CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA STUDENTS SICKENED BY LACED
MARIJUANA

Some California University of Pennsylvania students who fell ill after
smoking marijuana this week can blame their illness on another type of
weed.

The students smoked marijuana laced with jimson weed, a toxic plant
that grows freely throughout the region and which is abused for its
hallucinogenic properties.

The students, who numbered fewer than 10, first went to the
university's health center seeking treatment for side effects,
including rapid heartbeat. They were later sent to the hospital as a
precaution, said university spokeswoman Angela Burrows.

University officials sent a warning e-mail out to students, faculty
and staff Thursday after a few students exhibited symptoms associated
with jimson weed use.

Use of the plant by people looking for a hallucinogenic high usually
peaks in the fall, when the plant's seed pods are mature, said Edward
P. Krenzelok, director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center and Drug
Information Center.