DEADLY WEED

Some George Elliot Secondary students received some extremely bad
information about the dangers associated with an indigenous seed known as
"Datura" or "Loco Weed" as some are prone to call it.

The flowering plant is also known as Angel's Trumpet; it's a native plant
that grows throughout the valley.

All parts of the plant can be poisonous. However, most that try the plant
just eat the seeds. The effects of ingesting the seed can lead to
hallucinations, increased heart rate, vomiting, blurred vision, pupil
dilation and flushed hot skin. It can also lead to respiratory failure, coma
and yes, death.

There is no doubt about it; an attempt to get high on this plant can be
deadly.

This writer talked to a parent of one of the three George Elliot Secondary
students who were taken to Kelowna General Hospital where they were treated
over the weekend. The father said he and his wife were scared beyond words
by the incident that led their son to ingest three seeds from a plant and
suffer the consequences similar to that of a drug overdose.

The kids that were admitted for treatment have been released from hospital,
however in one case the student is still recuperating at home.

There has been some speculation that the seeds actually came from a domestic
Angel's Trumpet plant that grew in the home of a GESS student.

School officials and the RCMP are concerned that more students may
experiment with this potentially dangerous plant if there isn't more
information made available to the kids on just how deadly the consequences
can be.

We can't protect our children from everything out there that can harm them;
we can only arm them with information and communication and hope they make
the right choices.