USE OF SALVIA GROWING AS RECREATIONAL DRUG

When Smoked, Plant Induces 15-Minute Hallucinogenic State

An old hallucinogenic drug is growing in popularity with young
people and causing concerns for health and law enforcement officials.

And in Kansas, as in most states, it's perfectly legal to sell it,
buy it or ingest it.

In fact, the main concern of law and health officials is that so
little is known about the drug and how it works.

It's called salvia divinorum.

Some Native Americans have been using it in spiritual ceremonies for
hundreds of years. It is native to certain areas of the Sierra
Mazateca region of Oaxaca, Mexico.

The leaves of the plant originally were chewed but are more often
smoked these days. They contain a chemical that produces a brief but
intense hallucinogenic state that often lasts only 15 minutes or less.

Jeff Brandau, special agent in charge for the Kansas Bureau of
Investigation, said his agency doesn't have any information about
the extent of use of the drug in Kansas. That's because is isn't
illegal to sell it and no law enforcement agencies are reporting it
being sold.

He said he did receive a few phone calls from the Lawrence area a
few weeks ago from people seeking information after a news story
described the drug. He said he has no firsthand knowledge, but has
been told there are some "head shops" in Lawrence selling it.

Dr. Eric Voth, a Topeka physician specializing in internal and
addictive medicine, said he is concerned because there are no
comprehensive studies of the drug's short-term and long-term affects
on the human body, especially the brain.

A person ingesting it has no idea how much his or her body can tolerate.

Voth has special expertise in the drug culture because of his
membership (and now chairmanship) in the Institute of Global Drug
Policy, a Florida-based think tank that studies the issues and
advises Congress and other governments and organizations.

He said salvia seems to be attacting "cult" users, and he hopes the
trend will fade away.

Salvia isn't classified as a controlled substance by the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency. There are places in the United States where it
can be purchased off a store shelf. It can also be ordered through
the Internet.

Brandau said the signs parents should watch for that their children
may be using salvia are the same as for other mind-altering
substances. If a parent finds an unknown leafy substance, he or she
should ask what it is and where the child got it.

Other signs include changes in mood or behavior such as
uncontrollable laughter.

It appears only one death has been attributed to use of the drug,
and everyone involved seems familiar with that story.

A coroner concluded that the use of salvia was a factor in the
suicide of 16-year-old Brett Chidester in Delaware. His mother,
Kathy Chidester, told a CBS reporter that Brett's mood became darker
after starting to use salvia.

"He'd say, 'Mom, it's legal. There's nothing wrong with it. If it
was bad it wouldn't be legal,' " she said.

The sale of salvia has been banned in some states, but so far the
federal government has declined to outlaw or regulate it.

A check of the Drug Enforcement Agency Web site shows little in the
way of information about salvia that is useful to the layman.

The Web site displays a DEA bulletin from June 2003 in which an
article written from the National Drug Intelligence Center has been
reproduced.

"The long-term effects of Salvia divinorum abuse are unknown, as
medical studies undertaken to examine the drug's physiological
effects have focused only on short-term effects," the article
stated. "However, information provided by abusers indicates that the
negative long-term effects of Salvia divinorum may be similar to
those produced by other hallucinogens such as LSD including
depression and schizophrenia.

"Some abusers also indicate that long-term abuse can cause ...
'flashbacks.' Some others report that the drug caused them to become
introverted and sometimes unable to communicate clearly."