SALVIA NEITHER "PARTY DRUG" NOR THREAT

Salvia Divinorum is a plant that has seen shamanic use as a visionary
sacrament in Mexico and South America for centuries. It is a unique
drug, as it is the only k-opioid receptor agonist, which has a strong
hallucinogenic effect. Scientists have been very interested in
researching the medicinal potential of the drug; however, due to
growing hysteria surrounding salvia, that research may be cut short.

Salvia and its active ingredient, Salvinorin A, are currently being
researched for unique anti-depressant properties, analgesic effects,
as well as potential as a treatment for alcohol or narcotic
addiction. Just as with the African plant psychedelic Ibogaine(which
is one of the best available treatments for heroin and crack cocaine
addiction), and LSD (which had a 50% success rate treating alcoholism
in the 1950's), and Psilocybin Mushrooms (which is one of the best
treatments for cluster migraines), and MDMA (commonly known as
Ecstasy, one of the most effective treatments for returning soldiers
with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), the war on drugs continues to
impede medical research.

It is being said that salvia is the latest craze; a new party drug
that is addicting kids everywhere. Are we in the middle of a new drug
epidemic? What is the truth about this little known plant?

Smoking Salvia brings on intense hallucinations and altered states of
consciousness, and therefore has been compared to LSD. Unlike LSD,
however, the effects of Salvia last only minutes rather than hours.
The effects of the drug are unpleasant and the smoke tastes like a
mix between burnt rubber and rotten fish.

When a person smokes Salvia, it is nearly impossible to say a single
word, much less hold a conversation, and it is a very introverted,
personal, even spiritual experience. It is almost the complete
opposite of a "party drug". It does not make a person particularly
social and is certainly not "fun". Most people who use it gain
insight on a particular issue in their life, or learn something about
themselves.

However, the effects are so unpleasant that most people try it once
or twice, then never go back to it. If someone tells you that salvia
is addictive, they are lying.

Hysteria about drug use is certainly not new. The drug war in this
country began following the 1907 Vancouver riots, in which white
British Columbians harassed and attacked Chinese-Canadians. Along
with the Chinese Head Tax, drug prohibition was passed into
law. Both laws were passed with the same goal in mind: make Canada a
pure, white, Christian society.

Emily Murphy, one of the most famous Canadian feminists, who was also
a major league racist and an advocate for Alberta's forced
sterilization program, was the mother of Canadian drug prohibition.

Much like those in the southern United States, Ms. Murphy viewed drug
use as an extension of the evil of non-whites. Following the 1907
riots, opium and marijuana use among Chinese-Canadians became an
opportunity for Murphy to try to force non-whites out of Canada, as
well as to control the depravity of the public. Murphy believed that
the public are sinful and need to be punished by the federal
government, a view similar to that of our current Prime Minister.

She claimed that two puffs of marijuana would make somebody go insane
and commit murder. This claim was never challenged and became the
basis for our drug laws. Now people are saying similarly ridiculous
and unfounded things about Salvia.

Some people who are calling for Salvia to be banned may very well be
concerned parents. Keep in mind, however, that two of the biggest
contributors to "The Partnership for a Drug-Free America" and other
'anti-drug' lobbies are the alcohol and tobacco industries, followed
closely by the pharmaceutical industry. The drug war is big business.

You are being lied to, and the media has been useless to expose the
lies. I thank The Ontarion for the opportunity to cut through the
hysteria. Research the history of drug policy and you too will come
to the conclusion that the only rational option is to legalize,
regulate, and educate.