8 HAVE PASSED RESTRICTIONS

Some Say That The Inexpensive, Easily Obtained Herb, Native To Mexico,
Is The Next Marijuana

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- 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; 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.

Called nicknames such as 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 such as 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. 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 a
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.

It's hard to say how widespread the use of salvia is. Because it is
legal in most states, law enforcement officials don't compile
statistics. A study released last month by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services found just under 2 percent of people ages 18
to 25 surveyed in 2006 reported using salvia in the past year.

A 2007 survey of more than 1,500 San Diego State University students
found that 4 percent of participants reported using salvia in the past
year. Brandenburg's bill would make salvia and its extract controlled
substances in the same class as marijuana and LSD.

Florida state Sen. Evelyn Lynn, whose committee unanimously passed the
salvia bill on 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.