In Reversal, Florida Judge Okays Testimony About Trayvon Martin’s Marijuana Usage

The Smoking Gun ^ | July 9,2013 | The Smoking Gun

[Biggirl]

Jurors in the George Zimmerman murder trial will be able to hear defense testimony that Trayvon Martin had small amounts of marijuana in his system at the time he was shot to death in February 2012

[saganite]

That’s fine but I fail to see what marijuana use has to do with anything. It’s not known for making people violent.

[RC one]

but not his record of juvenile delinquency.

[miss marmelstein]

Why is she doing this? Does she see which way the wind is blowing?

[tanknetter]

That’s fine but I fail to see what marijuana use has to do with anything. It’s not known for making people violent.

The prosecution attempted to make the case that Zimmerman profiled Martin because he was black (even though they couldn't explicitly mention racial profiling).

Zimmerman's defense is that he was profiling based on observed behavior - that Martin was acting in a suspicious manner. Zimmerman explicitly states on his call to the police that Martin looked like he was on drugs.

If it turns out Martin WAS on drugs, then there's physical evidence to corroborate what Zimmerman observed. Points to the Zimmerman defense.

[saganite]

Makes sense but the article noted the small amount and iirc marijuana can be detected quite a while after use. It seems to me the prosecution will merely assert there was no way to determine when Trayvon ingested the drug. That looks to me like a draw.

[knarf]

I’m guessing it’s a gamble that she hopes the defense will fall all over itself denigrating what, in the eyes of some, or perhaps many, is a non issue and thereby losing some of the popularity the defense has earned.

[Uncle Chip]

It’s not known for making people violent.

It is known for making people stupid --

[dforest]

Well. I hear the defense is going to present their own ME. This could be a way to open the door. Maybe Trayvon had other substances in his blood other than pot.

just guessing

[Vaquero]

The Assassins (more properly known as the Hashhashin) belonged to a mystical Sufi Muslim sect and smoked hashish. They were best known for their dramatic executions of Abbasid and Seljuk political figures. So well known were the Assassins that maps during the Crusades marked the Syrian coast as the "Country of the Assassins." Their name comes from the Arabic hashishiyya; the drug's powers were thought to explain the Assassins' oblivious bravery. The English word “assassin” was derived from "hashishin," which means "taker of hashish."

[Vaquero]

It’s not known for making people violent.
It is known for making people stupid —

And some psychotic

[rdcbn]

Pot use impairs judgment.

It does not make one non violent.

Consider this.

If TM were a major pot head and regular user, as it seems from his twitter posts, he normally would have had very high levels of THC in his body.

Now he has low THC levels instead of his normal high levels.

That's called withdrawal, and suddenly stopping or cutting back on pat use for a regular can make you very irritable and edgy feeling.

Hence the need to go score some” Purple Drank “ to take the edge off

And also, perhaps , the need to to go score some coin to buy some more plant , which could explain his wandering around the complex casing the joint or looking for a dealer to score some plant if he was out in a strange location with no drug

[Sacajaweau]

This supports GZ’s observation mentioned in his phone call to the hot line that Tray looks like he might be on drugs.

[liberalh8ter]

Hence the need to go score some” Purple Drank “ to take the edge off

Heck, we don't know that St. Skittle's trip to the store for the ingredients needed to make 'Purple Drank' wasn't in fact, a refill!

[rdcbn]

Codine withdrawal?

[mac_truck]

Why is she doing this? Does she see which way the wind is blowing?

There is Florida case law (brought forward by defense in its arguments) which indicates that by not allowing the toxicology report in, the judge would be creating a 'reversible error'.

[Cboldt]

The judge didn't reverse herself. She's always held open the possibility that evidence of martin impairment on 2/26 might/could be introduced into evidence. Zimmerman said he though martin looked like he was on drugs or something, and part of his defense is to produce evidence that this observation had some justification. The defense has an expert who will testify that the level of active THC in martin's blood indicates consumption of marijuana some 2-4 hours before his death, and will also testify as to possible (observable) effects of the level of impairment indicated by the amount of active THC in martin's blood. With that foundation (Zimmerman's remark on the NEN call plus testimony of an expert), the evidence is admissible.

The expert may also testify as to possible effects on Martin's state of mind vis a vis paranoia, agitation, apathy, aggression, etc.

Another piece of the puzzle is the possibility of allowing texts received on 2/26 on Martin's phone, that indicate some sort of fight between him and his "girl friend," which the jury may infer created a foul mood on Martin's part.

[liberalh8ter]

I guess we’ll find out when the coroner reads the toxicology report. I wouldn’t be surprised..

[Gaffer]

So, I guess her zeal for aiding the prosecution has been overcome by the certainty her conduct in this trial would be negatively impacted by a reversal of any resulting Zimmerman conviction. In my opinion, her conduct warrants removal from the bench.

I guess the straw that broke the camel’s back was introduction of the autopsy report as evidence.

I’m just a layman, but when a piece of paper that details the medical state of a victim’s body cannot be judged piecemeal. So, she HAD to reverse herself and allow testimony on anything it that report.

[Gaffer]

Violence? Don't know. Bad judgment? likely.