Determination and forensic toxicological evaluation of scopolamine and atropine in datura and brugmansia plants sourced from the street and the internet

All parts of the species belonging to the genera Datura and Brugmansia are highly toxic and hallucinogenic. Scopolamine, hyoscyamine and atropine contained in these plants can induce severe anticholinergic toxidrome, delirium, syncope, and amnesia in humans. High doses can even lead to heart failure and death. Because of these properties, they have long been known to be used in poisonings, recreational use, satanic/pagan rituals, robberies, rapes, suicides and attempted murders. Although there are publications reporting the amounts of tropane alkaloids in these plants, all of those samples were obtained from locations such as botanical gardens; samples have not been collected from places openly accessible to the public, and the problems created by the presence of these psychoactive plants in publicly accessible locations have not been addressed. Despite hundreds of criminal cases reported in the scientific literature due to the use of Datura and Brugmansia plants, these species are not legally regulated in Türkiye. Unlike previous literature, this study is the first to draw attention to the potential threat by analyzing (using LC-MS/MS) the crime-facilitating substances contained in Datura and Brugmansia plants that are openly accessible on the street in public spaces. For these compounds, a rapid (6,5-11,5 minutes), simple LC-MS/MS method with high recovery (77–108%) was developed and validated, providing a wide linear range: 24.2 ng/mL for scopolamine and 8.8 to 2000,0 ng/mL for atropine. Using this method the amounts of psychoactive compounds in Datura stramonium, Datura wrightii, Datura metel and Brugmansia suaveolens — sampled from public areas and private-property gardens across 4 provinces and 9 districts — were quantified. The results are striking, and the potential dangers posed by these psychoactive substances obtainable from the street were evaluated.