WASHINGTON (AP) — Shortly after 9/11, the CIA considered using a drug it thought might work like a truth serum and force terror suspects to give up information about potential impending attacks.
After months of research, the agency decided that a drug called Versed (VER-said), a sedative often prescribed to reduce anxiety, was "possibly worth a try." But in the end, the CIA decided not to ask government lawyers to approve its use.
The existence of the program — dubbed "Project Medication" — is disclosed in a once-classified report being released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The 90-page report is a window into the internal struggle that medical personnel working in the CIA's detention and harsh interrogation program faced in reconciling professional ethics with the chance to prevent future attacks.
