SALVIA BILL DEMONIZES HARMLESS HALLUCINOGEN

Lawmakers Fail to Recognize That Banning Salvia Does Not Mean
Preventing Its Trade or Usage

There is a danger growing around Madison. And no, it isn't the sexual
assaults, kidnappings, bank robberies, murders or violence. According
to state lawmakers (and probably Lou Dobbs), it is imports from
Mexico that may be here illegally to destroy American culture and
American youth.

I'm talking, of course about Salvia Divinorum - a non habit-forming
herb that has historically been used in the Mazatec region of the
Sierra Madre Mountains in Oaxaca, Mexico as part of ritualistic
healing and prophecy rituals. Since the early 1990s, it has increased
in popularity in the United States (although, to call (although, to
call it popular is somewhat misleading.) State Representatives
Sheldon Wasserman and David Cullen authored a bill that would
prohibit the sale and manufacturing of Salvia Divinorum. The Assembly
Criminal Justice Committee held a public hearing on the measure last Wednesday.

Currently, there is no Federal regulation on the herb. According to
Bertha Madras, deputy director of demand reduction for the White
House Office of National Drug Control Policy, "Salvia Divinorum is so
far down the list, it's a tiny fraction of 1 percent." Although
Wasserman doesn't seem to understand much about the herb, he feels it
is dangerous. He says, "[Salvia] affects the way we think, the way we
act. It impairs our judgment." I will not dispute these facts, but I
emphatically disagree that this is any reason for the government to
mandate what citizens can and cannot consume.

While people might not be willing to get on board to defend the
marginal Salvia herb, this struggle is symbolic of something far
greater. The astute reader will no doubt remember that these same
arguments were put forth nearly a century ago to prohibit Americans
from imbibing Alcohol. However, the short-lived prohibition was left
by the wayside because Americans believe it to be their
constitutional right not only to enjoy delicious alcoholic libations,
but also to choose what they would consume without governmental
interferenceaE"on one condition: that it doesn't present a clear
danger to others. This sentiment is reflected in the imposed strict
drunken-driving laws. In effect, this stance punishes the people who
have proven incapable of moderate usage instead of punishing the
majority who are capable of responsible and moderate use. But is that enough?

Does anyone else find it somewhat ironic that Wasserman would be so
concerned with an herb that only a handful of people in Wisconsin use
while a much more damaging drug actually effects Wisconsin on a grand
scale? Right now, Wisconsin ranks No. 1 in the nation for adult binge
drinking, and the percentage of high school students who drink is
also well above the national average. Furthermore, MADD has ranked
Wisconsin as the worst state in the nation as far as DUI deaths are
concerned. By Wasserman's logic as presented in this bill, alcohol
should also be illegal in Wisconsin. But, don't worry. I doubt they
will ever prohibit booze again. After all, "what made Milwaukee
famous" sounds a lot better than "what made Milwaukee infamous."

Just like prohibition in the 1920s, I doubt this legislation would
stop the small contingent of Wisconsinites who enjoy Salvia
responsibly. First of all, can police officers distinguish the plant
from hundreds of different species in the genus Salvia? The plants
are not typically grown in the same fashion as the easily recognized
marijuana - Salvia grows well as a houseplant without expensive high
intensity lights. This is just one of several logistical problems.
The legislation is problematic on the grander scale as well. Making a
drug illegal does not generally curb usage (especially if said drug
is readily available in many adjacent states). With similar
legislation, marijuana use has steadily increased since 1937 - along
with driving an estimated $6.2 billion industry underground in the
United States.

This legislation will also hurt a handful of businesses in Madison
and across the state, which begs the bigger question - who does this
bill really help? I'm not equipped to answer that question, but
perhaps this is just a manifestation of a government that has become
half mother and half pusher-man.

It demonizes certain substances by making them illegal while
condoning others. Most lawmakers turn a blind eye to state condoned
drug dealing - alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs. And, if I
didn't know they were honorable men, I might assume it has something
to do with the massive alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical lobbies in
the United States.