N.O. BANS FLOWER BREW

Angel's Trumpet Teas Abused By Teens

Responding to recent reports of young people abusing hallucinogenic
substances derived from the popular garden plant known as angel's trumpet,
the New Orleans City Council has passed a law banning the manufacture or
sale of compounds made from the plant.

The law does not make it illegal to grow the tropical plant, which is
known for its spectacular tubular flowers and is found in gardens
throughout the New Orleans area.

The ordinance, introduced by council President Eddie Sapir and passed
unanimously at Thursday's council meeting, makes it illegal to
"knowingly or intentionally combine, produce, manufacture or
distribute any compound containing the plant material known as angel's
trumpet, also known as brugmansia arborea, for human consumption or
with the intent to sell, distribute or dispense same for human
consumption."

The law says compounds containing angel's trumpet and used as
recreational drugs "potentially are extremely dangerous to the health
and well-being of anyone ingesting them."

Young people who have drunk a tea made from angel's trumpet in search
of a cheap and, until now, legal high reportedly have engaged in
bizarre behavior. One teenager supposedly tried to eat his arm,
thinking it was a roast beef sandwich. And two teens showed up naked
in a neighbor's back yard, explaining they were looking for spark plugs.

Police and other authorities fear misuse of the plant could become
more widespread. Adding to the problem is the fact that the compound
made from angel's trumpet -- also known as jimsonweed, devil's weed
and locoweed -- is not a controlled drug, so it has not been a crime
to use it.

"It makes you hot as hell, blind as a bat, dry as a bone, red as a
beet and mad as a hatter," said Dr. William George, director of
toxicology at the Tulane University School of Medicine.

On June 4 in Destrehan, three boys, ages 15 and 16, drank a concoction
of angel's trumpet parts boiled with an unknown liquid. All three boys
suffered severe hallucinations; two were hospitalized. The father of
one of the teens was so angry that he shot and wounded a man he
thought had given the drink to the boys, authorities said.

A week earlier in Kenner, three youths, ages 16 to 18, mixed angel's
trumpet with Kool-Aid to create a hallucinogenic cocktail. Police said
one tried to jump from a roof, and another tried to take a bite out of
his arm. All three were hospitalized.

A Hialeah, Fla., teen died May 26 from a 106-degree fever after
drinking soup he made from the plant, authorities said.

After the Kenner incident, the Kenner City Council passed an ordinance
making it illegal to consume or sell a hallucinogenic cocktail made
from the plant.

The man suspected of giving the hallucinogenic tea to the three
Destrehan boys was booked in St. Charles Parish with second-degree
cruelty to juveniles and mingling harmful substances.

The ordinance passed by the New Orleans City Council does not specify
penalties. However, the usual penalties for similar municipal
violations are a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for not more than
five months or both.

Noting that the state normally controls dangerous substances,
Councilman Marlin Gusman said the ordinance passed Thursday will send
a message to the Legislature that it should enact a statewide ban on
angel's trumpet compounds.