Jimson Weed is in bloom

Tag : Dehydrated Apple

Eric Sears and Ben Fogelstrom went on a camping trip to Joshua Tree State Park in California. The two seventeen year olds had recently graduated from Carlsbad High School. Benreported Eric missing the following day. He told authorities theyhad both drank a tea made from Jimson weed. Ben also gaveconflicting statements about how Eric disappeared, and at one pointstated he knew that Eric was dead and that he had disposed of his friend's body.

Ben also told investigators that he had difficultydistinguishing hallucinations from reality. He remembered speakingto a bush, an Indian, and possibly to Eric. There was an intensivesearch and rescue operation, but Eric's body was not found untilJuly 23rd. The cause of death could not be determined on autopsybecause Eric's body was too badly decomposed. No obvious trauma wasfound. However, two chemicals, atropine and scopolamine, toxinsfound in Jimson weed, were found in his brain tissue. One way orthe other, the use of Jimson weed by Sears and Fogelstrom, was afactor in Eric's death. This story actually gets even sadder. Twomen, Scott Johnston and Philip Calvert, who were en route to JoshuaTree Park to assist in the search for Eric, were killed by a driverwho was under the influence of multiple illicit drugs.

Jimson weed, locoweed, stink weed, mad apple and thorn apple arestreet names for the foul-smelling Datura stramonium plant. It isone of a group of plants known as belladonnas. Datura stramonium isa common weed found along roadsides, in cornfields, pastures, andwaste areas. It has been reported in every state except Wyoming andAlaska. Although not a popular street drug, it is usually used byteenagers curious about the plant's hallucinogenic and euphoriceffects. Adolescents most typically use Jimson weed with peers. Allparts of the plant are toxic and usage can result in seriousillness or death. Recreational users may ingest seeds or prepareJimson-based tea or cigarettes. It can take up to hours for someoneto feel the plant's effects, so people often consume excessiveamounts believing the seeds were not working.

Potency is impossibleto predict. The toxicity of Jimson weed varies by year, betweenplants, parts of the plant, and even among different leaves on thesame plant. As few as a dozen Jimson weed seeds taken orally or oneleaf brewed into a tea or smoked can produce nausea, headache,severe agitation, hallucinations, behavioral changes or delirium.Approximately 1,000 cases of poisoning by anticholinergic plants(including Jimson weed) are reported annually to poison controlcenters. Usage increases between May and September when Jimson weedplants are mature. The overwhelming majority of users of Jimsonweed report that their experiences were very unpleasant, physicallydangerous, and sometimes terrifying. Few people use it twice. Evena one time usage can have tragic effects.

What is the lure to experiment with Jimson weed? The effects of thedrug have been described as being in a living dream and can lastfor days. Jimson weed has extremely powerful psychoactive effectsincluding hallucinations, delusions, disorientation, confusion, andpanic. Jimson weed is an extremely potent and unusual hallucinogen.Unlike psilocybin or LSD, jimson weed causes true hallucinationswhich cannot be distinguished from reality. Users have no conceptthat anything they are talking to, seeing, or running from isn'tactually there. These hallucinations are real, intense andfrequently frightening. Hallucinations are reported to have severalrecurrent themes in users including insects, cigarettes, people orobjects appearing and disappearing, demons and monsters. Smoking aphantom cigarette is one of the most common hallucinations, even ifthe individual has never smoked before. Talking to inanimateobjects, animals and friends who are not present is also frequentlyreported. Individuals lose their ability to identify their friends,and may not even recognize their reflection in a mirror. Theindividual may also try to interact with the hallucinations.

Mostusers didn't realize that they were hallucinating until the drugwore off. Users feel completely disconnected with theirenvironment, reporting feelings of sleepwalking or being in atrance. Feelings of free-falling or flying are often reported.Individuals go on desperate searches for items they feel compelledto find, they become lost, confused, disoriented, and dehydrated.Amnesia is frequently reported, users have no memory of what theywere doing for several hours, or they may unconsciously replacefact with fantasy in their memory. They can fall in and out ofconsciousness. They can slip into delirium.