The Trump White House was a drug “free-for-all,” with staffers using speed, tranquilizers, and booze in copious quantities, according to a disturbing report from Rolling Stone.
The administration was said to be “awash with speed” and some staffers also took the tranquilizer Xanax, often washing it down with alcohol, which can lead to unconsciousness and death.
Citing a Defense Department Inspector General’s report, Rolling Stone’s Noah Shachtman and Asawin Suebsaeng reveal that federal investigators “repeatedly noted that the unit had ordered thousands and thousands of doses of the stimulant modafinil, which has been used by military pilots for decades to stay alert during long missions.”
“According to interviews with four former senior administration officials and others with knowledge of the matter, the stimulant was routinely given to staffers who needed an energy boost after a late night, or just a pick-me-up to handle another day at a uniquely stressful job.”
One source told reporters, “It was kind of like the Wild West. Things were pretty loose. Whatever someone needs, we were going to fill this.”
Who was writing those prescriptions? None other than then-White House physician Ronny Jackson, who is currently a Republican member of Congress from the state of Texas.
“Nearly every source interviewed for this story traced the problems with the White House Medical Unit back to Jackson, who joined the team during the George W. Bush administration and became physician to President Barack Obama in 2013. Before then, he was known as an eccentric. Afterward, he became a menace, as several Defense Department investigations detail.”
The report also reveals that Jackson himself seemed to have dipped into his private stash of drugs and alcohol, which led to a terrifying scene in an overseas hotel.
“On a trip to Argentina in March 2016, one of those reports notes, Jackson’s ‘intoxicated behavior in the middle of the night, pounding on [a female subordinate’s] hotel room door, screaming, yelling, and overall loud behavior in his hotel room exhibited less than exemplary workplace conduct while on official travel to provide medical care for the President.'”
There have been rumors for decades that the disgraced former president has been known to use amphetamines, especially in stressful situations or when he needs an extra burst of energy for campaign appearances and other events where he feels he has to be at the top of his game.
However, while speed and other uppers may provide a temporary boost, the long-term effects of using them can be devastating to a person’s health, according to the National Institutes of Health, even leading to psychosis and death.
