren’t always on meds.
2. I had heard that this kid went after his sister with a baseball bat prior to being sent to live with grandparents. And something must have been going on, because he WAS sent away from home because of problems there.
This is the problem with these cases–these aren’t random children plucked out of happy homes and given SSRIs as an experiment. They are taken to a physician for a reason and have a history suggesting that they are troubled in some way. Children on SSRIs commit heinous acts–and children not on SSRIs do also. Since none of us have access to the case notes and the trial transcript, we have no way of knowing what really happened. And even knowing the kid personally doesn’t tell you anything; many sociopaths get along great with other people.
Jack2
Didn’t Oedipus kill his dad close to 3000 years ago? It was an accident though. Had he taken an SSRI I know it would have been on purpose.
harpy
Actually, Oedipus killed him on purpose, Jack2, he just didn’t realize the old man was his father. One could argue his punishment didn’t fit the crime either.
harpy
You may also be interested in knowing FDA is investigating the link between medications and depression. Today’s LA Times has the story
Lisa Van S
Atlex,
Did you watch the Prescribing Physician’s testimony, I did, I was in the courtroom. He “WAS A G.P.” not a psychiatrist. Everyone, including the media gasped w/horror, I wouldnt bring a NY rat to be treated by this man. He spent quite a bit of time explaining how much he enjoyed being a garbage man prior to attending medical school (for the sake of patients, he should reconsider going back to hauling garbage.)
His Psychiatrist of 6 years will tell you,.. it was the zoloft
Lisa Van S
So HC,
Since when has Sibling rivalry become a mental illness. Were you the saint child? I have 5 siblings, and when we were young,.. our Mother fulfilled her role of referee with such grace and patience. What kind of society have we become.
It should also be noted that Christopher today has no mental illnes and has been drug free for years!!!!
Lisa Van S
LetEmRot,
Im assuming your’e a Pfizer handler,.. and yeah,… I hope you burn in Hell.
Jack2
I meant it was an accident it turned out to be his dad.
I’m not saying there is a link to horrible events like this, or there isn’t a link. I’m just saying that there were horrible stories like this one before SSRIs (or Comic Books, or Movies, or Video Games, or Dungeons and Dragons, or hormones in beef, or the internet). If SSRIs got pulled from the market there would still be stories like this. Would they increase, decrease or stay the same? I don’t know. I do know that these events are so rare that it would be tough (impossible?) to run a double-blind placebo controlled trial looking at events like this. And I know any retrospective study will not exactly include a random sample of kids. So when we hear a story like this lets express sympathy for the people involved. But if the perpetrator of the event’s not on an SSRI (or other med, but on this board it always seems to be SSRIs) let’s not view that as conclusive proof the drugs don’t do anything. And if the perpetrator is on an SSRI that’s not conclusive proof either (which is the conclusion pharmalotters like to jump to).
Jack2
Lisa - don’t feed the rot-troll. He’s clearly choosing inflammatory language to try to piss people off and contributing nothing to this community.
Lisa - so now the GP’s not qualified but the psychiatrist is? Your constant bashing of psychiatrists on these boards reads like a broken record. Do you disregard the opinion of psychiatrists in general, or do you just disregard the opinion of people who disagree with you.
Nathan
Lisa,
It may be obvious to you that it was the Zoloft. However, it wasn’t obvious to the 12 (or 14?) members of the jury who convicted him of murder. Nor was it obvious to the trial judge who sentenced him. Nor was it obvious to the 5 South Carolina Supreme Court judges. Nor was it obvious to the US Supreme Court judges who refused to hear the case. Maybe you have a lot more wisdom and insight than those 21 individuals collectively do. But I doubt it…
Lisa Van S
Nathan
Your’e a Scientist with Wyeth,. am I correct. Maybe you are just biased, and have this overwhelming need to defend the side effects of antidepressants. If you believe these drugs are so safe for children,.. than give them to your own.
Lisa Van S
Jack2
Homicide/Suicide did occur in clinical trials, but do you truly believe that Industry would cough up the raw data?
Lisa Van S
Nathan,
And innocent men have been sentenced to death row!! Are you sniffing from the bunson burner, your judgement appears to be effected.
truthman30
Nathan
Lisa,
It may be obvious to you that it was the Zoloft. However, it wasn’t obvious to the 12 (or 14?) members of the jury who convicted him of murder. Nor was it obvious to the trial judge who sentenced him. Nor was it obvious to the 5 South Carolina Supreme Court judges. Nor was it obvious to the US Supreme Court judges who refused to hear the case. Maybe you have a lot more wisdom and insight than those 21 individuals collectively do. But I doubt it…
Indeed Nathan..
