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aspen_gw

Selling Datura and Castor beans

aspen
17 years ago

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone can tell me if there is any liability involved in selling potentially poisonous plants such as castor beans and datura? If I market them as toxic, is there anything else I need to do?

Thanks,

Colleen

Comments (3)

  • digit
    17 years ago

    Colleen, I'm wondering why you feel the need to sell them at all.

    We grew castor beans (Ricinus) as an ornamental to go in some of our larger bouquets to be sold at the market. I had an idea that they were toxic but, shoot, so is foxglove. Then I learned a little about how toxic the products from these plants can be.

    So, even if someone isn't "refining" this plant into the deadly poison - what can consuming a little of it do? Well, there's vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, liver damage, circulatory collapse, and renal failure.

    I can barely understand someone wanting to have these plants in their gardens. But, gardens are not public places visited by 1,000's of people. A market is a place where items are exchanged. Why engage in the exchange of lethal substances? There are plenty of other product choices.

    Steve

  • trianglejohn
    17 years ago

    On occassion I sell Castor Bean, Datura, Brugmansia, and various Solanums that are poisonous. All of these are very popular garden plants in this area. They sold well. I made more money off the castor beans because the seed is so cheap.

    My display is somewhat humorous in that I have chalkboard signs explaining the various types of plants. I do things like call 'natives' Weeds (with the word Native scrawled underneath). For the above mentioned plants I classified them as 'Deadly, Toxic, Poison Plants' and would not sell them to kids or people that seemed interested in them for the wrong reasons (lots of immigrants know exactly how to use these plants to concoct hallucinagenics). To make a point I would wear plastic gloves when handling them. I believe that everyone that bought them understood the danger.

    Most city parks in this area have castor beans and oleander in them without any signs explaining the dangers.

  • aspen
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thanks for the imput. When I recieved the datura seeds, they were a gift from a friend of a friend with no warnings, and no one really knew what they were. I tried them and fell in love with the scent and the flowers. Only recently did I find out they were toxic, and until now I didn't realize it was the whole plant, not just the seeds. Now I see them all over the city, in gardens and public places with no warnings in place. They must be getting them from somewhere... If I can sell them with the proper warnings, at least maybe people could be educated. Especially thoses with small children.

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