Prison resumes forcible medication of Loughner

AP/Yahoo ^ | 7/21/11 | JACQUES BILLEAUD

[markomalley]

Lawyers for the suspect in the Tucson shooting rampage say prison officials have resumed forcibly medicating their client with a psychotropic drug.

Jared Lee Loughner's attorneys in filings Thursday questioned whether the forced medication violates an earlier order by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that forbid them from involuntarily medicating Loughner as the court mulls an appeal on his behalf.

The filings say officials at the federal prison facility in Missouri resumed the forced medication on an emergency basis because Loughner had become an immediate threat to himself.

Loughner's attorneys say their client has been on 24-hour suicide watch, but he denies having suicidal thoughts.

He has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the January mass shooting that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

In a July 12 ruling, the appeals court said Loughner's interest in not suffering the risk of side effects from powerful drugs is stronger than the government's interest in protecting Loughner and those around him in prison. But it noted that authorities can take steps to maintain the safety of prison officials, other inmates or Loughner, including forcibly giving him tranquilizers.

[RipSawyer]

Forty grains of lead between the eyes from a .22LR, very cheap and very effective.

[USMCPOP]

“Forty grains of lead between the eyes from a .22LR, very cheap and very effective.”

Those little pills are available over-the-counter and are fairly effective. They also have a good shelf life. I have several boxes of 550 from back when they were $9. at Wallymart.