County: Sandra Bland Had Marijuana in Her System

DA says 'large amount' turned up in toxicology report
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 23, 2015 3:09 PM CDT
County: Sandra Bland Had Marijuana in Her System
Trooper Brian Encinia arrests Sandra Bland.   (Texas Department of Public Safety via AP)

Autopsy results out today on Sandra Bland point to suicide by hanging, reports CNN. But the bigger headlines were revolving around the presence of marijuana in Bland's system. Reuters reports that the Waller County district attorney sent the following text to the family attorney: "Looking at the autopsy results and toxicology, it appears she swallowed a large quantity of marijuana or smoked it in the jail." The Houston Chronicle quotes a judge who has seen the toxicology report as saying it shows "high levels" of pot in her system. "I've had people ask me if that's relevant," says county Judge Trey Duhon. "Right now, anything that can shed some light on her state of mind and health both at the time of the arrest and at the time of her booking is important to understanding her death."

NBC reports that further tests are needed to determine when Bland smoked or ingested the marijuana and what role, if any, it might have played in her arrest and death. A county prosecutor, meanwhile, says the autopsy shows that Bland's body has no marks or abrasions that would be expected if she were involved in a violent struggle, and that the mark around her neck was uniform and thus consistent with suicide. Authorities have said she used a garbage can liner to hang herself. Meanwhile, ABC News reports that the 28-year-old left a voicemail for a friend while in jail, after an initial court appearance. "I'm still just at a loss for words honestly at this whole process," she says on the 22-second message. "How did switching lanes with no signal turn into all of this, I don't even know." (More Sandra Bland stories.)

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