Truth serum is a drug used to extract information from uncooperative or forgetful subjects. However, its effectiveness is controversial as it can cause confusion and fabrication. The US and Russia are testing other drugs for potential use in high-profile cases involving national security.
Truth serum is a drug used to obtain information during an investigation from subjects who are unwilling to answer or are somehow unable to recall facts themselves. There are several drugs that can be used in this way, including sodium pentothal, sodium thiopental (an anesthetic), ethyl alcohol (ethanol), scopolamine (a highly toxic sedative), and barbiturates. The drugs themselves have many other applications: they are used in psychiatry to treat phobias, as general anesthesia, and also to produce pharmacological comas.
Truth serum has often been depicted in fiction and film as a magical solution. Even the character Barty Crouch in the “Harry Potter” books is subjected to a magical version and ends up confessing to a list of offenses. Many films, especially those released a couple of decades ago when the use of such drugs was at the peak of popularity, portrayed the serum as 100% effective. The TV series 24, the docudrama Shell Shock and many others have used it as a plot device.
In real life, however, the use of these drugs as truth serum is highly controversial. While they generally make a person more likely to tell the truth, they also make him more likely to get confused about what he’s saying. As the person becomes more and more talkative, the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur. Experts believe that up to 50% of what a person says while under the influence of such drugs is either an embellished version of the truth or a complete fabrication. It produces an effect similar to alcohol intoxication, lowering inhibitions and making people more talkative and more likely to answer questions.
Military intelligence in both the United States and Russia are testing other drugs as potential replacements for those currently in use. Both countries still use these drugs in controversial cases where other methods have failed to provide an answer, including high-profile military cases and circumstances involving national security issues.
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