An English duchess has received official permission to grow cannabis plants, opium poppies and hallucinogenic mushrooms as part of a poison garden in the grounds of her stately home, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
The British Home Office said it has granted permission to the Duchess of Northumberland to grow the plants at Alnwick Castle, alongside about 50 other dangerous plant species in the first garden of its kind in Britain.
Among other plants likely to be grown are the castor oil plant, used to produce the nerve agent ricin, as well as foxglove, tobacco and wild lettuce, which induces coma.
”We are delighted with the decision. The garden is more than the development of a beautiful place or a regenerative tourism venue. Drugs are a major concern across the country and an emotive issue,” the duchess told the Telegraph.
”I am interested in the power of plants and how they have been used throughout the ages, not only to cure but also to poison and kill,” she said.
The Home Office said the licence is ”extremely rare”.
Schoolchildren will be among the visitors to the park when it opens this winter. Access to the walled garden will be controlled and marshals will escort visitors to ensure that the plants are not touched. — Sapa-DPA