TEENS FINDING A HIGH IN FLOWERS

Law Enforcement Officials Say They Didn't Know About Morning Glory
Use

WASHINGTON - They have such whimsical names as heavenly blue, crimson
rambler and pearly gates, and delicate blooms that crawl quickly up
trellises.

But when morning glory seeds aren't planted -- when they are instead
ingested -- whimsical thoughts can crawl through altered minds with
kaleidoscope-like visions.

Once popular in the hippie era of the 1960s, morning glory seeds as a
hallucinogen seem to have sprouted once again. Local gardening shops
have noticed their seed stocks depleted by adolescent hands, and
poison control centers in the District of Columbia and its suburbs
have received calls from hospitals with patients experiencing adverse
reactions from the seeds.

"These kids have a misconception that it's natural, that it's more
safe" than other drugs, said Chris Holstege, a doctor who runs
Virginia's Blue Ridge Poison Center. "It alters your perception, and
that puts you at risk."

The seeds contain lysergic acid amide and give an LSD-like high when
swallowed by the hundreds. Because it is legal to buy them, there are
no police reports to track.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, citing ignorance about the seeds,
referred an inquiry to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "We
really don't have enough information on it to make comments," said a
spokeswoman there.