How far will you go to get high?

Nhlalwenhle Ngwenya
a�?WE are just having fun!a�?

Ita��s a response this reporter got from some youths in Bulawayo who make an intoxicating drink out of the thorn apple scientifically known as datura stramonium (pictured).

The thorn apple is a wild plant that makes them behave in a wild manner after consuming its end product. It usually grows in maize fields after harvest.

a�?We call it our own a�?kachazoa��. Sometimes if ita��s strongly brewed we have to dash it with water, because one can get drunk for days and even black out after a few sips,a�? said one youth from Pumula who only identified himself as Tafadzwa.

Kachazo is home brewed and a�?dashinga�? is diluting a strong substance, in most cases whisky.

At no cost, the drink has become very popular among unemployed youths who cana��t afford alcohol or even the adventurous ones.

a�?Many people like it because it has a different feel to it in comparison to alcohol. The good part is that ita��s for free,a�? he said.

He warned that if taken in excess it makes one numb and useless. They call it a�?uku-stickera�? taking the phrase from failure to respond by a programme on a phone or computer.

However, wise counsel from a herbalist should warn the teens to keep away from it.

a�?Thata��s a very dangerous plant. Some people use its roots and leaves for abortion. I am shocked that some use its seeds to get drunk,a�? said Sandile Mkhwananzi, a seasoned herbalist from Bulawayoa��s herbal market Emkambo.

She said in IsiNdbele it is called amadumbutshenene.