Andrew Thibault’s new film Speed Demons, available on Amazon.com, is a major contribution to understanding the murder and mayhem perpetrated under the influence of psychiatric drugs. It is beautifully filmed, profoundly empathic, and very informative. Although focused on prescribed amphetamines, we learn about the overall cover up of psychiatric drug-induced violence. In our wide-ranging discussion today, what struck me most poignantly was how Andrew had to go to court to force the FDA to handover the case reports sent to the agency concerning homicides on psychiatric drugs. Andrew had discovered the existence of hundreds of these reports while reviewing the available FDA summaries and now wanted to see the actually reports. These reports are usually readily available and the FDA is supposed to give them to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). On the radio today, Andrew informs us that the FDA admitted in its presentation to the court that it had not “evaluated” any of the reports, even though it knew that many related to highly publicized mass murders. If a supposed watchdog agency is not examining a huge pattern of medication-related violence sent to it in hundreds of reports, what is it doing? It is covering for the drug companies. Andrew is a great example of one person successfully taking on a giant industry and should inspire all of us.
