Michael Jackson Death Probe Focuses on Prescription Drugs

Michael Jackson Death Probe Focuses on Prescription Drugs
June 30, 2009

News Summary

Officials investigating the death of music icon Michael Jackson are looking at the King of Pop's past struggles with prescription-drug addiction to help determine if his death was due to an overdose, the Chicago Tribune reported June 27.

Craig Harvey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, confirmed that Jackson was taking some form of prescription medication. The coroner will have to perform tests, including a toxicology screen, over the next four to six weeks in order to determine Jackson's cause of death, Harvey said.

Detectives interviewed Conrad Murray, a cardiologist who was at Jackson's home last Thursday when the singer went into cardiac arrest. According to one of Jackson's advisers, Murray was Jackson's personal doctor for three years, and his main job was to keep Jackson healthy as he prepared for a comeback concert series next month in London.

Jackson previously acknowledged an addiction to prescription drugs in the 1990s.

Police seized Murray's car last week. "It may contain medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner in determining the cause of death," a police spokeswoman said.

Jackson passed a four-hour physical exam this past spring to insure his London performances. Jackson's concert promoter, Randy Phillips, said the exam would have determined whether Jackson was using prescription drugs.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by Eric on 30 Jun 09 08:05 PM EDT

When I first heard of MJ's death, my immediate thought was "prescription drugs". Something needs to change...

Posted by Pete on 01 Jul 09 08:20 AM EDT

While I don't doubt that prescription drugs may have played a role, what about anorexia? I've often heard that anorexia can cause fatal heart problems.

Posted by Vickie on 01 Jul 09 10:20 AM EDT

How many kids, young adults, actors, and stars are we going to have to loose before tighter restraints are put on Prescription Drugs??? Wake up people! Just because they are prescription doesn't mean they are safe. If they are only supposed to be given by a doctor, then that should tell you something. The wrong doses, given improperly, mixed with different drugs can all be fatal. The size of the person, how the persons body metabolizes the drugs all play a part in how it effects you. More education and awareness needs to be brought out about this. I feel for MJ and his family. He was searching for something and now he will never have to search again, but his family is left with a piece of their heart ripped out. I know, I lost my 18 year old son 2 years ago to an accidential overdose on prescription drugs.

Posted by Maryhelen Reyes on 01 Jul 09 11:38 AM EDT

Thats not suprising. I'm sure he was in alot of inner turmoil and with his pyhsical apperance that proably led him into this addiction. Unfortuanately when you are a star and have lots of money its easy to get whatever you feel might ease the pain versus treatment for the real problem, the pain of the soul... He proably felt it was better to die than live with his life and on this hurtful world. I wish he could have been helped. Praying for his family if their is others who need help and others who followed him and all those watching......

Posted by John from Oceanside on 01 Jul 09 05:44 PM EDT

If things are going to change we need to get rid of the words "accidential overdose". Accident suggests the person just had a mishap, it gives the idea that the person wasn't drug addict like some how his drugs were ok. Addicts who use street drugs overdose. Lets get real there is no difference between a guy selling crack on a corner to a Script Doctor selling Oxy for $200 a pop. Addicts use, addicts OD no matter if it a pill or a spike of herion. One thing every addict should have is a chance to get treatment.

Posted by laura on 02 Jul 09 09:46 PM EDT

http://www.banoxycontin.com/ SIGN IT NOW, WE NEED TO 'SAVE THE WORLD' AS MJ SANG.

Posted by Julie Allred on 03 Jul 09 10:02 PM EDT

I feel for the Jackson family. They are in my prayers. Concerning the cause of death, drugs are drugs, street or prescribed. Who is respondsible the drug dealers and the doctors or society? Yes, it is one's choice to use, but who steps in to intervene and how often? we need to care about people and their struggles.They are filling a void, why: they are missing Jesus Christ and all that follows. We have to open our hearts to those who are lost.

Posted by Kathy on 06 Jul 09 12:33 PM EDT

Yes drugs are drugs. Addiction is a major problem in this society. With the decrease in funding for addiction programs it will get worse.

Posted by Richard on 07 Jul 09 08:23 AM EDT

Tighter restraints? The government already keeps databases to track citizens prescribed meds. Ban oxycontin? Why so people in pain will just drink or use illegal drugs to treat themselves? Blaming drugs is like blaming your car because you ran a red light. How about personal responsibility? This is a free country, we all have choices to make. MJ made the wrong ones. That is his fault, not a substances.

Posted by bonnie on 08 Jul 09 12:44 PM EDT

Do not agree with Richard - the OVERUSE and thus misuse, abuse, dependence on and addiction to these addictive, and often deadly pain killers are the problem in our society today. All of this has been created by the pharmaceutical industry under the guise of "pain management", but it's all about the money! Medical opium should never be the answer when it comes to chronic pain (tolerance and dependence will undoubtedly follow) and should most certainly not be prescribed after EVERY surgery (minor or major)automatically. Doctors are to blame here also - no warnings are given to uneducated patients about the dangers these drugs pose to them AND their children! We've created an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance of these "medications" with catastrophic consequences to the health of our nation.

Posted by Edward S. Friedrichs, M.D. on 09 Jul 09 09:50 AM EDT

The underlying physiologic cause of Michael'd death is staring us in the face: sleep deprivation. There is simply no adequate, safe medicinal way to create and catch-up on normal restorative sleep. And many insomniacs basically have permanent CNS impairment of the sleep centers of the brain, which prevent them from restoring lost sleep. Until we discover chemical means of replacing lost sleep, we continue in this dilemma. We may even need to integrate the use of psychedelics into our pharmacopia to "replace" lost REM-Stage Sleep!

Posted by Andrea-Chicago on 13 Jul 09 11:01 AM EDT

Start holding the doctors accountable with jail time, instead of the addicted persons.

Posted by pixie on 13 Jul 09 07:07 PM EDT

I wouldn't hold the doctors accountable with jail time, not unless they physically forced the drugs down addicts' throats. Sure, people can be fooled to some degree to believe that prescription drugs are safe, but it's common knowledge that overdosing on any drug can be dangerous. I don't know if Michael Jackson OD'd or not but he must have had some cognizance of what drugs he was taking, and been aware of any other behaviors that might have contributed to his death. MJ was weird but he was not an idiot. He was undoubtedly troubled, however, and of course his death was a tragedy.

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