LEGISLATORS STUDY BAN ON THE HALLUCINOGENIC HERB SALVIA DIVINORUM

Bill Makes Possession of Saliva a Felony

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! . . . stock up while you still can."

That's because salvia is being targeted by legislators 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, D-West Palm Beach, 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. 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 fact that it is currently legal may
make it seem more appealing to teens, legislators 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 around $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
around $65. And in some cases the extract comes in flavors including
apple, strawberry and spearmint. Web sites such as Salviadragon.com
tout the product with images like a waterfall and rainbow and include
testimonials like, "It might sound far-fetched, but I experience
immortality."

Among those who believe 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.

Moreover, it's hard to say how widespread the use of salvia is.
National and state surveys on drug use don't include salvia, and
because it is legal in most states, law enforcement officials don't
compile statistics, either.

San Diego State University last year surveyed more than 1,500 students
and 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 planned to study the
salvia bill, 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," said Lynn, R-Ormond Beach.