Plant is called hibiscus, but it won’t get you high

Officials mistake the popular foliage for pot and storm home of contractor

By S.K. BARDWELL Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
July 29, 2004, 1:58PM

Landscape contractor Blair Davis was in his northwest Harris County home around 2 p.m. Tuesday when there was a knock at his door.

Davis said he hadn’t even gotten his hand on the doorknob when it flew open and he was looking at the barrel of a pistol.

Behind the gun were about 10 members of the Harris County Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force, who burst into the home, guns drawn, and began shouting at him to get down on the floor.

There on the floor, Davis said, it took a while to figure out that what had caused the swarm of lawmen to descend upon him was the hibiscus in his front yard.

That’s right, hibiscus.

The foliage of the Texas Star hibiscus, a native plant that’s growing in popularity, vaguely resembles that of marijuana.

But: “It’s got white buds on it,” Davis said. “Hello.”

Davis had several of the plants in his yard, where he grows stock for his business.

“They were in containers,” he said: “I don’t want to say potted plants.”

Evidently, some well-meaning but horticulturally challenged citizen turned Davis in. Davis said the team of narcotics officers combed his house for about an hour, at one point discussing whether red and gold bamboo growing in his window might be marijuana. They also asked what he did with the watermelons and cantaloupes growing in his back yard.

“What would I do with them?” Davis said.

Finally the officers gave up and left, leaving Davis only a ”citizen’s information card” with “closed-report” written on it.

“No apology, no nothing,” Davis said. “I realize they have a job to do, but this seems a little bizarre.”

Calls to the task force were not returned Wednesday.

Davis hasn’t let the episode put him off the Texas Star hibiscus. “It tolerates heat and drought and our rains,” he said. “It’s a great plant, except for the police.”