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By Hempology | October 25, 2007
Jordana Huber,
Canwest News Service
Oct. 10th,2007
TORONTO — Police in Niagara region are warning parents to speak with their children about the dangers of trying jimson weed after three teens ingested the poisonous plant and had to be rushed to hospital. Police have not been able to speak with the three boys, aged 14 to 17, who remain in critical but stable condition, after arriving in a
Hamilton, Ont., hospital early Sunday morning, in “unresponsive and incoherent states.”Also known as Datura, thorn apple, stinkweed or angel’s trumpet, jimson weed is popular among teenagers for its easy access and has been linked to at least two deaths and dozens of overdoses across
Canada in recent years.”Its toxicity is such that even low amounts are very, very dangerous,” said Sgt. Steve Scriven of Niagara Regional Police. “It is not something people get addicted to or even usually try more than once because there is no pleasure in it.”A member of the nightshade family, jimson weed interferes with one of the main neurotransmitters in the brain and can cause delirium, violent hallucinations, seizures, respiratory problems and even death.Most overdose cases are reported in the fall because that is when the seeds are most easily accessible. Several police forces report instances of teenagers taking the drug by mixing it with food, smoking the seeds, or soaking seeds in water to make tea.
“It is not a controlled substance,” said Scriven.
“If it were, anyone who had it in their yard could be charged with possession.”
British Columbia’s interior coroner said jimson weed was a contributing factor in the death of an 18-year old Okanagan man in 2006. A St. Catharine’s, Ont., man also died after ingesting seeds in 2000.In 2005,
Toronto police issued a warning after nearly a dozen students at a local high school fell ill after taking the seeds. Overdoses also have been reported in
Winnipeg and in
Saskatoon.
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