Here we go again. Now that the holiday baking season is in full swing my email inbox is being peppered with warnings about teens raiding spice cabinets in order to get a quick high.
If you have teens around the house and use nutmeg to sprinkle on holiday eggnog or pumpkin pie, then you might want to lock it up when you’re not around. At least that’s what the fine folks at CNN and the poison control center are suggesting parents do this time of year.
According to the cable news network, the Internet is teeming with videos on how to snort and smoke nutmeg. Some sites even offer step-by-step instructions on how to make the most of a few lines of the holiday spice. When your teen visits these types of websites he will also come across “tips,” which suggest that he will have to snort approximately eight teaspoons of nutmeg, to experience mild hallucinations and warmth in the limbs.
Not exactly comforting to parents. What’s more, most of the information about nutmeg snorting is posted by wackos who don’t know how to use spellcheck (e.g. “Its a uncomfortble exprience, but probaly one worth at lest tryin one time.”) Of course, what can one expect from someone who hits up a spice rack to get high?
Still, the fact is that kids, who might otherwise never contemplate doing something as idiotic as snorting, swallowing, shooting up or smoking nutmeg, are being introduced to the idea on YouTube and a litany of other sites. One site actually encourages viewers to pause the video in certain sections, so they can see exactly how the spice should be arranged to maximize each snort.
Nice, huh?
Sadly, the aforementioned videos don’t add the disclaimer that snorting nutmeg can cause more than a few mild hallucinations. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, consuming large quantities of nutmeg can cause vomiting, headaches and epileptic symptoms.
Adding to parents’ concerns is that Frontier Brand Nutmeg and Whole Foods 365 Brand Nutmeg were both recalled this week due to possible salmonella contamination, which means if your child is trying to get high using those brands of nutmeg, he could be saddled with more than just a sore nose.
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