RESORT LOOKS TO BOOT LEGAL DRUG OUT OF SHOPS

OCEAN CITY – From the mountains of Mexico to the Boardwalk shops of
Ocean City, salvia divinorum has taken hold, promising everything from
visions and divine intervention to a few minutes of fun. While
opinions and the ultimate effects of the legal drug remain debatable,
resort officials remained clear on their position last Thursday; ban
salvia in Ocean City.

Salvia divinorum, which literally means diviner’s sage and is also
known as ska pastora, diviner’s mint, Sally-D and Lady Salvia, has
existed for centuries, but only recently came to the forefront in
Ocean City. Found in numerous stores up and down the Boardwalk, town
officials hope to ban the sale of the legal drug by summer’s end, in
hopes of curbing its ever-growing popularity.

At a Police Commission meeting last week, Captain Robert Bokinsky
presented an overview of the plant that he deemed, “OC’s legal
hallucinogen”.

“We’re not talking about the garden variety – that’s not what we’re
dealing with,” he said.

Salvia is a member of the sage and mint families and is a naturally
occurring plant, however it is the leaves that possess the active
ingredient that cause hallucinations. Scientists have declared
Salvniorin A to hold the mind-altering power, which is found within
the leaves of the plant.

Salvia, endemic to Oaxaco, Mexico, was originally used by Mazatec
Indians to heal, see the future and evoke visions. While the drug has
been around for centuries, it has only gained popularity in the United
States in the past 10 to 20 years, exploding most recently through its
availability on the Internet.

Salvia is typically smoked or chewed, with effects coming on quickly,
within 20 seconds to five minutes and lasting briefly, from five
minutes to 25 minutes. Some speculate that the more you use, the
longer hallucinations last.

Personal experiences vary dramatically, making effects of the drug
difficult to pinpoint. Bokinsky presented the commission with a
youtube video of a college-age man experimenting with salvia. Needless
to say, the experience was intense.

“You’ll see things that just don’t make sense. Once this thing takes a
hold of your mind, it takes you where it takes you,” said Bokinsky.

Reviews among users vary however, with some claiming long-term clarity
and dreams, others describing horrifying hallucinations and others
chalking the experience up to a minor drug trip.

Online bloggers on salvia.net described the effects in a variety of
ways as well. Comments included:

“All in all, it was an amazing experience for me, unlike anything I
have ever experienced in my entire life.”

“I am thankful to the spirit of the salvia plant for sharing in her
bizarre wisdom and reminding me of the sanctity of life.”

“Heehee, funny, huh? The most terrifying experience in my life, and I
was ready to do it again!”

Some of the effects include loss of physical coordination, visual
alterations or visions, experiencing multiple realities, sense of
profound understanding, sense of total confusion or madness, sense of
flying, floating, twisting, or turning, and a sense of becoming
inanimate objects. A “sitter” is advised when using salvia, to monitor
one’s actions.

To date, no concrete studies regarding the long-term effects or
addictive nature of salvia have been presented, making it difficult to
justify banning the drug.

One recorded death occurred in Delaware when a 17-year-old committed
suicide. However, defenders of salvia would argue it is difficult to
pinpoint salivia as the cause of death.

With salivia deemed as a strong hallucinigen, there is naturally a
concern for driving while using, said Bokinsky. While the effects are
short-lived, driving could pose a serious threat. Likewise, it would
be difficult to prove salvia as the cause if an accident did occur,
said Bokinsky explaining, “by the time the police officer gets there
and talks to the person, they’re probably not going to be in the
throws of a full-blown trip.”

Currently, salvia can be found along the length of Ocean City’s
Boardwalk, with neon signs flashing, “salivia!” in many store windows.

To date, 20 states and eight countries have banned salvia in some
form. Australia banned the drug in 2002, while Italy made the sale and
possession of salvia illegal in 2005, to name a few. In June, Florida
passed the “hallucinigenic herb law”, putting salvia in the same class
as controlled substances marijuana and LSD. In Maine, salvia is
regulated the same way as tobacco, legal only for those 18 and older.
More locally, Delaware banned salvia in 2006.

According to Bokinsky, the Maryland Attorney General is seeking means
to ban salvia in Maryland, with legislation to be presented at the
2009 general session. However, even if legislation passes, the
earliest the law could come to fruition would be July 2009, said Bokinsky.

The Drug Enforcement Agency is also looking into salvia, initiating an
eight-factor analysis of the drug to make it a Schedule I substance,
however that too could be a lengthy process, one that could take
several years.

Bokinsky explained that four municipalities have already banned the
sale or possession of salvia or limited its availability to minors, a
route Ocean City also could take at the direction of the Mayor and
City Council.

“I couldn’t imagine someone driving on this stuff,” said Council
member Lloyd Martin, agreeing with the police department’s suggestion
to ban the sale of salvia.

Council member Jay Hancock questioned the local effects of the
drug.

“We’re getting complaints from parents, from citizens,” said Police
Chief Bernadette DiPino.

OCPD Lieutenant Scott Kirkpatrick noted a few salvia-related incidents
police have encountered on the Boardwalk.

The commission agreed to take the matter to the council level for
concurrence on drafting legislation regarding salvia in the resort.