OVER-THE-COUNTER COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS

"Everything turns to water-- like cel-shaded water, and I fall onto a
pirate ship as I'm smoking it. Then I start hallucinating. All of a
sudden I'm in the world of Zelda, like the Deku Tree area. And I try
to run, but on salvia you can't really move. So [my friend] tries to
hold me back, but I fight him off and I run but my legs give in and I
fall forward and hit myself on the bed. The hallucination only lasts
about a minute for me. Then I'm just really happy and really hungry,
so I go back to my own dorm room and I put all my bedding and my
mattress inside my closet, and just sit there and listen to the
Radiohead song 'Treefingers' on repeat."

These are the words Nick Workman, a University of Western Ontario
student, used to describe his first experience with Salvia divinorum,
or Diviner's Sage, an entheogenic South American plant which can be
legally sold and purchased in Canada. While Workman first tried salvia
several years ago, the drug has been gaining users via unconventional
channels.

In early December TMZ posted a video of Miley Cyrus, former Disney
star, smoking from a bong at her 18th birthday party. In the video,
the "Got Milk" girl giggles, slurs and says she wants "more of that
shit."

According to TMZ's sources, the "shit" in question is
salvia.

Chris Bennett, owner of Vancouver's Urban Shaman, counts salvia among
his inventory of shamanic aids, though it's not widely used. "It was
more popular a few years ago," Bennett said. "It's gone through its
novelty potential."

The Cyrus video sparked some renewed interest in the drug among an
unlikely demographic. "Usually when something like that happens, I get
a bunch of older people in, middle age type people. The kids already
know about it," says Bennett, in reference to the Cyrus video.

"Kids" is a broad term, as Bennett does not allow minors into his
store. However, the Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey
study showed that 7.3 per cent of Canadians between 15 and 24 have
taken the drug at least once.

The sale of salvia is a grey area. In Canada, the plant is classed as
a natural health product (NHP), meaning it cannot be sold unless it
has been reviewed and authorized by Health Canada--which it hasn't. A
loophole in the law allows salvia to be sold openly so long as the
consumer is informed that their purchase is not intended for human
use.

"To date, Health Canada has not licensed for sale any drug or NHP
which contains salvia as an ingredient," said Christelle Legault, a
spokesperson for the Ministry.

This means that the sale of the plant is largely under the
jurisdiction of Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch
Inspectorate. Their enforcement of these laws has been slack,
according to a CBC article dated October 19.

Bennett says that salvia is not meant for human consumption.

"Traditionally, it's burned as an incense. It was used as a visionary
oracle, so people would consult it with a question and from their
vision try and decipher an answer."

Using salvia can be an intense, powerful experience. Salvia trips are
a popular topic of discussion in Bennett's store. "I probably talk to
more people about those experiences than anything else," he said.
"There are a lot of commonalities. A lot of people report they have a
vision where everything is made out of Lego or pages of a book."

In the video, Cyrus complains that she is having "kind of a bad trip."
Bennett himself is not a user of the plant. "I don't really like
salvia myself. It's not something I can see myself doing again. I find
the loss of identity and personality too overwhelming or something."

Recently, a woman from Burnaby shattered her jawbone after jumping out
a third story window while high on salvia. Bennett isn't sure the drug
is to blame, comparing the situation to "a drunk person blaming booze
for their car accident. With some common sense and some safe
precautions--like having somebody there with you--that sort of danger is
negated."

According to Legault, "Health Canada is currently assessing whether
the regulation of Salvia divinorum...under the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act is warranted."

Given its reputation, it is unlikely that the drug will ever receive
approval. Bennett sees this less as a vote for public safety than an
act of suppression.

"The biggest concern about salvia is not any proclaimed health
effects, it's that, for five minutes, people are having a visionary
experience," he said. "It's like our culture somehow fears that sort
of thing."

- - with files from Bryce Warnes