LAWMAKERS RACE TO CRIMINALIZE DRUG PLANT

Hallucinogenic Salvia Divinorum Is Touted As the "Next Marijuana."

TALLAHASSEE - On Web sites touting the mind-blowing powers of Salvia
divinorum, come-ons to buy the hallucinogenic herb are accompanied by
warnings: "Time is running out!" and "stock up while you still can."

That's because salvia is being targeted by lawmakers 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, are considering a ban or have previously.

"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 Rep. 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 traveling
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.

It is not the same as the ornamental garden plant known as
salvia.

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 the fact that it is currently legal
may make it seem more appealing to teens, lawmakers 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 about $30 on the Internet. A
liquid extract from the plant, salvinorin A, is also sold in various
strengths labeled "5x" through "60x." A gram of the 5x strength, about
the weight of a plastic pen cap, is about $12 while 60x strength is
about $65. And in some cases, the extract comes in flavors including
apple, strawberry and spearmint.

Among those who think the commotion over the drug is overblown is Rick
Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a
nonprofit 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.