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You will notice that fellow freepers have given Paulsen quite a reading assignment. I hope he does his homework.

I wonder if Michael Shiavo had access to Rohypnol while he acquired his pot? In the early 1990s, Rohypnol emerged as a drug of abuse and misuse in the United States. The drug is virtually undetectable; it is tasteless, odorless and colorless. In 1992, a South Florida hotline began receiving calls reporting occasional to chronic abuse of the drug. Typically Rohypnol is used along with alcohol and other drugs. College students using Rohypnol report mixing it with beer to enhance the feeling of drunkenness. It has also been reported to be used in combination with marijuana and cocaine, as well as heroin.

All traces of Rohypnol leave the body within 72 hours of ingestion and are not found in any routine toxicology screen or blood test - doctors and police have little time to perform tests that target Rohypnol. Such a Date Rape Drug is easily slipped into a drinks and it acts very quickly. The victim quickly goes unconscious but responsive with little or no memory of what happened while the drug is active in their system.

Overdose is not common with the drug alone. However, when combined with alcohol, Rohypnol can cause depressed breathing and cardiac function, which can lead to coma and death. This is something I have wondered about.

Just for the record, I wasn't making any suggestion whatsoever that Schiavo used or uses pot -- I was just speaking to what Paulsen's reaction would be if it came out that Schiavo did so.

Regarding the circumstances surrounding Terri's initial collapse I highly recommend Mark Fuhrman's book... Silent Witness.