A.J. Court Session 33: Did Michael Jackson have an addiction to Demerol?
On this day, the video of the addiction specialist doctor’s interrogation—Dr. Paul Henry Ehrlich—who is a witness for A.J., was shown in court. He has a 28-year background in specialized addiction treatment.
Ehrlich said that for each hour of research into the A.J. case, he received 300 dollars, and for each hour of interrogation, 500 dollars.
Kevin Boyle, the Jacksons’ lawyer, conducted the interrogation of Ehrlich. During questioning, Ehrlich said that he had also treated people who were addicted to propofol. Michael’s doctor had, during the two months leading up to his death, put him to sleep every night with injections of propofol. Michael died as a result of this medication. Ehrlich also specializes in treating addiction to sedative drugs.
Ehrlich explained the term “enabler.” An enabler is a person who reinforces the addiction of an addict. Addiction is a secret disease, and most of the time enablers don’t see it. Dr. Ehrlich said he believes Dr. Murray tried to help Michael sleep, but he said that injecting propofol into Michael by Dr. Murray inside the home was medically wrong. He said propofol is not an appropriate treatment for insomnia.
Dr. Ehrlich explained that in a hospital there are devices that help a patient breathe and keep blood pressure stable when the patient goes into deep unconsciousness due to propofol injection. Obviously, these devices do not exist at home, and for that reason Ehrlich said that in similar conditions—when Michael had gone into a coma due to anesthesia—he himself would not have been able to save Michael’s life.
Six days before Michael Jackson’s death, his lawyer John Branca, in response to an email from Randy Phillips, asked whether Michael had a drug problem and, if so, whether he had considered a reliable specialist to help. Branca’s suggestion was never taken seriously by the company and even no response was sent.
When Kevin Boyle asked Dr. Ehrlich whether Michael had a drug problem in 2009, Ehrlich answered decisively:
“In 2009, he definitely had an addiction. In my view, he was clearly addicted to opioids (Opioid—a set of natural and chemical pain-relieving substances, such as morphine and Demerol).”
Propofol is not an opioid. Dr. Ehrlich said Michael was addicted not to propofol or sleeping pills, but to pain-relieving drugs.
“I don’t think there is strong evidence showing that he was addicted to propofol or benzodiazepines (a set of sleeping pills, anti-anxiety drugs, and sedatives).”
Ehrlich said Michael’s biggest addiction was to the painkiller “Demerol,” because he used this drug more than the others.
(Michael himself referenced his character’s use of Demerol in a song titled “Morphine.”)
Ehrlich: “The main drug of his addiction was Demerol—a drug he used far more than the other medications. His death was not directly caused by Demerol. It’s possible that Demerol had a synergistic effect with propofol and benzodiazepines.”
On the day of Michael’s death, Dr. Murray injected him with many sedatives, anti-anxiety and calming drugs in addition to propofol. Michael was under treatment by another doctor named Arnold Klein, who also injected him with Demerol. After the death, forensic medicine found no trace of Demerol in Michael’s body; however, witnesses in court said that Michael had once been unconscious after returning from Klein’s office, which could be a side effect of Demerol injection.
Source: eMJey.com / ABC7