REGINA POLICE MUM ON HERB

While several police forces across Canada -- including the Saskatoon
Police Service -- have raised concerns about a so-far legal
hallucinogen, the Regina Police Service has, to date, not experienced
a similar issue, said a police spokeswoman.

"I'm not aware that we've had any calls involving it where police
were involved ...," Elizabeth Popowich said, referring to a herb
called Salvia divinorum. "I would imagine that there are always
discussions that occur at a much higher level where legislators look
for input from the police community on various subjects, and that
might be where such a discussion happens, but not directly for us."

More commonly known as 'diviner's sage,' 'Sally-D' or 'magic mint,'
Salvia can be smoked or taken in pill form and causes powerful
hallucinations that can last between 30 seconds and half an hour.
Currently Salvia -- used for centuries by Mexico's Mazatec people --
is legal throughout much of the world and can be purchased over the
Internet or in some hemp shops.

That has caused a concern in Saskatoon, where police have spoken out
against the legal availability of the herb. In doing so, they joined
in with similar sentiments expressed by police in other Canadian
centres like Dawson Creek, B.C, and Leduc, Alta.

The herb has already been made illegal in several countries,
including Australia, and several U.S. states are considering following suit.

Health Canada is currently studying Salvia to determine whether it
should be placed on the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act list,
said a department spokesman.

"We're working very closely with our counterparts in other
jurisdictions as well as the International Narcotics Control Board,"
said Paul Duchesne, adding that Salvia is not listed under the United
Nations' drug control conventions either, meaning it is not required
to be regulated as a controlled substance in any country that
operates under U.N. guidelines. "So what we're trying to do is gather
as much information as we can about Salvia divinorum and its
associated risks and that information is collected from multiple
(national and international) sources."

Duchesne said Health Canada will look at long-term effects as well as
adverse-reaction reports. In 2005, four such reports came in,
including one that was considered serious and needed medical
intervention. In some cases, the drug has been known to lead to
unconsciousness and short-term memory loss.

Unless or until Salvia is added to the list of controlled substances,
Popowich said police can do little about it, a position echoed by the RCMP.

Saskatchewan RCMP spokeswoman Heather Russell said while members have
had meetings in regards to the drug, to date the Mounties have taken
no official position on what its legal availability should be.
However, she said police have conducted education and awareness
meetings with parks employees so they know how to recognize the
plant, should they find it in the parks.