Teens Getting High Off Deadly Flower

 

Most teenagers could care less about flowers and plants in the garden. But some teenagers are obsessed with the Datura Stramonium (also known as Jimson Weed, Devil's Weed and Moonflower), as it is known for its intense high.

 

To the average gardener, Jimson Weed is just an ornamental plant with beautiful flowers. Rebellious young adults see it as a free and readily available hallucinogenic drug.

 

Parents, social workers, and health care professionals should be worried about how readily available this toxic plant is.  It can be found growing in backyards, roadsides and parks. Anybody can get access to it. 

 

The plant has been well-known in the drug-community for years, with the popularity growing substantially in recent years due the Internet. The flower can be smoked, snorted, and eaten. All parts of the plant are toxic if ingested, including: seeds, flowers, roots, and leaves. 

 

Datura causes users to see things and people that aren't really there, with the hallucinogenic and delirium effects lasting up to 48 hours. Users have reported blurry vision and vertigo. Other dangerous side effects include: severe anxiety, hyperthermia, seizures, comas and even death. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, the plant kills hundreds of people and hospitalizes thousands each year.

 

For centuries, the plant has been used in traditional herbal medicines and in spiritual guidance. 

 

Although growing datura as a garden plant is legal, in some places it is considered a noxious weed. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the United States, it is considered illegal to sell, transport or plant the toxic flower. 

 

Related Articles:

 

• Plants that can Kill People (funflowerfacts.com)