ON A MAGIC MINT RIDE

Users Say Potent -- And Legal -- Herb Is Safe, But Police Official
Warns Of 'All Sorts Of Bad Trips'

Reality shatters in front of your eyes. Your ego dissolves. And you
can find God on your lunch break.

These are just a few of the accounts from hemp store employees who
have taken a psychedelic ride using an increasingly popular -- and
perfectly legal -- herb that packs a powerful punch.

The herb is Salvia divinorum, more commonly known as Salvia, magic
mint or the diviner's sage.

It has come under scrutiny in several U.S. states, with one Delaware
mother saying the herb was a major contributor to her son's suicide.

Some in the Ottawa police are concerned about its use in the city,
especially among youth, but users defend the powerful herbal
psychedelic as a mind-altering but safe trip they only sell to those
of age.

"It's a substance that can cause disturbing side effects," said
Ottawa police youth intervention program co-ordinator Louise Logue.

"It's bad for physical and community safety.

"All of a sudden a kid thinks they can stop a bus and they run out in
front and get crushed. Hallucinogens like Salvia can cause all sorts
of bad trips."

UNREGULATED

Salvia is an unregulated hallucinogen that is legal to possess,
distribute and consume in most places around the world and can be
bought over the Internet or in hemp stores.

In Canada, Salvia is not regulated under the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act.

According to Health Canada, Salvia has been known to cause
unconsciousness and short-term memory loss, but the department is not
aware of any dependency and has been collecting information relevant
to the substance.

Salvia has been used for hundreds of years by the Mazatec indigenous
people of Mexico for spiritual trips and is usually chewed or smoked.
It gives users a short but powerful hallucination, lasting anywhere
from 30 seconds to 30 minutes.

Tom, a part-time employee at Smoke Signals who asked that his last
name not be used, said the drug is "humbling" and only recommends it
"to people who know themselves."

He smokes the herb roughly once a month.

Smoke Signals, one of many hemp shops in Ottawa, has been selling
Salvia for three years.

Tom said the store warns people to take the drug in a controlled
environment, and hands out pamphlets with information on safe
consumption.

He said the store will not sell Salvia to anyone under 19. The
hallucinogen is sold in several potencies and ranges in price from
$15 to $100.

The biggest misconception about Salvia, Tom said, is that it's a
legal substitute for marijuana. It's an anti-social experience and
certainly not a party drug, he said, noting a lot of people never use
it again after an unsettling first experience.

NO PROBLEMS

Staff Sgt. Pete Gauthier said the Ottawa police drug unit has not had
contact with Salvia on the street.

"We're not running into any problems on the enforcement end of
things," he said.

"It's a mind-altering drug, so we're concerned, of course, but we
haven't come in contact with it at all."

Tom admits it's only a matter of time before it becomes a controlled
substance, but likely for political reasons rather than scientific.

"I don't agree with it being illegal," Tom said.

"It has no negative side effects. It's about as bad as smoking paper
your whole life."