Teens Turn Legal Plant Into Dangerous Drug
Teens Turn Legal Plant Into Dangerous Drug - Police: Parents Should Look Out For 'Angel Trumpet'
UPDATED: 10:04 a.m. EST November 14, 2003
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Television station KMBC uncovered a new drug craze that could turn deadly.
The drug, which is ostensibly legal, is made from a plant available at many nurseries. When distilled, toxins in the plant's leaves can cause hallucinations that last for hours or days.
Last month, someone twice stole the plant -- called the Angel Trumpet, Datura or Jimsonweed -- from Johnson County Community College's botanical department. The plant has become such a hot commodity, local nurseries are getting calls from teens who ask how much the plant costs and how they can get one, the station reported.
Jesse Rollwagon, a narcotics detective with the Overland (Kan.) Park Police Department, first took notice of the plant a few months ago.
"Basically, this is just a poison," he said. "It cooks your brains sometimes."
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