That's what the original toxicology report suggested. The independent autopsy indicated nominal fentanyl in his system at the time of his death.
a negligible amount of drugs in his system — 19 nanograms per milliliter of methamphetamine and 2.9 nanograms per milliliter of THC, the major psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Those numbers suggest he hadn’t used them in at least several hours, maybe a day.
Nor would marijuana use have stoked violence. Its primary effects are relaxation, sedation, euphoria and increased hunger. In some cases, it’s true, very high THC concentrations can cause mild paranoia, and visual and auditory distortions, but even these effects are rare and usually seen only in marijuana novices.
He also had 11 nanograms of fentanyl in his blood. That number, in and of itself, doesn’t tell us much. Immediately after a person dies, the blood concentration of
fentanyl increases significantly, so knowing only the post-mortem amount does not tell us about Mr. Floyd’s level of intoxication before his death.
What’s more, the same amount of fentanyl that produces euphoria in a tolerant user can result in an overdose in a newer user. That’s why, along with the toxicology report, we have to look at Mr. Floyd’s behavior shortly before his death.
Videos show Mr. Floyd behaving rationally and appropriately, considering the circumstances. When officers asked him to get out of his car, he did not seem drowsy or lethargic, which is how people high on opioids behave.
He was murdered. By someone who worked with him at a day job.