News (Media Awareness Project) - US LA: Editorial: Homegrown Hallucinogens |
| Title: | US LA: Editorial: Homegrown Hallucinogens |
| Published On: | 2005-03-04 |
| Source: | Times-Picayune, The (LA) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-08-20 18:24:55 |
HOMEGROWN HALLUCINOGENS
Most people look at the periwinkle and see a hardy bedding plant that will
make flower beds look colorful all summer long. But others look at Vinca
rosea and other common plants used in landscaping and see a way to get high.
People should be able to use periwinkle, morning glory, angel's trumpet and
other plants with hallucinogenic properties to beautify their gardens. But
they shouldn't be allowed to turn them into drugs. A bill filed by Rep.
Michael Strain would make doing so a crime.
House Bill 20 targets 40 different hallucinogenic plants, making it illegal
to produce, possess or distribute anything containing them for human
consumption. The penalty for producing or distributing such products would
be two to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to $20,000. Possession would
carry a term of up to five years and a fine of up to $5,000. The penalties
are comparable to those for other hallucinogens.
The bill is a reasonable response to a rash of problems last summer. Two
Des-trehan teenagers had to be hospitalized after drinking angel's trumpet
tea, and three Kenner youths landed in the hospital after drinking Kool-Aid
laced with angel's trumpet.
Following those incidents, the Kenner City Council and New Orleans City
Council adopted ordinances aimed at angel's trumpet. But a statewide law
that deals not only with angel's trumpet but other highly toxic plants is
needed.
Ingesting these plants is quite dangerous. The hallucinogenic effects
themselves can prompt bizarre and risky behavior. Kenner Police said one
teenager high on angel's trumpet tried to jump off a roof, and another
tried to take a bite out of his own arm. But the plants are also highly
toxic. Angel's trumpet causes fever, blurred vision, urine retention and
delirium. A Florida teenager died from its effects.
When a flower stops being a flower and becomes a drug, it's appropriate to
treat it as such. This bill won't prevent everybody from carrying on
dangerous experiments with plants from the backyard, but it will show that
Louisiana is taking the hazard seriously.
Most people look at the periwinkle and see a hardy bedding plant that will
make flower beds look colorful all summer long. But others look at Vinca
rosea and other common plants used in landscaping and see a way to get high.
People should be able to use periwinkle, morning glory, angel's trumpet and
other plants with hallucinogenic properties to beautify their gardens. But
they shouldn't be allowed to turn them into drugs. A bill filed by Rep.
Michael Strain would make doing so a crime.
House Bill 20 targets 40 different hallucinogenic plants, making it illegal
to produce, possess or distribute anything containing them for human
consumption. The penalty for producing or distributing such products would
be two to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to $20,000. Possession would
carry a term of up to five years and a fine of up to $5,000. The penalties
are comparable to those for other hallucinogens.
The bill is a reasonable response to a rash of problems last summer. Two
Des-trehan teenagers had to be hospitalized after drinking angel's trumpet
tea, and three Kenner youths landed in the hospital after drinking Kool-Aid
laced with angel's trumpet.
Following those incidents, the Kenner City Council and New Orleans City
Council adopted ordinances aimed at angel's trumpet. But a statewide law
that deals not only with angel's trumpet but other highly toxic plants is
needed.
Ingesting these plants is quite dangerous. The hallucinogenic effects
themselves can prompt bizarre and risky behavior. Kenner Police said one
teenager high on angel's trumpet tried to jump off a roof, and another
tried to take a bite out of his own arm. But the plants are also highly
toxic. Angel's trumpet causes fever, blurred vision, urine retention and
delirium. A Florida teenager died from its effects.
When a flower stops being a flower and becomes a drug, it's appropriate to
treat it as such. This bill won't prevent everybody from carrying on
dangerous experiments with plants from the backyard, but it will show that
Louisiana is taking the hazard seriously.
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