Thread: Michael Hastings Autopsy Rules Death Accidental; Meth, Marijuana Found in System

Michael Hastings Autopsy Rules Death Accidental; Meth, Marijuana Found in System

Published: August 20, 2013 @ 12:22 pm
By Tim Kenneally

Michael Hastings, the journalist who sparked the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal with a 2010 Rolling Stone article and died in a Los Angeles car crash in June, had small amounts of marijuana and methamphetamine in his system at the time of his death, the Los Angeles coroner's office said Tuesday.

Despite the presence of drugs in Hastings' system, the coroner ruled that the journalist's death was accidental.

Also read: Michael Hastings Death: FBI Says Journalist Was Not Under Investigation

Hastings, 33, died in a solo traffic collision on June 18 at approximately 4:20 a.m.

While rumors surfaced following Hastings' death that he was under investigation by the FBI at the time of his death, a spokesperson for the FBI's Los Angeles field office denied those reports in June, telling TheWrap, "At no time was journalist Michael Hastings ever under investigation by the FBI."
http://www.thewrap.com/media/article/michael-hastings-autopsy-rules-death-accidental-meth-marijuana-found-system-112046

Coroner, family link Michael Hastings to drug use at time of death

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...,5038230.story

Realtime Coverage

Journalist Michael Hastings had drugs in system when he died, coroner's report ... Fox News - ‎37 minutes ago‎ The Los Angeles Coroner's Office says journalist Michael Hastings, who won fame writing the Rolling Stone article that ended General Stanley McChrystal's career, had drugs including amphetamines and marijuana in his system when he was killed in a fiery ...

I read that Michael Hastings body was creamated without his families consent. Now they release an autopsy report. Something stinks.........

Autopsy: Journalist Michael Hastings had PTSD, used drugs

By Matt Smith, CNN
updated 5:57 PM EDT, Tue August 20, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Michael Hastings likely died instantly, autopsy report states
• Drugs residues in his system don't appear to have played a role in the crash
• Hastings was known for a Rolling Stone piece that got a top general sacked
• He had been using medical marijuana to treat PTSD, the report states

(CNN) -- War correspondent Michael Hastings may have been using marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder before his death, but drug use doesn't appear to have been a factor in his fatal car accident, according to his autopsy report.

Hastings, 33, likely died within seconds when his Mercedes-Benz slammed into a tree in Los Angeles on June 18, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office found. He was best known for a 2010 Rolling Stone profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, then the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, that led to McChrystal being sacked.

Hastings had been using medical marijuana, "believed as prescribed for PTSD as decedent was a war journalist," the report states. Small amounts of marijuana and methamphetamine residues were found in Hastings' blood after the accident, suggesting "prior, but not recent" usage, the report states.

Hastings' family was attempting to persuade him to enter a rehabilitation program, it adds. But drug use was "unlikely contributory to death," a statement from the coroner's office said.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/20/us/hastings-autopsy/

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