Teens Turn Legal Plant Into Dangerous Drug

wlky ^ | 11-14-03

[BluSky]

Careful.... Democrats will want to legalize this.... to increase their voting pool....

[piasa]

Jimson weed is also comonly called Datura or Angel's trumpet; though the common Jimson weed is unlikely to be found in nursuries. It usually has a white flower which don't droop. Datura Straemonium (sp)

The Angel's trumpet found in nursuries is different from common native North American Jimson weed. This Angel's trumpet plant is from India and often has pink or yellow flowers which droop noticeably. It is very fragrant though the leaves are usually massive, ugly and prone to be bug- eaten.

They are both Solanaceae, and both have the common name of Angel's trumpet.

[Landru]

"That's 'Quote of the day' material, imo."

It'd have my vote.

Plus then there's the medicinal value it affords the reader, too.

Y'know?

...what laughter does for the soul? {g}

[piasa]

Good thing they don't have cane toads up there in the Show-me state. It would be unseemly to see one's kids licking giant frisbee-sized toads for a buzz.

[Renegade]

Remember a Botany II course I took in 1968 . The prof said that if anybody found and identified Jimsonweed they would get a A in the course . Southeast Pennsylvania-No one won the prize ..

[SAJ]

Bet they're a b*tch to keep lit...

(OK, OK, somebody had to say it)

:^)

[piasa]

Hmm smoked crawdads?? Interesting, I love em boiled, wonder what they taste like smoked

Burnt mud.

[YankeeinOkieville]

If what I've learned is correct, daturas are all annuals or short-lived perennials with no woody growth. Their round, spiny seedpods burst open when ripe, and their blooms face upwards. Brugmansias, on the other hand, grow into woody perennial shrubs or trees in tropical climes. Their blooms dangle downwards...

And that is why most gardeners call Datura "devil's trumpet" and Brugmansia "angel's trumpet" - has to do with the orientation of the trumpet as to who appears to be tooting the horn. MoonFlower is an Ipomea, as is it's relative Morning Glory - different drug altogether.

[bigfootbob]

"They are both Solanaceae, and both have the common name of Angel's trumpet."

Agreed, they are both Solanaceae so are about 1,699 more plants. I've never heard of Jimsonweed being referred to as Angel Trumpet. I pulled out the trusty Hortus III and they don't call Jimsonweed "Angel Trumpet" either.

Perhaps if these kids who are trying to find a good time should try Aconitum!

[zeugma]

I alway's figured that if a pig won't touch it then neither would I.

I'd have to say that them are words to live by!

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for someone to isolate the active ingredient and synthisize it. Two-day trips would be even longer than high-quality LSD. I'm sure there would be quite a few folks that would be interested in that.

I don't know what to say about the alleged dangerousness of this drug. The government doesn't have a very good record of honesty in regards to recreational chemicals. If the stuff is as potent as they claim, it won't catch on except in very limited quarters, and even in that case, is probably more an example of evolution in action than anything else.

[bk1000]

"I like to smoke crawdads "

Suck the head, eat the tail. Yeah, buddy!

[spunkets]

"This stuff is deadly."

I know. It's locoweed. Riders had to watch to make sure their horses didn't eat any, because it had a good chance of killing them. It kills folks that eat it too. They might get high, or they might die.

[A.J.Armitage]

The drug, which is ostensibly legal

What kind of phrase is that?

[Lee Heggy]

The active compounds in Datura are variable in potency according to where it grows and at what time of the year. The effects vary by body weight and amounts ingested. A non leathal dose would be very much hit or miss. Most likely the latter. Unlike other hallucinogens that affect the senses yet allow some degree of thought process Datura scrambles the brain. Real brain damage can occur.

Horses are about the only animal that will unknowingly eat the stuff. Mules won't touch it. Guess they're just smarter than horses or people.

[GOP_1900AD]

My friend's cousin ate a bunch of the seeds one day. Next morning about 10 AM the cops found him sitting on a fire hydrant, miles away from home, with no recollection of how he got there or even his name and address. He was lucky, no apparent permanent damage.

[MineralMan]

Datura was used by some Native American tribes for its hallucinogenic properties. It grows everywhere there is water in the Western US.

It's certainly not a new thing, although it may be to these kids. Lots of folks have gotten into trouble with this plant, because the dosage is so variable.

Stramonium was widely used in the 19th century as a medication, but was discontinued when better medications for sedation appeared. I don't believe its in the Pharmacopia any longer.

[3catsanadog]

Didn't Oliver Sacks have a story about Jimson weed in one of his books? An amateur gardener wanted to make a tomato plant that wasn't chilling-sensitive, so he grafted a tomato onto a Jimson weed rootstock. It worked, sort of -- the plant did fine at low temperatures but the tomatoes did strange things to the gardener's mind

Inspiration for "Little Shop of Horrors"?

[Britton J Wingfield]

Baby Woodrose seeds are commonly eaten for hallucinatory effects.

[stumpy]

screwing your brain up with loco weed is not new. I remember a few kids got whacked on it a number of years ago and got committed for 72 hrs of "observation" the shrink was ready to release them when they asked him to change the channel on the t.v. they were tired of watching sky king, and the t.v. only had a test pattern on it.

[zeugma]

Thanks for the reply. It sounds like an interesting compound. Fortunately I'm way past the age of experimentation in such things. :-)