-Sned The Bold http://www.geocities.com/t3dyhand/
"You'll be given love. You'll be taken care of. All is full of love...
You just ain't receiving. Your phone is off the hook.
Your doors are shut. All is full of love." -Bjork
Los Angeles Times
August 14, 2003
The Region
3 Santa Paula Teens' Illness Tied to Weed
Authorities believe the trio drank tea made with jimson, which can cause
hallucinations.
Author:
Andy Olsen;
Times Staff Writer
Metro Desk
Edition: Ventura County Edition
Section: California
Page: B-3
Index Terms:
SANTA PAULA (CA)
POISONS AND POISONINGS
HALLUCINATORY DRUGS
PLANTS
YOUTH
Article Text:
Three Santa Paula teenagers were hospitalized after they apparently drank tea
brewed from a flower called jimson weed, a toxic plant known to cause
hallucinations, police said Wednesday.
Santa Paula police responded to a residence in the 1200 block of Ventura
Street about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday after relatives of an 18-year-old man reported
that he was hallucinating and unresponsive. An ambulance took him to Santa
Paula Memorial Hospital after he fell into a seizure, Police Chief Bob Gonzales
said. Hospital officials said he remained in the intensive care unit.
A neighbor told officers that two teenagers at her house, an 18-year-old
woman and a 16-year-old boy, were showing similar symptoms. The woman told
police she and the others had been drinking tea made from flowers she had
picked near the Santa Paula Cemetery.
Both were taken to local hospitals. The boy remained in intensive care at
Ventura County Medical Center. The woman was treated at Santa Paula Memorial
and released, hospital officials said.
Police speculated that the plant was either jimson weed -- also called
stinkweed or locoweed -- or dangling trumpet, plants native to Southern
California that are known to produce dizziness, disorientation, hallucinations
and other symptoms.
Gonzales said this was the first reported incident in Santa Paula of the
flower's use as a drug. He believes increased public attention given to common
hallucinogenic plants has made them more popular among teens. "I was watching
television last week.... They had a news clip of some kids in L.A. who were
doing this and I thought, 'This is stupid. There are going to be kids all over
doing this,' " he said. "And now here we are, with people doing it here."
Gonzales said city workers were removing the suspect trees and bushes from
around the cemetery and nearby properties. Police are investigating whether to
file criminal charges against any of the victims.
Jimson weed is a poisonous plant that, in some cases, can cause coma,
seizures and death.
> What really bothers me is I 'd expect folks in alt.fan.RAWilson to be a bit
> more skeptical of pronouncements from the press. Anyone see any weapons of
> mass destruction out of Iraq yet? Can't you tell when you're being lied to?
I did not see sned (or anyone else) post any statement regarding their
opinion on the truthfullness (or degree/probability of truthfullness)
contained in the linked article.
It really surprises me that a fellow reader of a.f.RAW would jump to
the conclusion that when someone posts a news article (a.f.RAW actiing
as a part time blog), they "believe" it to be 100% certified Grade A
Truth.
-bh
Aside: The more the maybe logic "philosopy" pervades my conscious,
the more concepts of "truth" and "honesty" seem like fictional
constructs....
"Gee, your Honorship, I never told the guy I wanted him to give me all his
money. I just poked a loaded forty-five up his nose and told him to 'give it
to me.' I was merely trying to make the point that I wanted him to serve me
first being as I was in a hurry to get back to my gal Mildred and her
DE-licious popcorn. I'm sorry there was a misunderstanding here, your
Honored Robedness. Oh, the guy with the knife? That was my man Alfredo. He's
a cook at La Trottateria. He likes to keep his tools of the trade out in the
open air to prevent them from corroding. You know what I mean your
Worshipfulness?"
Context, son, context. You may want to look it up.
"Bed Head" <mgat...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:45f5959e.03090...@posting.google.com...
: "J Lee" <puug3c...@sneakemail.com> wrote in message
I'm not really following the Jesus Christ logic here, BTW.
Sned posted a news story. Your comments indicated that you felt he
bought into it 100%, *assuming* that he was using it as an argument
for his case. Then you made a statement about the lack of scepticism
in the "folks of alt.fan.RAWilson" with some WMD comments thrown in
for good measure. I took exception to the stereotyping. Perhaps I've
been too easily irratated lately. Perhaps there's been more sand than
I'm used to in this newsgroup. I've always appreciated the more
discussion oriented nature of a.f.raw, rather than the argumentative
nature of most other groups, not to mention flame wars and the like.
Sombunall who have followed this newsgroup for a while would find many
discussions which delve deep into the underlying nature of TSOG, of
which media deception remains just a part; much deeper than I've found
in any other context (oops, that word again with a broader
application, lending credibility to your original arguement).
"And now, back to our regular programming."
"J Lee" <puug3c...@sneakemail.com> wrote in message news:<lON6b.13$Mw5.1...@news.abs.net>...
with good reason, i'd say. skepticism is one thing, but blatant mistrust of
easily verifiable news stories is quite another. think about it, how difficult
would it be to look up the case in question? this is nothing like the WMD
disinfo--whether or not the govt. WMD statements were lies or not, there was
nothing concrete to point to. any serious investigation of a story about a
*specific* poor little boy in a specific location will quickly establish the
truth or falsity of the matter.
as for the root of this debate (or should i say weed har har) in the context of
"skepticism," I will be the first one to point out that disinformation and
mythology is spread regarding the relative safety of psychoactive drugs, both
by the establishment (usually anti-) and by the users (usually pro-).
Trivially, we should maintain a healthy skepticism regarding claims by supposed
authorities or "experts," but ignoring scientifically established medical data
is not skepticism. Doctors are in the business of keeping people alive, not
keeping them misinformed.