Jimson Weed Carries Some Suspect Effects
June 19th, 2009 by Rick
Due to a recent overdose from jimson weed seeds by three teens in Spokane, another hallucinogenic plant has been put on the radar. Datura stramonium, a member of the nightshade family, has foul-smelling leaves, prickly fruit and purple or white trumpet-shaped flowers that often grow wild, up to seven feet tall, in the United States.
Spokeswoman Julie Graham, for the Spokane Regional Health District said:
People should be wary of jimson weed’s toxicity.
Never heard of jimson weed? Apparently it has many slang names:
- augushka
- ditch weed
- stinkweed
- loco weed
- Korean morning glory
- Jamestown weed
- thorn apple
- angel’s trumpet
- devil’s trumpet
- Beelzebub’s Twinkie (haha)
- devil’s snare
- devil’s seed
- mad hatter
- crazy tea
The Navajo had a little folklore with the plant:
Eat a little, and go to sleep. Eat some more, and have a dream. Eat some more, and don’t wake up.
Medical experts say:
The plant’s seeds, leaves and flowers are dangerous and should not be eaten, smoked or brewed into a tea.
Apparently the health problems it generates leaves some cause for concern:
- extreme dilation of the pupil
- flushed, warm and dry skin
- dry mouth
- urinary retention
- slowing or stopping of intestinal movement
- jerky movements
A jimson weed overdose could lead to hypothermia, a coma or even seizures. Already there have been deaths linked to this plant’s use.
Warning: Use Ketamine and Kidneys Say Sayonara
June 9th, 2009 by Rick
Some people really go out of their way for a high, trying all kinds of things but when it comes to Ketamine (an anesthetic/tranquilizer for animals), the cost of using this as a hallucinogenic drug doesn’t seem to be worth it health-wise. The medical community is now starting to see a link between Ketamine use and serious bladder and kidney conditions with prolonged exposure to the substance.
Lead researcher Dr. Angela Cottrell at the Bristol Urological Institute at Southmead Hospital said:
There is a worrying link between Ketamine use and urinary tract pathology that is proving difficult to manage. A multidisciplinary approach involving psychiatrists, drug workers, pain consultants, urologists and GP is needed to tackle this growing problem. A harm reduction strategy to increase awareness of the risks and help people reduce their intake is also needed.
With reports of cocaine possibly being contaminated with Levamisole, and now Ketamine being bad for the human body, weed may just be the breakout safe alternative!
Survey: Canadian Teens Ditch Pot for Pills
April 23rd, 2009 by Aaron
Houston, we have a problem. According to a survey, teens have given up smoking marijuana for pills and hallucinogens. The disturbing factor in all of this is; the study was conducted with teens from British Columbia… a place where pot has been common place for years.
It’s an interesting trend in British Columbia, as marijuana use for teens there has dropped for the tenth straight year but prescription drugs without a doctor’s consent, as well as hallucinogen drugs such as Ecstasy, are on the rise. Ecstasy use alone had increased by nine percent since 2003.
Unfortunately, the survey doesn’t explain why their teens have moved to pills.
Newark Man Arrested for DMT Possession
January 19th, 2009 by Perry
A Newark man was recently arrested with 1.4 pounds of DMT, a drug that’s gaining a reputation as the “businessman’s LSD.”
The reputation comes from the drug’s quick high, which does not last nearly as long as LSD, but comes with a similarly-intense hallucinogenic euphoria and it’s expensive (compared to acid.) Newark police pulled over Yusuf Samantar after he was allegedly driving erratically, which led to a search and the DMT.
The department said it’s their first “dealer-size” seizure of the drug, indicating its rise in popularity, and relatively new status as a party drug. Samantar was near a popular club scene in the region when he was allegedly found with the drug.
Feds Close Psychedelic Lab in Upstate New York
December 1st, 2008 by Perry
Federal Narcotics officers arrested four in Buffalo in connection with a DMT lab. It’s rare that such a lab is found, and a regional narcotics enforcement officer said it was only the third such lab ever found in New York.
Dale Kasprzyk, a Buffalo supervisor of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, described the drug as a growing problem, part of an emerging trend, but the naturally produced, synthetically reproduced hallucinogenic drug has been around on the streets for decades.
NOTE: For those unfamiliar with DMT, an explanation of its effects and uses can be found here. If the effects of DMT persist to peak your interest, Joe Rogan appeared on a SIRIUS radio show (hosted by Jim Breuer) a few years back describing his own personal experiences with DMT, in a way only Joe could.
Salvia Horror Stories Assist Lead to Ban, Maybe
November 11th, 2008 by Perry
With the growing popularity of the plant’s usage, inevitably there is also the occasional Salvia horror story, this one in particular told in pretty startling detail.
The biggest concern, as with any psychedelic drug, is in users who have a history of mental illness. Even more worrisome for those individuals is if they are “dosed” with the drug, which is to say they took the drug unknowingly.
Salvia, which has been used in Oaxaca for generations as a mild hallucinogenic, can have much more serious side effects including mild to severe schizophrenia for those with a genetic predisposition.
Drug Dealing May Be World’s Second Oldest Profession
October 20th, 2008 by Perry
Avoiding as many Stone Age puns as I can, archaeologists found equipment used to prepare hallucinogenic drugs for sniffing, and dated them back to prehistoric South American tribes.
The discovery was located in the Carribean Islands and are thought to be made in South America circa 400-200 B.C., and then carried 400 miles to the islands where they were primarily used for ritualistic purposes.
They found ceramic bowls, as well as tubes for inhaling drug fumes or powders, which appear to have originated in South America between 100BC and 400BC and were then carried 400 miles to the islands.
Scientists believe that the drug being used was cohoba, a hallucinogen made from the beans of a mimosa species. Drugs such as cannabis were not found in the Caribbean then.
Opiates can be obtained from species such as poppies, while fungi, which was widespread, may also have been used.Archeologists have suggested that humans were extracting mind-expanding drugs from mescal beans and peyote cacti as far back as 5,000 years ago, but have not found direct evidence that this is true.
Which drugs were used is still under speculation, but scientists have reasoned guesses based on the agriculture available to the farmers.
