Getting High On Nutmeg

Kids will do just about anything to get high. We've recently done some reports on K2 and Spice. These so-called incense herbal blends are being smoked for their euphoric affects. Well now, teens have gotten their hands on something else that causes a high.

Some are smoking it, some are snorting it, and some are just eating large quantities of it. So what is it? Believe it or not...nutmeg is the substance now being used for its euphoric and sometimes hallucinogenic affects.

"It's something that we just started seeing recently. I first heard about it a month ago," Dr. Jill Waggoner, Physician with Methodist Charlton Medical Group, said.

In a typical grocery store there are usually signs that point you right to the spices, and in some cases there are a variety of options...making nutmeg very easy to come by.

"It's a flavor enhancer or to change the taste a little bit, so that has been around forever and it seems to be harmless. But as you take it in large amounts or you smoke it, then you get into significant side effects that are clearly not to your benefit," Dr. John Bray, Midland physician, said.

"There will be some paranoia and for some people...if they get large enough doses...some hallucinations, a rapid heart rate, sleepiness or fatigue, some memory or concentration issues," Waggoner said.

In some cases...it can be lethal. Bray has been a physician in Midland for nearly 30 years, and he says smoking nutmeg can be detrimental to your body.

"Putting any foreign substance into your body in the form of smoke or any other way...you're taking a risk, and there's absolutely no data that showed that it's going to do anything other than harm you. It's certainly not going to do you any good," Bray said.

And if it's causing hallucinations, that means it's altering brain chemistry...which can lead to long-term effects.

"You don't want to do anything that could cause your brain damage, or could cause your heart to stop, or damage your lungs long-term. You just...in terms of your life and what your future looks like...that's not something you want to do," Waggoner said.

"I would say only a nut would smoke nutmeg or have anything to do with it, other than as a spice which is it's legitimate purpose," Bray said.