ALBERTA POLITICIANS NOT SO HIGH ON LITTLE-KNOWN LEGAL
HALLUCINOGENIC DUBBED 'THE NEW ACID'

A new push to criminalize a little-known herbal hallucinogenic isn't
worrying Vancouver head shop owner Chris Bennett just yet. In fact, he
says any controversy over salvia divinorum is good for business.

"Whenever I get a little bit of TV coverage on salvia, I get a burst
of business," says the owner of Urban Shaman, where the sage is sold
for up to $20 a gram in higher concentrations.

"It's more middle age people that start coming in. The college kids
all know about it."

The city council in Leduc, Alta., is pushing the federal government to
criminalize a drug Mayor Greg Krischke has called "the new acid."

When smoked, the substance causes intense hallucinations that usually
last a few minutes. It has already been banned in Australia, Denmark,
Italy, Belgium and South Korea. Health Canada is studying the drug.