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Tue Mar 11, 11:02 AM
By Jessica Gresko, The Associated Press
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - On websites touting the mind-blowing powers of salvia divinorum, come-ons to buy the hallucinogenic herb are accompanied by warnings: "Time is running out! ... stock up while you still can."
That's because salvia is being targeted by U.S. legislators concerned that the inexpensive and easy-to-obtain plant could become the next marijuana.
Eight states have already placed restrictions on salvia, and 16 others, including Florida, either have banned it or considering doing so.
"As soon as we make one drug illegal, kids start looking around for other drugs they can buy legally. This is just the next one," said Florida state Representative Mary Brandenburg, who has introduced a bill to make possession of salvia a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Some say legislators are overreacting to a minor problem, but no one disputes that the plant impairs judgment and the ability to drive.
Native to Mexico and still grown there, salvia divinorum is generally smoked but can also be chewed or made into a tea and drunk.
Called nicknames like Sally-D, Magic Mint and Diviner's Sage, salvia is a hallucinogen that gives users an out-of-body sense of travelling through time and space or merging with inanimate objects. Unlike hallucinogens like LSD or PCP, however, salvia's effects last for a shorter time, generally up to an hour.
No known deaths have been attributed to salvia's use, but it was listed as a factor in one Delaware teen's suicide two years ago.
"Parents, I would say, are pretty clueless," said Jonathan Appel, an assistant professor of psychology and criminal justice at Tiffin University in Ohio who has studied the emergence of the substance. "It's much more powerful than marijuana."
Salvia's short-lasting effects and fact that it is currently legal may make it seem more appealing to teens, legislators say. In the Delaware suicide, the boy's mother told reporters that salvia made his mood darker but he justified its use by citing its legality. According to reports, the autopsy found no traces of the drug in his system, but the medical examiner listed it as a contributing cause.
Mike Strain, Louisiana's Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner and former legislator, helped his state in 2005 become the first to make salvia illegal, along with a number of other plants. He said the response has been largely positive.
"I got some hostile e-mails from people who sold these products," Strain said. "You don't make everybody happy when you outlaw drugs. You save one child and it's worth it."
An ounce of salvia leaves sells for around $30 on the Internet. A liquid extract from the plant, salvinorin A, is also sold in various strengths labelled "5x" through "60x." A gram of the 5x strength, about the weight of a plastic pen cap, is about $12 while 60x strength is around $65. And in some cases the extract comes in flavours including apple, strawberry and spearmint.
Websites such as Salviadragon.com tout the product with images like a waterfall and rainbow and include testimonials like "It might sound far fetched, but I experience immortality."
Among those who believe the commotion over the drug is overblown is Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a non-profit group that does research on psychedelic drugs and whose goal is to develop psychedelics and marijuana into prescription medication.
"I think the move to criminalize is a misguided response to a very minimal problem," Doblin said.
Doblin said salvia isn't "a party drug," "tastes terrible" and is "not going to be extremely popular."
He disputes the fact teens are its main users and says older users are more likely. "It's a minor drug in the world of psychedelics," he said.
Moreover, it's hard to say how widespread the use of salvia is. National and state surveys on drug use don't include salvia, and because it is legal in most states, law enforcement officials don't compile statistics, either.
San Diego State University last year surveyed more than 1,500 students and found that four per cent of participants reported using salvia in the previous year.
Brandenburg's bill would make salvia and its extract controlled substances in the same class as marijuana and LSD.
Florida state Senator Evelyn Lynn, whose committee plans to study the salvia bill Tuesday, said the drug should be criminalized.
"I'd rather be at the front edge of preventing the dangers of the drug than waiting until we are the 40th or more," she said.
Here are some facts about a plant some authorities worry will become the new marijuana:
NAME: Salvia divinorum
NICKNAMES: Salvia, Sally-D, Magic Mint, Diviner's Sage, Maria Pastora, Sage of the Seers, Lady Salvia, Purple Sticky, Sage.
REPORTED EFFECTS: Hallucinogenic effects that last up to one hour, out-of-body experiences, loss of motor co-ordination and awareness of surroundings, loss of consciousness, uncontrolled laughter.
HOW IT'S USED: Smoked, chewed, made into tea, smoked in water pipes.
ORIGIN: Native to Oaxaca, Mexico, and used by Mazatec Indians in healing rituals.
States that have restricted salvia as of December 2007: Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee.
STATES THAT HAVE BANNED OR ARE CONSIDERING BANNING SALVIA: Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
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Source: Florida House of Representatives report, December 2007, and The Associated Press
Anyone tried this, already?
