As Staff. Sgt. Robert Bales is charged with murdering 17 Afghans, we
speak with reporter Mark Benjamin, who revealed the Pentagon recently
launched an emergency review of a controversial anti-malaria drug known
to induce psychotic behavior. Mefloquine, also called Lariam, is used to
protect soldiers from malaria, but has been known to have side effects
including paranoia and hallucinations. It has been implicated in a
number of suicides and homicides, including within U.S. military ranks.
In 2009, the Army decreed that soldiers who’ve suffered traumatic brain
injuries should not be given the drug. But this month, just nine days
after Bales’ shooting rampage, the Army issued an emergency decree
calling for the review to be expedited. "The military announced that
this drug should not be given to people who have brain problems like
traumatic brain injuries," Benjamin says. "What the military has
discovered is that out on the battlefield, those rules aren’t being
followed, and some soldiers who do have these kinds of problems are
getting this drug." The Pentagon says there’s no connection between its
review of mefloquine and the murders, but it’s refused to confirm or
deny whether Bales was given the drug. Benjamin reports for the
Huffington Post that the Pentagon initially ordered the review of
mefloquine in January.Video
Source: Democracy Now!
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