Overview
- The ruling allows a Canadian class action that names Lana Ponting to advance against the Royal Victoria Hospital, which is affiliated with McGill University.
- Ponting’s records indicate exposure to LSD, sodium amytal, Desoxin and nitrous oxide, along with repeated “psychic driving” audio sessions.
- Historical accounts describe psychiatrist Ewen Cameron’s methods as including heavy drugging, sensory deprivation and induced sleep or coma, with researchers noting his awareness of CIA funding remains uncertain.
- MK-Ultra was a Cold War CIA program that tested psychedelics, electroshock and alleged brainwashing techniques across more than 100 institutions without informed consent.
- The hospital and McGill declined comment due to ongoing litigation, while the federal government points to a 1992 humanitarian payment made without accepting legal responsibility following limited payouts in 1988 that did not include Ponting.