UNREGULATED HALLUCINOGENIC DRUG AVAILABLE AT LOCAL OUTLET

A new fad drug gaining in popularity among young adults, according to the
Drug Enforcement Administration, is now being sold in Cape Girardeau
legally.

The herb salvia divinorum is a distant relative to the sage mint plant and
is a powerful natural hallucinogen. It is native to Mexico and has been used
by Mazatec Indians for centuries to heal patients and perform spiritual
ceremonies. Due to the drug's anonymity in the United States, no federal
laws to regulate the drug exist, said Shirley Armstead, public information
officer for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Hempies, a head shop located at 110 Themis St. in Cape Girardeau, has been
selling the drug since last December and sales of the drug are good, said
Christie Wibbenmeyer, partial owner of the store. Also, the drug is easily
accessible on the Internet and the herb can be grown indoors and outdoors
with little maintenance.

"We sell between 10 and 20 grams a week," Wibbenmeyer said.

The drug's clientele at Hempies ranges in age from about 19 to 50 years old,
but Wibbenmeyer said the drug is most popular with young Southeast
Missourians.

Despite the drug being legal for all ages in the United States, Hempies
requires salvia customers to be at least 18 years old, she said.

Although the herb can be chewed or smoked, Wibbenmeyer said the majority of
people she caters to smoke the drug.

The drug produces a wide range of effects.

Love it or hate it

"You either love it or you hate it," Wibbenmeyer said, who has used the drug
in the past. She compared the herb to a strong blend of tobacco, which is
supposed to stimulate the inner mind and allow meditation. Wibbenmeyer said
the user's reactions to the drug can range from a state of relaxation to
intense hallucinations.

"I didn't have any problems when I did it," Wibbenmeyer said. But she still
recommends that a sober sitter be present when people are first introduced
to the drug.

Hallucinations that stem from the use of salvia may include out of body
experiences, the feeling of traveling through space, merging with inanimate
objects and levels of confusion such as hearing colors or smelling sounds,
said Sgt. Kevin Glaser, coordinator of the SEMO Drug Task Force.

"Basically it has the same effect of LSD," he said.

The DEA has begun researching the drug on a nationwide level, Armstead said.

"Salvia has been listed on our Web site under the latest drugs and chemicals
of concern," she said. "We know it is catching on and we're looking into
it."

However, because the drug is legal it has not been included in most, if any,
national drug surveys, so to try and ascertain what degree it is abused is
very difficult, Glaser said.

Local authorities have also been alerted about the drug, but little is
currently being done to promote regulation in Southeast Missouri.

"Up to this point, I haven't heard that it is a major problem here," Glaser
said.

Because the drug remains legal, along with the young age group attracted to
the drug, any successful effort to curb the use of salvia in Southeast
Missouri appears unlikely.

"If it were to be banned it would be very hard to infiltrate that type of
crowd from an undercover standpoint," Glaser said. "We are much older than
the age group that is attracted to it."

St. Peters, Mo., a suburb west of St. Louis, voted in January to restrict
anyone under the age of 18 from being able to purchase the drug. It was one
of the first cities in the nation to place a restriction on salvia.

Soon after St. Peters limited the sale of salvia users from that area began
calling Hempies to find out if restrictions would limit their ability to
purchase the drug in Cape Girardeau, Wibbenmeyer said.

"We had several phone calls from people living in St. Peters wondering if
they could buy it from us," she said. "I think it would be silly to even
think about making it illegal. It's a natural herb."