Patrick Kennedy to undergo drug rehabilitation
Updated Fri. May. 5 2006 3:38 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy admitted on Friday to having a drug addiction problem and said he will seek help in a rehabilitation clinic.
He is facing three citations after he crashed his car into a security barrier just before 3 a.m. on Thursday -- but the Rhode Island Democrat blamed the accident on prescription drugs, not alcohol.
"I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited with three driving infractions," he told a press conference Friday.
"That's not how I want to live my life, and that's not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island."
He was cited for failure to stay in the right lane, driving at an "unreasonable speed" and for failing to "give full time and attention" to the operation of his vehicle.
A police report said the 38-year-old Kennedy had red, watery eyes, slurred speech and unsteady balance.
"The reoccurrence of an addiction problem can be trigged by things that happen in everyday life, such as having the common treatment for a stomach flu," he said.
"That's not an excuse for what happened ... but it is a reality of fighting a chronic condition for which I'm taking full responsibility."
He added that he will travel to Minnesota this afternoon to seek treatment for his addiction problem at the Mayo Clinic.
Louis Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, who was not present at the accident, said Kennedy appeared intoxicated after the crash.
He confirmed that officers did not conduct a field sobriety test since they were told by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home.
The revelation has sparked criticism that Kennedy was given special treatment by officials.
"I never asked for any preferential treatment," Kennedy told reporters after the incident.
In a statement, the congressman, who is the son of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, said the attending physician for Congress had given him Phenergan to help him cope with gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines.
He said he took the prescribed amount of Phenergan along with the sleeping pill, Ambien, before the accident.
The drugs made him disoriented prompting him to drive to the Capitol in the early morning hours, Kennedy confirmed in his statement.
After crashing his Ford Mustang into the barrier on Capitol Hill, the police report says Kennedy told the officers he was "headed to the Capitol to make a vote" despite the last vote being taken more than six hours earlier.
On Phenergan's label it does state that the drug can increase the effects of sleep medications such as Ambien.
Leonard Naeger, a professor at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, said it is possible that someone could become disoriented or "very, very drowsy" several hours after taking the drugs.
Kennedy did spend time at a drug rehabilitation centre before he attended Providence College. He has also been open about his bipolar disorder and other mental health issues.
Kennedy has served in Congress for more than a decade.
With files from The Associated Press |
