U.S. use of truth drug revealed

U.S. use of truth drug revealed



Drugged … Hicks. Photo: Jacky Ghossein






New evidence has emerged that all Guantanamo Bay detainees,
including David Hicks, were drugged involuntarily with a substance that
has a long history as a truth serum.


Recently declassified US documents revealing medical
procedures have shown that scopolamine was administered to all detainees
taken to the Cuban detention centre.



The documents, which were standard operating procedures for
nursing staff, were obtained by the independent US news outlet Truthout,
and reveal that the rationale for the drug's use on all detainees was
to prevent motion sickness.


However, US military experts have said that scopolamine is
not recommended for motion sickness because of its severe side effects.



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The US government has not responded to questions by The Sun-Herald about drugs given involuntarily to detainees.


The Sun-Herald revealed this month that Mr Hicks and
other detainees were drugged against their will with unknown substances
and that detainees' medical records were incomplete, with the names and
dosages of drugs removed.


Details of the mistreatment of Mr Hicks were about to emerge
publicly for the first time in legal action, by the federal government,
to stop him receiving revenue from his book Guantanamo: My Journey, until the government abandoned the case.


Witnesses and previously secret documents were to have backed
up Mr Hicks's long-held claims of abuse. Commonwealth prosecutors
decided that the proceeds of crime case would not stand up in court and
dropped the action.


Details about the use of scopolamine emerged last week.


Mr Hicks has told The Sun-Herald he was given a drug during his journey to Guantanamo Bay that left him drowsy and disoriented.


He said it was administered by injection, not a patch behind his ear as is described in the standard operating procedures.


Information released by the US spy agency, the CIA, has
revealed that because of its many undesirable side effects, scopolamine
had been disqualified as a truth drug.


It listed its most disabling side effects as hallucinations,
disturbed perception, headaches, rapid heartbeat, and blurred vision.


Source:-
http://www.smh.com.au/national/us-use-of-truth-drug-revealed-20120929-26sja.html