Stephen Rees, 21, and Zach Moore, 19, were found close to death on Tuesday night by paramedics in Lang Lang after one called an ambulance from a mobile phone. They were semi-conscious when the ambulance arrived but died 30 minutes later.

Cheryle Evans, who lives on the chicken farm next to where the men died, saw the rescue effort and said she heard one of the men say he had taken poison.

"I heard one of the boys say to the paramedics that they had taken strychnine, and then the paramedics turned to each other and one said: 'Isn't that rat poison?"' Ms Evans said.

It is believed that the men had been at a house in Pioneer Road, about a kilometre from where they died on Westernport Road, before walking towards the centre of the town.

Police later searched the house and removed bottles of liquid.

A number of people who were at the house with Mr Moore and Mr Rees have been questioned.

A family friend who wanted to be known as Donna said Mr Moore was "a beautiful, loving person" who was like another son to her.

"I've got five boys and one girl and Zach was like a sixth boy. Our children are absolutely devastated," Donna said as she laid flowers at the site of his death.

"He got into trouble now and then but he was going along the right path, he was working and enjoying it."

Donna was wearing a T-shirt of Mr Moore's yesterday as a tribute.

"I was the last person to see him … before he died, walking up this way," she said, pointing towards the house where the men spent their last hours.

It could be weeks before the results of toxicology tests on the men are known.

Strychnine, derived from a plant, is used in rat poison and is highly toxic.

In humans, it causes convulsions of every muscle, with death coming after two or three hours from suffocation or sheer exhaustion.

In smaller doses, strychnine has been used as a performance-enhancing or recreational substance. The winner of the first Olympic marathon was found to have drunk a mixture of strychnine and brandy before the race.

Professor George Braitberg, an emergency medicine and toxicology expert at Southern Health, said the chemical was a feature of ancient rituals in the Americas.

"A lot of plants have been used in that way, including peyote and strychnine and mushrooms — those sort of things," he said.

"It's not really a drug — there is no medical reason to be using strychnine. It's not converted into medication.

"It's a plant that causes poisoning."

Submitted on 05/13/2013

Submitted by: darwinfan!
Reference: Fears men died after taking rat poison as leisure drug

Copyright © 2013 DarwinAwards.com

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Were they frakkin' NUTS!? The stuff is called *nux vomica*. Strychnine! Who in their right mind would *knowingly* take that stuff? It's poison, period. Thanks, darwinfan!

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Rat poison is CLEARLY not meant to be a recreational drug. Maybe not as funny as it could be, but PLENTY stupid! Thanks!

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