In an unexpected twist to an otherwise all-too-familiar story, an initial toxicology report has revealed that motorist Sandra Bland was likely high on marijuana when she mysteriously died after three day in the custody of Texas police, following a traffic stop.
A initial report by the coroner found 18 micrograms of THC per liter of blood, a level being reported as three times the legal limit for driving marijuana-legal states Colorado and Washington. The levels were such that University of Florida toxicology professor Bruce Goldberger told FOX News it was possible that Bland consumed THC at some point during her three day incarceration.
Bland, a 28-year-old black woman from Chicago, was driving through Texas when she was stopped for an improper lane change. What should have been a routine traffic stop quickly escalated, with police physically restraining Bland and hauling her off to jail. Three days later, Bland was found dead, hanged in her jail cell. The immediate reason given by authorities was suicide, an explanation vehemently rejected by Bland's family and much of the public.
Several agencies and invested parties quickly moved to begin various investigation of what happened to Bland, while a video of her arrest quickly spread via social media. With opinion sharply divided on Bland's case, in a country where questionable police action against black citizens has become the norm, rather than the exception, today's curious revelation about THC in Bland's system has raised eyebrows, and the ire of many.
"Sandra Bland Marijuana Smear Is Another Cheap Trick of Racist Drug War" read the title of a blog post by Sharda Sekaran, the Managing Director of Communications for the Drug Policy Alliance.
What do you think? Was Bland high? Does it matter?
