More Information On The Last Year Of Johnny Lewis’ Life Paints A Picture Of A Tortured Young Man
Much more news has broken since the death of “Sons of Anarchy” actor Johnny Lewis, including some information on what might have led to his insane actions.
The Huffington Post is reporting that Lewis, who allegedly killed his landlady and her cat before falling off a roof to his death, may have been high on a new synthetic drug known as 2C-I and dubbed “Smiles.”
According to CBS News, “Smiles” are part of a drug class known as phenethylamines, which have chemical substitutions that cause users to exhibit euphoric, psychedelic and introspective effects. Dr. Lewis S. Nelson, professor of emergency medicine in the division of medical toxicology at NYU Langone School of Medicine in New York City, explained:
“Substituted amphetamine can produce adverse effects such as heart attacks and strokes, even at low doses…You ideally want to have a clean, safe high, but often you get very confused, altered and your decision-making is flawed.”
LiveScience reported that the drug has been implicated in the deaths of two teens, including one 17-year-old who began hyperventilating and hitting his head against the ground under its influence.
Lewis, who was reportedly bipolar, apparently suffered a “psychotic break” after an incident earlier this year, and began to “self-medicate” to deal with his problem. The Hollywood Reporter noted that he had a history of assault, including a January 3rd break in to a Northridge home, where he attacked two men after they asked him to leave, and a February 10th assault charge for reportedly striking a man outside a yogurt shop.
Records also show that Lewis was ordered by the courts to enter a 30-day treatment program back in May and had ties to the Church Of Scientology, where his father tried to help him get some sort of treatment.
Lewis was found dead outside a Los Feliz home on Wednesday. “Sons of Anarchy” creator Kurt Sutter released a statement saying that while he was not shocked by Lewis’ death, he was “deeply sorry that an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path.” Actress Shannon Woodward also tweeted that Lewis was “very, very ill” and “his actions were a despicable result of that. It was not who he was.”