The Case of Hallucinogenic Plants and the Internet

The advent of the Internet both created opportunities and provoked problems for students, teachers, and parents. This article uses the example of Internet access to explicit information about locally available hallucinogenic plants to focus on important new issues in education: determining validity of Internet information and cultivating critical Internet consumer skills in students. Basic "textbook" information on three common psychotropic plants is contrasted with pro-drug information from selected World Wide Web sites. Guidelines are offered for evaluating Internet information, and suggestions are offered for developing effective decision-making skills in students.