BUT..
The true side effect profile of these drugs were only released by pharma in the last couple of years, after this incident happened..
When they came off-patent..
Another coincidence eh?…
truthman30
This is the problem with these cases–these aren’t random children plucked out of happy homes and given SSRIs as an experiment. They are taken to a physician for a reason and have a history suggesting that they are troubled in some way. Children on SSRIs commit heinous acts–and children not on SSRIs do also. Since none of us have access to the case notes and the trial transcript, we have no way of knowing what really happened. And even knowing the kid personally doesn’t tell you anything; many sociopaths get along great with other people.
HC ..
I am not familiar with these individual cases which you say were not linked with SSRI drugs…
And this is a common argument ..
It is very easy to say , “Oh murders happen without psych drugs involved” and yes this is true, they do ..
But when you take the individual SSRI related violence cases in context , the people who commit these crimes always have no history of violence prior to taking the psych drugs..
And since it has been established , even from pharma itself, that these drugs can cause changes in behavior, hostility , Akathisa etc, then it is not outlandish to make the connection…
Do you see where I am coming from? ..
Nathan
Lisa —
I’m no expert in the side effects of antidepressants. This boy may have been driven “over the edge” by SSRI side effects. I doubt it, but anything is possible. I definately agree with Jack and Altex that 30 years is quite unreasonable considering he was only 12 when the crime was committed. My only point should be obvious: quite a few groups of well-educated and very rational people looked over the case and concluded that the boy was guilty beyond reasonable doubt and that the case was conducted fairly. I trust our judicial system. That’s enough for me.
Lisa Van S
Nathan,
Im no expert in the side effects of antidepressants. This boy may have been driven “over the edge” by SSRI side effects. I doubt it, but anything is possible.
I know this child,.. and you dont. Zoloft drove him to kill the two people who loved the most!! I will defend this child to the day I die..
The judged offered the defense a plea deal!!.. Voluntary Manslaughter, a sentence of 2-10 years. Sentencing was at the sole discretion of the Judge. Christopher could have left that courtroom a free teenager. The defense attorney was “Hell Bent” on getting Pfizer and headlines, that he turned the plea deal down. Christopher was 15!! and not capable of underatanding what the repercussions would be.
Innocent people are convicted and sent to death row!!
Think about,… could you yourself, be a victim of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time!!
Lisa Van S
Nathan,
Contact me, I honor confidentiality
lvansyckel61@yahoo.com
truthman30
Nathan
Lisa —
I’m no expert in the side effects of antidepressants.
Well, Nathan, Having been on Paxil for four years in my early twenties and having met and known many others who were prescribed psych drugs over the years , I would consider myself very knowledgeable of their side effects..
And I am telling you, these drugs can cause all sorts of behavioral change..
I was extremely agitated on Paxil, And i had vivid disturbing nightmares , some involved extreme violence and i would wake up in a cold sweat , upset and terrified, I also lost my sense of self and had weeks and months where I could have snapped and lost my head , particularly in withdrawal…
I can only imagine the effects these drugs have on growing, young minds…
pg
Zoloft and a Pfizer leaked document re an undisclosed clinical trial in 1983 participant becomes homicidal and suicidal, taken off trial under coding of minor side effects so obscuring the real reason from physicians.
“Pt [patient] began to verbalize feelings of killing other people and then himself…”
http://scientific-misconduct.blogspot.com/2007/05/on-redefinition-of-research-misconduct.html
The leaked document link referred to:
http://www.ssri-uksupport.com/PfizerZoloft1983.pdf
So:
Is it OK to NOT blame a drug maker who knew about Zoloft-induced Homicidality in clinical trials but miscoded the information to get their drug approved and so to misinform physicians years before Christopher Pittman was born - and yet OK to blame a 12 year old child who took that drug?
pg
Who should REALLY be in jail? A drug company who obscured the homicidal effects of their drug in the trials, or a child of 12 who is one of a number of people who suffered that side effect?
Logically. WHO should be in jail? Little children, or adults who hide data that they know causes little children (and adults) to become homicidal?
pg
If a 12 year old had been given cocaine or LSD or heroin by the local drug pusher and then committed a crime while in an ‘illegal’ drug psychosis - who would be to blame then?
