Day 36 of the AEG Trial: Doctors Made Michael Jackson Addicted

The court session today was short and held in the afternoon. On this day, the continuation of the film of the interrogation of the addiction specialist doctor, Dr. Paul Henry Erli, who is a witness for AEG, was shown. The first part of this film was shown in Day 33. Although this doctor is expected to come as a witness for the company, Catherine Jackson’s lawyers are using the interrogation film of him in court.

In the previous session, we read that Erli said Michael was not addicted to propofol or sleeping pills, but had developed dependence on painkillers and especially Demerol.

Kevin Boyle: “Do you think that addiction to Demerol caused MJ’s death?”Erli: “No.”

Erli said that Michael’s death was not directly caused by painkillers, and that likely Demerol had a synergistic effect with propofol and benzodiazepines (a group of sleeping pills, anti-anxiety drugs, and sedatives).

After reviewing Michael’s medical history, Dr. Erli said the evidence shows that Michael became dependent on painkillers and analgesics in the early 1990s, and that this dependence continued for many years.

Dr. Erli named the most important reason for addiction as family history and genetics: that a person’s parents had a drug-use problem or drug dependence. But he said this is not true in 100% of cases. Other causes of addiction include psychological and mental issues, injuries from the early years of life, access to substances, and excessive alcohol consumption.

With AEG’s financial backing, Dr. Erli conducted research on propofol. He carried out his experiment on 22 human samples. Erli said the results of this research show that avoiding propofol leads to depression, insomnia, and irritability for the user.

Erli: “MJ had a history of insomnia that worsened due to the use of propofol and benzodiazepines. When you remove propofol, you get insomnia. Some people become irritable, and some experience seizures.”

In Michael’s final days, he felt cold. Erli says feeling cold is a common sign and can be caused by influenza, a cold, low blood sugar, and many other reasons.

Erli said that the unpleasant condition that occurs in a patient after stopping painkillers does not pose a danger to life. He said that today, to help patients stop their dependence on painkillers, a drug called buprenorphine is used.

Erli: “I have seen evidence that MJ was treated with buprenorphine. I think it was by Dr. Saunders, but I can’t remember the date.”

He said he did not observe any evidence showing that Dr. Murray used this same drug to help Michael.

Erli: “When someone becomes addicted to propofol, you should stop using it immediately. Stopping propofol is not fatal.”

Dr. Erli said Michael Jackson was a man whose fame and reputation, skill and wonder were greater than 99% of people in the world, and therefore “saying no” to him was difficult.

Erli: “His legendary status caused doctors to cross boundaries. Being around the doctors, even inadvertently, created a tendency toward drugs, and power was passed back and forth. MJ sat in the seat of power because of his position. Also, the fact that Michael was the source of income for his family made their intervention (to help him stop addiction) more difficult. MJ was very secretive and did not talk about drug use with any of his doctors. His doctors didn’t talk to each other.”

Erli said that if he had been Michael’s doctor, he would first try to find out whether Michael’s family could support him and prevent access to drugs. Then he would set long withdrawal periods for him, from three months to one year. He would prescribe a drug called Naltrexone for Michael, as a replacement to reduce pain. He would call every pharmacy or doctor to stop Michael from getting the drugs and would teach him coping techniques for cravings, trying to uncover the secrets of Michael’s life that ended in his death.

Erli: “I’d like to say that I would not have done what those doctors did.”

Erli’s reference is to doctors who injected Michael with pain medication and propofol.

Erli: “Propofol prescriptions by doctors caused his death.”

This doctor also reminded the court that there is no evidence showing that during the last two months of MJ’s life, anyone other than Dr. Murray injected him with propofol.

Erli said there is no evidence that Michael’s family was obtaining drugs for him. He said he believes the family wanted what was best for Michael and was trying to help him, but the fact that Michael was the powerful family’s source of income created a contradiction. He said one of the family interventions also failed because Michael appeared completely healthy.

Erli said addiction is a biological disease and affects decision-making.

Kevin Boyle: “Is the blame for Michael’s death entirely on the person himself?”Erli: “I have dedicated my profession to caring for addicts around the world. I strongly disagree with the idea that the addict is to blame. I don’t think it’s correct to blame the addict. But that doesn’t mean the addict has no responsibility for improving and recovering from his disease.”

Dr. Erli said people can quit their addiction with minimal motivation, and Michael had many motivations, but unfortunately the doctors became his enablers.

Erli: “In the world, it is said that MJ devoted his life and love to his children, wished them the best, and wanted to be a good father.”

He also said he remembers that the documents state that Michael wanted his children to witness him performing on stage.

Erli: “Tragically, doctors became the source of his drug supply. The doctors were around him and prescribing drugs for him—it was dangerous.”

Source: eMJey.com / ABC7 & LA Times