LSD-LIKE DRUG LEGAL IN CANADA

TORONTO -- The first time Ryan Fentie smoked salvia, he was
overwhelmed by the sudden, intense feelings that swept over him.

A huge hole opened in the ground before him, vines snaked out of the
pit and encircled his feet and he felt himself become a part of them.

"I had no idea what the drug was doing to me," Fentie recalled. "It
feels like you entered another world."

His high came from a powerful hallucinogenic drug that can be bought
- -- legally -- at convenience stores and head shops across Toronto.

It's a drug that increasingly is drawing attention from law
enforcement and municipal officials, particularly because it's easy
for teens and younger kids to purchase.

Would-be salvia users can buy the herb on the Internet and there are
plenty of online retailers willing to ship the drug to anyone with a
credit card or PayPal account -- with no age limit.

THERAPEUTIC

At the same time, salvia has attracted intense interest from medical
researchers for it's potential therapeutic value as a powerful
medicine to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Salvia divinorum is a naturally occurring plant grown in the Sierra
Mazateca region of Mexico. Mazatec natives have used the plant for
centuries in ritual healing ceremonies and vision quests.

Most users light the leaves in a glass pipe and inhale the smoke,
producing a high that lasts for up to 20 minutes, generally including
strong hallucinations.

Health Canada has looked into salvia and in a 2005 report recommended
its inclusion on the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. So far the
agency has not taken any steps to restrict the herb.

However, other jurisdictions have moved to outlaw salvia including
several European countries while 13 U.S. states have some form of regulation.

Australia has the toughest laws against salvia use, placing it on the
same level as cocaine or heroine.