WISCONSIN CONSIDERS BANNING NEW DRUG PLANT

A state lawmaker wants to ban a Mexican herb that can cause intense
hallucinations.

Federal drug laws don't address Salvia divinorum, but a handful of
states have adopted their own laws regulating it.

The Wisconsin Assembly Criminal Justice Committee is set to hold a
public hearing Wednesday on a measure that would prohibit distributing
or selling the herb for human consumption.

The bill's main author, Rep. Sheldon Wasserman, says Salvia is
dangerous and too readily available at Wisconsin smoke shops and from
online dealers.

"It's a psychoactive drug that affects the way we think, the way we
act. It impairs our judgment," Wasserman said.

Smoking, chewing or licking the herb can cause short, intense giggling
fits as well as hallucinations. Teens and young adults have taken to
videotaping themselves getting high on it.

The herb's long-term effects are still unknown, said Dr. Neil Farber,
an associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin who has
researched the herb.

But it can be as potent as LSD, causing visions and improved moods in
some people, Farber said. It also can cause loss of balance and
coordination, and alter perception, which could create problems when a
user gets behind the wheel, he said. Wisconsin drivers can now legally
use the drug and drive.

Sue Nowak is a drug prevention specialist with North Central Health
Care, which provides drug counseling, treatment and detoxification
services for several northern Wisconsin counties. Nowak said she
spends a lot of time talking with children in alternative schools in
Marathon, Lincoln and Langlade counties.

Chatter about Salvia has grown over the last two years, she said. Most
kids get the herb from area smoke shops, she said, or have someone get
it for them.

Nowak estimated she has come across several dozen students who have
tried it. "One talked about trying to walk through a window," Nowak
said. "What kids have said is it's just extremely intense."

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration is looking into whether
the herb belongs on its controlled substances list.

But Bertha Madras, deputy director of demand reduction for the White
House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said Salvia users are
few. Marijuana and non-medical use of prescription drugs remain the
most popular forms of drug abuse, she said.

"Salvia divinorum is so far down the list, it's a tiny fraction of 1
percent," she said. "That does not mean we do not pay attention to it.
On an individual, case-by-case basis, any drug that is intoxicating
can produce devastation."

At least eight states -- Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine,
Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Tennessee -- have enacted
legislation regulating Salvia since 2005, according to the National
Conference of State Legislatures.

Wasserman's bill would prohibit manufacturing, distributing, selling
or delivering the herb. Violators would face up to $10,000 in fines
but no jail time.