By Jessica Gresko, The Associated Press
ADVERTISEMENT
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - On websites touting the mind-blowing powers of salvia divinorum, come-ons to buy the hallucinogenic herb are accompanied by warnings: "Time is running out! ... stock up while you still can."
That's because salvia is being targeted by U.S. legislators concerned that the inexpensive and easy-to-obtain plant could become the next marijuana.
Eight states have already placed restrictions on salvia, and 16 others, including Florida, either have banned it or considering doing so.
"As soon as we make one drug illegal, kids start looking around for other drugs they can buy legally. This is just the next one," said Florida state Representative Mary Brandenburg, who has introduced a bill to make possession of salvia a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Some say legislators are overreacting to a minor problem, but no one disputes that the plant impairs judgment and the ability to drive.
Native to Mexico and still grown there, salvia divinorum is generally smoked but can also be chewed or made into a tea and drunk.
Called nicknames like Sally-D, Magic Mint and Diviner's Sage, salvia is a hallucinogen that gives users an out-of-body sense of travelling through time and space or merging with inanimate objects. Unlike hallucinogens like LSD or PCP, however, salvia's effects last for a shorter time, generally up to an hour.
No known deaths have been attributed to salvia's use, but it was listed as a factor in one Delaware teen's suicide two years ago.
"Parents, I would say, are pretty clueless," said Jonathan Appel, an assistant professor of psychology and criminal justice at Tiffin University in Ohio who has studied the emergence of the substance. "It's much more powerful than marijuana."
Salvia's short-lasting effects and fact that it is currently legal may make it seem more appealing to teens, legislators say. In the Delaware suicide, the boy's mother told reporters that salvia made his mood darker but he justified its use by citing its legality. According to reports, the autopsy found no traces of the drug in his system, but the medical examiner listed it as a contributing cause.
Mike Strain, Louisiana's Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner and former legislator, helped his state in 2005 become the first to make salvia illegal, along with a number of other plants. He said the response has been largely positive.
"I got some hostile e-mails from people who sold these products," Strain said. "You don't make everybody happy when you outlaw drugs. You save one child and it's worth it."
An ounce of salvia leaves sells for around $30 on the Internet. A liquid extract from the plant, salvinorin A, is also sold in various strengths labelled "5x" through "60x." A gram of the 5x strength, about the weight of a plastic pen cap, is about $12 while 60x strength is around $65. And in some cases the extract comes in flavours including apple, strawberry and spearmint.
Websites such as Salviadragon.com tout the product with images like a waterfall and rainbow and include testimonials like "It might sound far fetched, but I experience immortality."
Among those who believe the commotion over the drug is overblown is Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a non-profit group that does research on psychedelic drugs and whose goal is to develop psychedelics and marijuana into prescription medication.
"I think the move to criminalize is a misguided response to a very minimal problem," Doblin said.
Doblin said salvia isn't "a party drug," "tastes terrible" and is "not going to be extremely popular."
He disputes the fact teens are its main users and says older users are more likely. "It's a minor drug in the world of psychedelics," he said.
Moreover, it's hard to say how widespread the use of salvia is. National and state surveys on drug use don't include salvia, and because it is legal in most states, law enforcement officials don't compile statistics, either.
San Diego State University last year surveyed more than 1,500 students and found that four per cent of participants reported using salvia in the previous year.
Brandenburg's bill would make salvia and its extract controlled substances in the same class as marijuana and LSD.
Florida state Senator Evelyn Lynn, whose committee plans to study the salvia bill Tuesday, said the drug should be criminalized.
"I'd rather be at the front edge of preventing the dangers of the drug than waiting until we are the 40th or more," she said.
Here are some facts about a plant some authorities worry will become the new marijuana:
NAME: Salvia divinorum
NICKNAMES: Salvia, Sally-D, Magic Mint, Diviner's Sage, Maria Pastora, Sage of the Seers, Lady Salvia, Purple Sticky, Sage.
REPORTED EFFECTS: Hallucinogenic effects that last up to one hour, out-of-body experiences, loss of motor co-ordination and awareness of surroundings, loss of consciousness, uncontrolled laughter.
HOW IT'S USED: Smoked, chewed, made into tea, smoked in water pipes.
ORIGIN: Native to Oaxaca, Mexico, and used by Mazatec Indians in healing rituals.
States that have restricted salvia as of December 2007: Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee.
STATES THAT HAVE BANNED OR ARE CONSIDERING BANNING SALVIA: Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
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Source: Florida House of Representatives report, December 2007, and The Associated Press
Anyone tried this, already?
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