Teens Get Sick on Landscape Plantings
Fri Aug 22, 9:12 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fourteen Ohio teen-agers trying to get a free "high" off plants out of their gardens ended up in the emergency room, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) says.



The youngsters evidently thought they could get stoned by eating the seeds of a local plant called the moonflower but did not realize they were toxic, the CDC said.


"Plants with large fragrant flowers that bloom at dusk are referred to as moonflowers," the CDC said Thursday in its weekly report on death and illness.


There are several species, some of which are toxic, including Datura stramonium, commonly known as jimson weed.


The teen-agers in the Akron and Cleveland area ate the seeds of Datura inoxia, one of the toxic species.


"This may represent a new trend of substance abuse in this area," the CDC said.


The children, with an average age of 17, were all lucky in that they got medical help. They had dilated pupils, rapid pulse, hallucinations and an inability to urinate.


They were treated and their symptoms disappeared after 24 to 48 hours.