VANCOUVER 鈥� B.C. Corrections plans to check the grounds of all its institutions for a commonly sold ornamental plant that contains hallucinogens after 12 inmates ate part of the plant to get high.
The inmates at the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women ate the seeds of angel鈥檚 trumpet, a plant popular with Metro 91原创 gardeners for its pungent scent and hanging trumpet-like white, pink, orange, green or red flowers.
The inmates were taken to hospital starting late Sunday for observation after one woman was seen to be hallucinating. They were all released back to custody by Monday morning.
The seeds were taken from angel鈥檚 trumpets growing as ornamental plants near Alouette鈥檚 medium security building, said Marnie Mayhew, director of programs and strategic services for B.C. Corrections.
She said B.C. Corrections has removed all the angel鈥檚 trumpet from Alouette and is checking on the other eight correctional centres in B.C. for it and any other 鈥渘oxious plants.鈥� She said it was the first time anything like this had ever occurred at Alouette.
鈥淒espite available supports and strict protocols, people with addictions will take extraordinary measures in an attempt to become intoxicated,鈥� Mayhew said in a statement.
Angel鈥檚 trumpet is sold at local garden stores. It has been known to survive for years in pots by spending the summers outside and then being cut down and taken indoors in the fall.
Angel鈥檚 trumpet, of the genus Brugmansia, contains two hallucinogens: scopolamine and hyoscyamine, the latter which is known to give sensations of flying. It is one of the ingredients in ayahuasca, a powerful psychedelic brew that originated in South America.
Taking angel鈥檚 trumpet and similar substances is such an unpleasant experience, few people ever want to repeat it, said Dr. Roy Purssell, medical director of B.C.鈥檚 drug and poison information centre. The effects of angel鈥檚 trumpet can last an average of 16 hours.
鈥淚t is extremely unpleasant as far as an altered state of consciousness,鈥� he said, referring to case histories. 鈥淭hey all look like that they wished this had not occurred to them. I think it鈥檚 the way their mental state gets altered in a way that鈥檚 really quite unpleasant.鈥�
He couldn鈥檛 recall any examples of poisoning or overdosing from angel鈥檚 trumpet being reported to the B.C. drug and poison information centre. The usual way of ingesting angel鈥檚 trumpet is by brewing it like a tea, he said.
Angel鈥檚 trumpet is anticholinergic, which means it can cause acute drying of the user鈥檚 mouth and skin.
Concerned that reports of taking angel鈥檚 trumpet may lead to copycat cases among students, Dr. Purssell said one of its effects is complete loss of judgment. There have been reported deaths not from taking angel鈥檚 trumpet but from the reckless acts that people do while under its influence.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e simply unable to assess the risks of what they鈥檙e doing and can do something very dangerous,鈥� he said.
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