Jacob Sullum on PCP Hallucinations in Ferguson
Darren Wilson thought Michael Brown was "on something." Or so says one of Wilson's friends, describing the police officer's state of mind when he shot and killed the unarmed black teenager on August 9 in Ferguson, Missouri. Some commentators likewise have suggested that drugs made Brown behave in a way that provoked the shooting. Jacob Sullum says such speculation exaggerates the power of drugs, encourages the use of excessive force, and revives ugly racial stereotypes.
