MOONFLOWER MISADVENTURES

Having once been a part of student journalism (way back in the '70s) I
could only chuckle at the spelling error of writer Ben Rabun in his
article, Local Hallucinogenic Plant Has Dangerous Side Effects (Wed,
Oct 17).

The hallucinogenic moonflower plant (datura stramonium) is "jimson"
weed not "gypsum" weed (gypsum is used in sheet rock and should not be
ingested and will not get you high, but it does make for smooth walls).

The datura plant is one of the strongest hallucinogenic plants known
and it was once utilized by certain indigenous tribes in the Americas.

Every year there are the few news stories that describe the
misadventures of youthful experimentation with datura, oftentimes
leading to emergency room visits.

These youthful misadventures are the result of a society that knows
far too little of its natural surroundings and lacks proper respect
for the powers of medicinal plants.

In fact it is this lack of respect that has lead to our modern abuse
of many of the psychedelics and other drug producing plants.

Consider that coca has been a staple among Andean tribes for millenia
yet it took western "civilization" to turn it into a substance of abuse.

Almost 50 percent of our modern medicines are derived from compounds
found in the plant kingdom.

Perhaps when we begin to acknowledge the sacred nature of our lives
and our place in the natural world around us we may begin to engender
the level of respect for ourselves and others that can prevent our
abuse of (and need for wars against) certain plants.

Allan Erickson,

Drug Policy Forum of Oregon