LAWMAKERS, POLICE TAKE AIM AT LEGAL DRUG

Assembly Bill Would Ban Sales of Hallucinogenic Salvia to Minors;
Internet Seller Defends Its Use

SACRAMENTO-California kids legally can tune in, turn on and freak out
these days with a potent, mind-altering drug that is readily available
but targeted for a crackdown by police and lawmakers. Typically smoked
or chewed, Salvia divinorum has become increasingly known on the
Internet the past few years through sales on eBay and through YouTube
videos of users tripping with it.

The drug is produced from a Mexican plant used by Mazatec Indians for
healing and ritual prophecy. Users in the United States have reported
effects ranging from relaxation and sensual pleasure to out-of-body
experiences and frightening hallucinations.

"This is the first really new illicit drug in a long time," said Dr.
John Mendelson, a researcher at California Pacific Medical Center who
is preparing to study how much salvia users must consume to become
intoxicated.

San Luis Obispo County sheriff's officials said they are not seeing
the drug much locally but do believe it is extremely dangerous. About
10 years ago, detectives came across an incident involving a man who
was selling salvia through the mail, but they did not remember any
other cases involving sales of the drug.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Lt. Jerry Davis, who is pushing
legislation to ban sales to minors, said one woman who used salvia -
sometimes called "Sally D" or "magic mint" - claimed that her
miniblinds suddenly began beating her.

"She had a burrito on the table," he said, reporting her
hallucination. "It grew legs and teeth and started to attack her."

A Delaware woman, Kathy Chidester, is pushing to outlaw salvia
nationwide after her 17- year-old son, Brett, committed suicide two
years ago - a death that a medical examiner ruled stemmed, in part,
from the teen's use of the drug.

Chidester said her son, a straight-A student, balked at her appeals to
stop smoking salvia, which he purchased from a Web site. "He said,
'Mom, it's legal,' " Chidester recalled. "He said, 'If there was
something really, really wrong with it, it would not be legal.' "

Daniel Siebert, a Malibu herbalist, counters that media coverage of
salvia has been unfair. It is not a party drug, does not produce a
euphoric high, is not addictive, and can be used responsibly for
introspection, he said.

"It's kind of like a tool for gaining greater understanding," said
Siebert, who has used the drug many times, sells it via the Internet,
and has written a user's guide that describes its effects as "divine
inebriation."

Siebert said users will experience varying degrees of impact,
depending partly on dosage and how the drug is consumed. Salvia, whose
active component is "salvinorin A," is an herb in the mint family.

"Salvia has much to offer: fascinating psychoactive effects, sensual
enhancement, magical journeys, enchantment, apparent time travel,
philosophical insights, spiritual experiences and perhaps even healing
and divination," Siebert says in his user's guide.

The manual warns that salvia should be used only by adults in a
"thoughtful, intelligent manner," and that a companion should be
present if a user is taking doses high enough that he or she might
"freak out, become confused, injure (himself), fall, or do anything
that might harm others."

Siebert said salvia's visionary effects typically resemble a dream,
with users not feeling as if they are under the influence of a drug.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse characterizes salvia's effects as
"intense but short-lived," beginning less than a minute after
consumption and lasting less than 30 minutes.

Federal drug agencies note that salvia is not approved for medical
use. But Mendelson said researchers are interested in studying its
potential for treating bipolar mental conditions or slowing the
transmission of HIV.

Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Spain and Sweden have
restricted sale or use of the drug, as have a handful of U. S. states,
including Delaware, Missouri and Louisiana, according to the federal
Drug Enforcement Administration.

The DEA has listed salvia as a "drug of concern" and is evaluating
it-addressing issues ranging from potential abuse to medicinal
possibilities-to determine whether it should be banned like marijuana
and LSD, spokeswoman Rogene Waite said.

"What we say, and cannot emphasize too much, is that just because
something isn't currently a controlled substance doesn't mean it's not
dangerous," Waite said. "It doesn't mean you should be experimenting
with it."

Assemblyman Anthony Adams has proposed legislation, Assembly Bill 259,
to make it a misdemeanor to sell salvia to minors. The bill passed the
Assembly, 76-0, and is pending in the Senate. Adams said public safety
is endangered when teenagers can use salvia and hallucinate, perhaps
behind the wheel of a car.

AB 259 is opposed by California Attorneys for Criminal Justice,
representing defense lawyers, who argue that there is no evidence that
salvia causes physical harm and that legislators know too little about
the drug to take action.

No statistics are kept on how widely salvia is used statewide. The
drug is marketed in various sizes, shapes and containers as leaves,
extracts and tinctures.

Tribune staff writer Leslie Parrilla contributed to this
report.

SALVIA AT A GLANCE

What: Salvia divinorum is a psychedelic plant found primarily in the
Mazateca region of Mexico.

How it's used: Salvia is typically chewed or smoked.

Traditional use: The Mazatec Indians use salvia for healing and ritual
prophecy.

Modern use: Users in the United States have reported effects ranging
from relaxation and sensual pleasure to out-of-body experiences and
frightening hallucinations.

How it's sold: Salvia is marketed in various sizes, shapes and
containers as leaves, extracts and tinctures.

Legality: The DEA has listed salvia as a "drug of concern," and it is
considered a controlled substance in several states, including Delaware,
Louisiana and Missouri, and many other states are considering regulating its
use.

California proposal: Assembly Bill 259 would make it a misdemeanor to
sell salvia to minors.

Notable quote: "This is the first really new illicit drug in a long
time."- Dr. John Mendelson, a researcher at California Pacific Medical
Center