HEARING HELD ON SALVIA, PENALTIES TO BE ADDED IN ASSEMBLY BILL

A bill currently in the state Legislature that would create new
penalties over the drug salvia was read in a public hearing Wednesday,
with bill supporters saying the drug poses a risk to users and the
public.

The state Assembly's Criminal Justice Committee held a hearing on
Assembly Bill 477 Wednesday, which would create penalties for the drug
salvia divinorum.

The bill would allow law enforcement to confiscate salvia from anyone
manufacturing, distributing or delivering salvia, according to an aide
to state Rep. Sheldon Wasserman, D-Milwaukee, the author of the bill.

There is no criminal penalty or imprisonment term for those who sell
the drug, the aide said. The hallucinogen is currently legal in Wisconsin.

However, sellers of the drug could face fines of up to $10,000 if the
bill is passed, according to state Rep. Tony Staskunas, D-West Allis,
who said "the penalties are very light."

According to Wasserman's aide, no one testified against the bill and
attending committee members seemed supportive of it.

While there is currently no criminal penalty in the bill, there is
widespread concern among legislators over the safety risk posed by the
drug.

"It seems to be that the use of salvia creates a very intense high,"
Staskunas said.

Staskunas also said salvia users could endanger themselves and
bystanders while they are hallucinating. In addition, he said the
extended use of salvia could cause some long-term problems such as
depression.

UW-Madison professor of Pharmacology June Dahl said drugs like salvia
have psychedelic properties, which produce effects on the central
nervous system that cause people to behave bizarrely.

"If someone has a history of mental illness in the family, or a
genetic predisposition, experimentation with these kinds of
psychedelic substances can really trigger the onset of a serious
disease," Dahl said.

According to Dahl, long-term negative effects from using the drug are
largely unknown.

Some salvia suppliers are concerned with the bill.

"Once they make it illegal, scientists will not be able to research it
anymore," said a spokesperson for Amsterdam, a Madison store that
sells the drug.

According to the Amsterdam spokesperson, salvia research could help
break addictions to more severe drugs.

The Amsterdam spokesperson said the store has been selling salvia for
seven years to a wide demographic, though mostly older customers and
has never had any problems associated with the substance.