POLICE WANT TO BAN SALE OF LEGAL HALLUCINOGEN

'Diviner's Sage' Used For Centuries In Mexico

SASKATOON - Police forces are growing more concerned about the
potential effects of a legal hallucinogen sold in hemp stores and on
the Internet. But users defend the powerful herbal psychedelic as a
mind-altering, but altogether safe trip.

The herb is Salvia divinorum, known more commonly as salvia, magic
mint, or the diviner's sage, an unregulated hallucinogen that is
legal to possess, distribute and consume in most places in the world.
In Canada, salvia is not regulated under the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act, but it is banned in Australia. Several U.S. states
are currently considering a ban.

Police in Saskatoon admit they haven't had any specific problems with
salvia and can't do anything about it, but say it may only be a
matter of time before something happens.

"Stores shouldn't be selling it to anybody, period," said Sgt. Jerome
Engele with the Saskatoon police integrated drug unit. "It's legal,
and that's a problem. Unless drugs have some kind of medicinal
purpose, they shouldn't be sold. It's caused epileptic seizures and
put people in comas in other places.

"Stores that sell the stuff should be held liable if anyone is
injured as a result."

Health Canada has been "monitoring" the national and international
trend of salvia use, but says the long-term effects of the
hallucinogen are unknown. In the short term, they say, it has been
known to cause unconsciousness and short-term memory loss, but it is
not aware of any dependency.

Salvia has been used for hundreds of years by the Mazatec indigenous
people of Mexico for spiritual trips and is usually chewed or smoked.
It gives users a short but powerful hallucination, lasting anywhere
from 30 seconds to 30 minutes.