Omar Arnold and Jack London Just Two of Michael Jackson's Drug Aliases

TMZ reports today that Michael Jackson frequently used the aliases Omar Arnold and Jack London to obtain illegal prescription drugs including Demerol and Oxycontin. Michael Jackson also used the name of his body guard and those of several employees and acquaintances. According to reports, Jackson's drug use was so abusive that he needed aliases like Omar Arnold and Jack London in order to not raise suspicions at the pharmacy.

The DEA has been called in to the Michael Jackson death investigation, according to several reports. Based on interviews and discussions with witnesses, the LAPD has requested the assistance of the DEA in Jackson's death in order to sort out the tangled information about Michael Jackson's drug use and the doctors involved.

One likely candidate for the fatal drug is Diprivan, a name brand of the drug Propofol. A registered nurse, Cherilyn Lee, has stated that she was asked by Michael Jackson for a prescription for the power sedative two months before his death. Diprivan can only be administered by a licensed anesthetist in a hospital or clinic setting because of the possible side effects of the drug, including apnea, a stoppage of breathing, and cardiac arrest, a stoppage of the heart. It is not yet known whether Diprivan was found in Jackson's home and, if it was, whether it was prescribed to Omar Arnold or Jack London or another alias.

The Michael Jackson death investigation has begun to take on an eerie similarity to other recent celebrity death investigations, like the drug deaths of Anna Nicole Smith and Heath Ledger.

Smith died in a hotel room in Florida in February of 2007. A seven week investigation concluded that Smith died from multiple drug toxicity- the combined effects of several drugs. A pathologist's report listed chloral hydrate, diazepam, oxazepam, Topomax, and Benedryl among other drugs as being in her system at the time of her death. The pathologist ruled that chloral hydrate- a powerful sedative- was the main culprit.

Heath Ledger died in an apartment in January 2008. The medical examiner concluded that Ledger had also succumbed to multiple drug toxicity, including the effects of oxycodone, diazepam, and several other drugs.

Like the Michael Jackson investigation, Ledger and Smith were both found in possession of prescription drugs that were prescribed under other names, whether real or fake.

In Jackson's case, it is not yet clear whether the doctors prescribing the medication to Omar Arnold or Jack London knew that the medication was for Jackson or warned him of the possible side effects. It is also not yet known whether the prescribing pharmacies were complicit and knew that Omar Arnold and Jack London were pseudonyms for Michael Jackson.

Although the investigation into Michael Jackson's drug abuse and death is far from complete, these preliminary reports highlight once again how rampant prescription drug abuse is in Hollywood and the music industry and how easily celebrities can obtain drugs illegally. The final toxicology tests may not supply definitive answers for several weeks, but multiple drug toxicity is a likely candidate.

Sources:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iJN6FHrmT75HzSZChIb2PDzFEDXgD9962OKO0
www.tmz.com
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/07/the-drug-enforcement-administration-is-now-assisting-the-la-county-coroners-office-and-the-los-angeles-police-department-in.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Ledger#Death
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Nicole_Smith#Death_and_funeral