Deadly hallucinogenic weed sends 15 teens to hospital

[Lunar Loops]

This from CBC News:

Deadly hallucinogenic weed sends 15 teens to hospital

Police and public health officials in Cornwall, Ont., are warning the public about a local hallucinogenic plant that has sent 15 teens to hospital in the past two weeks.
Jimsonweed, a plant that grows in much of southern Canada, contains seeds and leaves that cause hallucinations when ingested.
But that's not the only effect, Cornwall police spokesman Blake Paquin said Wednesday.
"This high can kill you," he said.
The poison that causes the plant's hallucinogenic punch attacks the central nervous system.
Dr. Margaret Thomson of the Ontario Poison Control Centre said eating the plant can cause high blood pressure, heart rate and temperature, dry mouth, urine retention, and seizures that can progress to a coma.
Several of the teens sent to hospital in recent weeks ended up in the intensive care unit, Paquin said.
Deaths from ingesting jimsonweed have been reported in Canada and the U.S.
Police are visiting local schools with seeds from the plant and warning students about the possible effects, and are asking parents to talk to teens about the weed as well.

[Panthers007]

This happens at least once a year in every state of the USA and provinces of Canada. Lordy knows about elsewhere. Though there are those who swear this plant is a great way to get high, mostly you read about kids landing in hospitals. Often in restraints with injections of such as Haloperidol. For those you don't read about, there are those whose friends have to sit on them for 3 days or more.

Drugs-Forum does NOT recommend experimentation with this species. It can also damage the heart muscles and is known (by Native Shamans, and the friends of victims) to cause permanant insanity in the hands of neophytes. Respect is a good word to have for the Datura family.

[Perception Addict]

MOONFLOWER MISADVENTURES

Having once been a part of student journalism ( way back in the '70s ) I could only chuckle at the spelling error of writer Ben Rabun in his article, Local Hallucinogenic Plant Has Dangerous Side Effects ( Wed, Oct 17 ).

The hallucinogenic moonflower plant ( datura stramonium ) is "jimson" weed not "gypsum" weed ( gypsum is used in sheet rock and should not be ingested and will not get you high, but it does make for smooth walls ).

The datura plant is one of the strongest hallucinogenic plants known and it was once utilized by certain indigenous tribes in the Americas.

Every year there are the few news stories that describe the misadventures of youthful experimentation with datura, oftentimes leading to emergency room visits.

These youthful misadventures are the result of a society that knows far too little of its natural surroundings and lacks proper respect for the powers of medicinal plants.

In fact it is this lack of respect that has lead to our modern abuse of many of the psychedelics and other drug producing plants.

Consider that coca has been a staple among Andean tribes for millenia yet it took western "civilization" to turn it into a substance of abuse.

Almost 50 percent of our modern medicines are derived from compounds found in the plant kingdom.

Perhaps when we begin to acknowledge the sacred nature of our lives and our place in the natural world around us we may begin to engender the level of respect for ourselves and others that can prevent our abuse of ( and need for wars against ) certain plants.

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1241/a09.html?397

[Perception Addict]

(original article the above is refering to)

LOCAL HALLUCINOGENIC PLANT HAS DANGEROUS SIDE EFFECTS

A plant native to Oklahoma has hallucinogenic qualities like LSD but is not listed as an illegal substance.

The plant is called moon bush or gypsum weed but many students call it "moon plant," said Brenna Gilchrist, a florist for the Oasis Garden and Gift Shop.

"The plant grows to about 3 feet and is characterized by its night blooming flowers and porcupine like round pods," she said.

It is not listed as an illegal substance in the state, but users could still go to jail because the drug is a hallucinogenic, said Lt. Mark Shearer, an OSU police officer.

"If we suspect someone of possessing this contraband, we will conduct a field test on them and the student may be subject to losing financial aid from OSU," he said.

Bob Harris, a psychology junior, said the alarming thing is that the plant can grow around children's playgrounds and in small neighborhood creeks.

"There is moon plant that grows in front of my grandmother's house," he said.

Shearer said police have not had to deal with the plant as a problem like marijuana or any other illegal drug as of yet.

According to (--commercial site---), the highest concentration of the drug occurs in the seeds: about 0.1 mg of atropine per seed. An estimated lethal dose in an adult is more than 10 mg atropine.

Matt Daniel, a leisure studies junior whose last name was withheld to protect his identity, said he and two friends experimented with the plant by consuming the seeds from the pods and experienced several hallucinations.

"I was the last one to ingest the seeds by putting them on an Arby's sandwich, and right before it hit me I saw all my friends go crazy," he said. "I knew it was going to be my turn soon, and I was terrified."

Daniel said they looked at a sheet hanging over a shelf and saw different hallucinations.

"I personally thought it was a camp site while my friend Clay thought it was 'Children of the Corn,' and my other friend thought it was a dead infant," he said.

Brock Steven, a graphic design and arts senior whose last name also was withheld, said he and a friend ingested the seeds by grinding them into a tea.

"Right when it hit us, we became very violent and incoherent," he said. "My friend threw several beer cans into the washing machine while I threw soup on the walls sticking bread to it."

Steven also said he saw several hallucinations approach him and sit right next to him.

"I would see these people appear out of nowhere and I would say, 'Where the hell did you come from?' They would then reply, 'I've been here the whole time.' I would just say OK, and they would proceed to talk to me."

Gilchrist said the plant is of the genus Datura and is related to the angel trumpet plant, but has "ironically taken on the name 'devil trumpet' because it contains toxic chemicals called alkaloids."

Gilchrist said the plant is mainly used for landscaping and can be found around homes and businesses in town.

"We sell only about five moon bushes per year because they're not in high demand," she said. "They only cost $9.99 for a one gallon pot."

Shearer said the plant is probably gaining popularity from cultural groups in the community.

"We usually see drugs that were popular 10 years ago resurface because of the melting pot effect that takes place at this university," he said. "It's not uncommon for people across the globe to bring an illegal substance into the U.S. for recreational use."

According to Phytomedical's Web site, the range of toxicity is highly variable and unpredictable; toxicity may vary from leaf to plant and even from season to season. This contributes to misuse because the dose cannot be predicted. Hallucinations are reported in up to 83 percent of cases.

Aside from hallucinating, the plant contains very negative side effects which include: seizures, respiratory arrest and - in some cases - coma, according to the site.

Daniel said while taking the moon plant the user completely loses his or her mind and has no self-control.

"One of my friends got lost in a wall and began rubbing his nose until it started to bleed profusely," he said.

Steven said he got naked shouting nothing but gibberish while his friend made love to a laundry hamper.

"What was really bad is when I got home and walked in the living room butt naked in front of my family," he said. "My dad said, 'Brock, what the hell is wrong with you?' All I could tell him is that I got my clothes wet in a water balloon fight and had to take them off."

Steven also said when he woke up in the morning he was blind.

"I had to be sent home from work because I couldn't read the jean sizes to customers," he said. "My eyes were dilated so bad I looked like a cartoon character."

Daniel also said he was blind for two days and on the third was still not fully sane.

"I found myself buying mass amounts of batteries at the store for no apparent reason," he said. "When I got back in the car, I realized my mind still wasn't all there."

Harris said he has taken "shrooms" before and is terrified to try moon plant.

Daniel said if anyone takes moon plant they must be supervised like a child.

"At all costs, never allow the person to obtain a knife or sharp object while using it because you will be asking for serious trouble," he said.

Steven said he has no desire to ever try it again and hopes no one else attempts to.

"I think I should have died that night, but miraculously I survived somehow," he said. "I strongly recommend that no one try to use it excessively or at all."

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1199/a08.html?92380