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WILLIAM WALKER WASHINGTON BUREAU THE TORONTO STAR 24JAN2003 BARKSDALE AFB, La.—A fighter pilot on amphetamines is no different than an impaired driver in terms of perceptions and reactions, a medical expert said in a statement to the military hearing into the deaths of four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. "Being sufficiently awake to ... fly an airplane while using amphetamines does not preclude the possibility that the amphetamines alter the perception and judgment of the user, any more than being able to drive while intoxicated with alcohol presumes sound judgment and safe driving practices," said Dr. William Frees Haning, director of addiction psychiatry at the University of Hawaii. Prolonged use of the amphetamine Dexedrine, provided to pilots by the U.S. Air Force, can cause extreme paranoia, hallucinations and defensive reactions, another expert said. Defence lawyers for pilots Maj. Harry Schmidt, 37, and Maj. William Umbach, 43 — charged in the April 18 bombing of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan — submitted the medical opinions in writing as the hearing concluded yesterday. Since the doctors did not appear as witnesses, prosecutors could not cross-examine them. It is the U.S. Air Force's position that Dexedrine is safe. Both pilots had used Dexedrine during the mission that night. Schmidt, who dropped the bomb, took two of the pills, including one while in flight. The Star revealed air force policy on providing such "go-pills" and accompanying "no-go" or sleeping pills, last Aug. 1. Dexedrine "stimulates the central nervous system and evokes ... the `fight-or-flight' response," said Dr. Jonathan Lipman, a neuropharmacologist and consultant. "It produces a psycho-toxic condition characterized by suspiciousness, irrational fears and paranoia. The user may experience delusions — fixed but irrational beliefs — and hallucinations, or false sensory perceptions, consistent with these paranoid fears." Schmidt thought he saw enemy Taliban soldiers firing from the ground that night in Afghanistan. He reacted swiftly by declaring "self-defence" and diving in to bomb the target, which was actually Canadian soldiers. This is consistent with the fact "commonly such hallucinations take the visual form of threats, seen especially in peripheral visual fields," Lipman said. Haning also criticized the way Dexedrine was supplied by the air force, with "no control or restraint" over dosage and evaluation of after-effects. Under such circumstances, he said, "it is the prescribing agency and not the pilots who must take responsibility for any adverse consequences." ------------------------------------- Brings a new meaning to the term, "War on drugs" dosen't it? Mervyn Lobo ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
