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Deputies: 5 Inmates Eat Poisonous Flower Trying For High

Tribune file photo (2007)

Ingesting angel's trumpet can cause elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, agitation and violent behavior, Manatee County Department of Public Safety spokesman Larry Leinhauser says. In some cases, victims can slip into a coma or die.

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TBO.com

Published: October 22, 2008

Five Manatee County Jail inmates were hospitalized today after ingesting a poisonous flower that causes a "recreational high," authorities said.

The low-security inmates were clearing overgrowth in the 2700 block of Eighth Avenue in Palmetto about 2:30 p.m., Manatee County Department of Public Safety spokesman Larry Leinhauser says in a written statement.

The inmates ate a plant called angel's trumpet, which can cause elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, agitation and violent behavior, Leinhauser said. In some cases, people who ingest the plant can slip into a coma or die, he said.

The inmates were taken to Manatee hospitals, and their conditions ranged from mild to serious, authorities said.

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office was investigating.

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