The child, or the drug pusher?
Callie Roberts
pg said… “If a 12 year old had been given cocaine or LSD or heroin by the local drug pusher and then committed a crime while in an ‘illegal’ drug psychosis - who would be to blame then?
The child, or the drug pusher?”
None of the above… the PARENTS/GUARDIANS responsible for the well-being of the child.
truthman30
“pg
If a 12 year old had been given cocaine or LSD or heroin by the local drug pusher and then committed a crime while in an ‘illegal’ drug psychosis - who would be to blame then?
The child, or the drug pusher”
Great analogy pg…
This is exactly the point..
These meds can cause mind altering side effects in most(if not all) people who take them…
Jaynesday
Nathan
Sorry for jumping into this late, I just skimmed through some of the posts and one thing jumped out at me. The part about how many (24) people thought that the conviction was warranted and isn’t this enough good enough evidence that the drug maker wasn’t at fault. I’m not sure what opinion of the preemption issue is but I would suspect you support it?
Anyway its interesting that the justificaton that supporters of preemption use is that we shouldn’t allow juries to second guess the decision of the FDA’s approval and therefore the safety of a device or drug. Here however you use just the opposite argument. We should take the word of a jury in deciding that a drug is safe. Which way should it be?
Lisa Van S
Callie Roberts,
Are you serious,… His grand parents followed the directions of the prescribing Physician,… and what did they get!!!… A cemetary Plot!..
AA
Having been on ADs since 1995, including SSRIS, like Truthman, I consider myself an expert in these side effects.
After Zoloft worked great for me for about a year and a half, it started causing severe agitation.
When I was on Celexa, I had severe atheskesia (sp?). There is no doubt in my mind that if I had stayed on that med, I was headed for severe problems.
I also developed suicidal ideation from Prozac being cold turkeyed.
Because of my experiences and in reading about Christopher Pittman’s history, there is no doubt in my mind that meds caused him to do what he did.
By the way, I don’t automatically assume that just because someone is taking an SSRI, that causes them to have committed the crime. But it is clear in this case that it did.
Nathan, I applaud your honesty in saying you’re not an expert on side effects. But if that is the case, how can you really be in a position to comment on this case?
AA
Nathan
AA,
The reason I stated that I was not an expert on side-effects was to point out that (with the exception of Lisa) no one here has special knowledge of this boy or his condition. We know what we do through the media reports. My comments were really in regard to all those above who assume that the meds cause the boy to do it. I was simply pointing out that 24 well-educated people in multiple court cases heard ALL THE EVIDENCE and came to a different conclusion. Maybe Lisa has access to evidence that was not introduced in the trial. But I’ll doubt anyone else in this conversation does.
I’ll try to keep an open mind about whether or not pysch drugs can cause violence. But in this case I have far more confidence in our criminal justice system than I do in the various opinions stated above.
Nathan
Jaynesday,
You make a good point. I’m going to have to think about that one… (I am pro-preemption, BTW)
Even if the drug did “push him over the edge”, shouldn’t he still be held accountable for his actions? We prosecute drunk-drivers for manslaughter all the time. They don’t sue the beer companies. (granted, in this case we are talking about a minor who had no choice in taking the drug)
Lisa Van S
Nathan,
His defense was involuntary intoxication, Christopher received a medication prescribed by a Physician, and his Grandmother gave it to him as directed. Christopher was titrated up to a 200mg. The average adult is prescribed 50 to 100mg. Christopher was a 96lb, 12 year old.
Alcohol is considered voluntary intoxication.
pg
Callie said: “None of the above [referring to the child or the drug pusher]… the PARENTS/GUARDIANS responsible for the well-being of the child.”
Unlike drugs given out by ‘trusted’ physicians that can cause pschosis, mania, akathisia,etc, drug pushers handing out drugs with similar properties can (and sometimes do) hang around outside schoolyards when parents or guardians are not around and use various ways of persuading children that their wares are safe and good. The purpose being of course that the trusting child will soon become a future ‘customer’, a practice which has a strangely familiar ring to it outside the world of illegal drugs.
So the original question still stands.
If a 12 year old had been given cocaine or LSD or heroin by the local drug pusher and then committed a crime while in an ‘illegal’ drug psychosis - who would be to blame then?
The child, or the drug pusher?
Lisa Van S
Nathan,.. Let me know if you still trust the Judicial System
Newly Freed Widow of Marine may sue DA
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poison19apr19,1,4271374.story