JIMSON WEED POISONINGS TREATED AT HOSPITALS HERE

With hallucinating teenagers parading in to be treated, Madison hospitals
find themselves confronted with a rash of jimson weed poisonings.

There have been eight cases in the past week, medics said today.

In most cases the toxic plant, which can be eaten or smoked, causes
hallucinations that trigger dangerous behaviors, said Dr. Neil Connor, a
pediatric intensive care specialist at St. Marys Hospital.

Connor said he handled three cases, 16- and 17-year-old boys, on Sunday and
another two on Tuesday. One boy remains hospitalized. The three had eaten
the weed on a trip to Milwaukee, he said.

Other St. Marys personnel handled two other cases. Meriter Hospital treated
a male in his 20s in the last week, a spokeswoman said today. University
Hospital said today it has received no recent cases.

Symptoms of the poisoning include red dry skin, dilated eyes, dry mouth,
and the hallucinations, according to physicians.

Connor said parents can best spot the poisoning by bizarre behavior of
their children. They may be mumbling, calling to people who aren't there,
and stumbling, he said. The most dangerous aspect of the poisoning is the
resulting behavior.

"They may crawl into an intersection or talk to people who aren't there,"
Connor said.

Jimson weed is a common weed in the deadly nightshade family that contains
belladonna and has been given many names since first identified in the 17th
century. It also has been known as loco weed, angel's trumpet, devil's
trumpet, stinkweed, and green dragon.