Georgia Teens Snorting Nutmeg For Cheap High

ATLANTA - It’s a homemade high as close as the kitchen pantry.

The director of the Georgia Poison Center told GA Daily News that his agency believes teenagers in metro Atlanta are using nutmeg for a cheap, convenient high.

”One caller complained about her 15-year-old son. He got into an ounce of nutmeg, had fallen over into a stupor, looked pale and weak, said Dr. Gaylord Lopez, director of the poison center.

Lopez told GA Daily News reporter Tom Regan that organic compounds in ground nutmeg can mildly simulate the effects of amphetamines or LSD. One ingredient is myristicin, an organic compound known to induce euphoria, visual distortions and even hallucinations when ingested in a large quantity.

But there are many unpleasant, even dangerous, side effects. Overconsumption of nutmeg can often result in nausea, vomiting, dizziness and possibly convulsions.

”What we worry about is other cases where they get flush. Their heartbeat starts moving up the ladder, and if somebody has an underlying heart condition, that is undiagnosed or unrecognized, you may have a tragedy on your hands, Lopez said.

Lopez said associates of his at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have passed around research papers on nutmeg and have said this could be a potential problem they need to keep on their radar.

Doctors said instead of snorting nutmeg, young people should save it for holiday treats like hot cider and eggnog.