In 2002, two American fighter pilots killed four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan because the pilots thought the Canadian soldiers were shooting at them (which was not the case). The Air Forced had provided them with stimulant drugs, which they were under the influence of at the time of the accident. During their court defense, the actions of the pilots were attributed to these drugs, more specifically their use of Dexedrine (which was recommended by their commander) during the flight. The pilots were also regularly given sleeping aids to help them sleep after (or before) missions, which was cited as having affected at least on of the pilot's mental state when he bombed the Canadians. The chief of the U.S. Air Force surgeon-general’s science and technology division, Colonel Peter Demitry, chief, made the following statement about the common practice of dispensing pills to soldiers”: “It is the gold standard for anti-fatigue. We know that fatigue in aviation kills … This is a life-and-death insurance policy that saves lives … This is a common, legal, ethical, moral and correct application.”
Source: Bergen-Cico, D. K. (2015). War and drugs. Routledge.
| Drugs: | Stimulants (amphetamine, methamphetamine) |
|---|---|
| Regions: | Afghanistan, Canada, USA (United States of America) |
| Topics: | Drugs and war |