Reversal: Judge Will Allow Defense to Show Trayvon Martin Had Marijuana in His System the Night He Was Shot

Slain teen Trayvon Martin had small amounts of marijuana in his system at the time he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman in February 2012, according to a government toxicology report.

That piece of information will now be presented to jurors after Judge Debra Nelson on Monday rejected a request by the prosecution to ban a portion of the toxicology report that showed Martin had been smoking pot prior to his altercation with Zimmerman.

Credit: Mark O'Mara

Nelson had previously granted a motion to limit testimony about the toxicology report, but later reversed her decision.

More from the Smoking Gun:

Medical examiner Shiping Bao told jurors that he had changed his opinion with regard to whether Martin’s marijuana level could have affected his physical or mental state on the night of the shooting. Bao initially concluded that the amount of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in Martin’s blood would not have had any effect on the 17-year-old.

However, during his testimony last week, Bao referenced Martin’s THC level, noting that “Marijuana could have no effect or some effect.”

In Zimmerman’s call to a non-emergency police line, he told a dispatcher that a person he was observing (who turned out to be Martin) appeared to be “on drugs.”

Zimmerman's defense lawyers will reportedly introduce the information through the testimony of a defense forensics expert.

The defense has argued that jurors should be able to hear evidence of Martin's drug use, including text messages referring to marijuana use and photos of marijuana plans recovered from the teen's cellphone.

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