The warning followed a court case in which two Dunedin teenagers were jailed for 10 months after stealing a pet lamb and beating it to death while high on the hallucinogenic plant.
Detective Senior Sergeant Malcolm Inglis said he was concerned about reports the teens had taken the drug, which had not been popular for many years.
''It hasn't been around for some time because people realised how bad it is. It is a shocking drug.''
He recalled some people high on the drug had thought spiders were coming out of their skin, and they then scratched themselves until they bled.
''It is a very strong hallucinogenic drug ... you lose control over what you are doing,'' he said.
Because of its dangers, many people had chosen to remove datura from their property.
Ross Bell, of the New Zealand Drug Foundation, said reported cases of datura use were rare but ''I wouldn't be naive to say that is not used much in this country''.
National Poisons centre toxicologist Dr Leo Schep, of Dunedin, said datura was ''no longer a very commonly abused plant''.
He recalled it was a particular problem in Dunedin during the 1980s.
Possible side effects included dilated pupils, hallucinations, seizures, and comas, with ''people out of it for days''.
Hallucinations could lead to users feeling agitated, delirious and experiencing psychotic episodes during which they could potentially endanger themselves or other people.
