JIMSON WEED CAUSES CONCERN

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.