Mary was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. She has been prescribed a strong painkiller by her doctor. She has never
taken painkillers before and she is unaware of how they will affect her. After the first dose she begins hallucinating. Believing that her neighbor, who is outside tending to her garden, is actually an escaped unicorn, she attacks the neighbor and ties her up and calls animal control. If she is charged with a crime, what defense might she successfully utilize?
Involuntary poisoning is a term used to justify a person's inability to reason due to the use of medicines, drugs or alcoholic beverages. People who have suffered involuntary intoxication cannot discern the real from the imaginary and for this reason can do illegal and dangerous things that endanger both their own safety and the safety of others.
Mary used a medicine that interfered with her perception of what is real and what is not. For this reason, she ended up arresting her neighbor against his will, committing a crime. However, Mary only did this because of the influence of the drug, so we can say that Mary suffered an involuntary intoxication.
