New information about a recent story has come to light today, and it bears reporting here as other news items and "facts" about this case have been reported at length.
Today, more facts about the tragic death of journalist Michael Hastings became clear, and they suggest that any "foul play" involved may have instead been self-inflicted.
...journalist Michael Hastings had returned to drugs and had traces of amphetamine and marijuana in his system when he drove his car into a tree hours after he was seen passed out in his home, according to an autopsy report released Tuesday.
Of course, the next sentence in the AP story is also important
Coroner's investigators said the drugs likely did not contribute to the June crash, which they classified as an accident.
However as we read more we learn that there is a possibility that a cocktail of various drugs from those listed above, to Ritalin and the rather intense hallucinogen DMT may have been involved in the journalist's last days.
The AP story points out that DMT was not detected by the blood test. What they fail to mention is that DMT rarely is because they occur in our bodies naturally. Many drugs, such as DMT and HGH are virtually undetectable by the current methods of testing
making it almost impossible to determine an exact time DMT will show up on a drug test
Before anyone freaks out and tries to claim I am suggesting anything other than the facts of this case, I am not. Note that I am merely pointing out the news as it relates to the case and not positing any conclusions from these facts.
Furthermore I have actually experienced using DMT. I know firsthand that it is an intense drug, one of the most intense there is.
I also relate to Hastings' attempts to remain sober as well as having spent almost as many years free from drugs and alcohol. Except for the fact that Hastings is several years my junior (and a much better writer), we are not that different at all.
This has been a subject of much discussion here at Dkos, some of which has veered toward outright CT. I am taking care to not let this post become one of those. With that said, I do think we all need to take a breath and digest the various facts that have been brought to light with this new collection of science and information shared by loved ones.
Family members told investigators that Hastings had been "sober" for 14 years but started to use drugs again over the past month.
This sad revelation could be a window into understanding just how something like this may have happened. It is not unlikely that some combination of these factors influenced the judgement of someone in the middle of the night. If fact, Occam's Razor should factor into the equation when it is known that accidents are by far the
leading cause of death for American men his age.
Until more facts become clear, I think it is important to refrain from drawing any conclusions. In time there may be a smoking gun to prove that some of the myriad CTs have merit. But in the interest of showing respect for the dead and his family, I hope we all take greater care and show more respect before jumping to conclusions about the cause of any accidents or other tragedies in the future.
What we now know is that someone who for 14 years had tried to stay sober, for whatever reason, what not at the time of his death. It is the sad fact of life that so many of us who attempt to stay clean & sober do not continue to do so until the time of our death. Sadly, this fact is often the cause of it.
8:40 PM PT: Headline edit in the interest of fullest possible clarity for those who do not understand the many accepted uses of the word "sober".