Ethnobotany - A cookclan drugs tribute.

Different cultures have used, and continue to use, plants for many purposes since time immemorial. Some of these uses include food, medicines, clothing, shelter.

And to get high.

Every culture is onto this trick. the Aborigines used pituri, a plant of the arid zone. 
The Native Americans used cacti.
The Ancient Egyptians used the Blue Lotus.
"Witches" of Europe used belladonna and datura and felt like they were flying.
European villagers reported seeing werewolves and the such. We now know that they had probably eaten rye mould, Claviceps purpurea, a precursor to LSD. It also the black mould that grows on rye bread.
There is some evidence that primates eat the fruit of the nutmeg tree to get high from the seed.

For all you Aussies out there, many of these plants are either native to, or introduced to, Australia.

For all you Aussies with kids, this is where it gets tricky.

I guess the point that I am trying to make is that a determined kid will find something to smoke, drink, or otherwise ingest. I am not a drug counsellor, all I am saying is that being forewarned will become increasingly harder as this sort of thing finds it's way into the mainstream. Knowing all their tricks may not be the answer anymore.

Cookclan has written some great stuff about different drugs (enbalming fluid?), but her articles about talking to your kids about drugs are her best work. This is the real solution.

Harm minimization is great, but where do I get pamphlets on Datura stramonium? I see hundreds of plants on the way to uni every day. It can make you trip out, but too much can put you in the mental hospital. A little more will kill you.

Good luck, we'll all need it.

Rick.