however, some living organisms make toxins (poisons). these toxins are not alive. for example, botulinum toxin is made by a bacteria, and ricin is made by the castor oil plant. because botulinum toxin and ricin are not alive, using them to make people sick is called chemical warfare. this is explained in the chemical weapons convention (cwc). the convention also says that any toxic chemical is a chemical weapon unless it is used for legal reasons.