SALVIA - FOR ADULTS ONLY?

The scene: A young man with a shaved head laughs heartily while an
off-camera voice declares, "He won't be able to hold it."

The young man's laughter fades into anxiety in a matter of seconds.

Within moments, the observer's prediction holds true as all traces of
humor vanish from the man's face. He places his hands beneath his
thighs and begins to rock back and forth as if in the grips of extreme stress.

Things get worse. He rises from his chair and staggers around,
stricken with an expression that suggests confusion and fear.
Realizing something's wrong, one of the young man's friends helps him sit down.

A voice tries to reassure him, saying, "It only lasts a couple minutes."

The episode was archived as two minutes of digital fear and loathing
on the popular Web site You Tube. Titled "Bad Salvia Trip," the clip
showed the dark side of salvia, a hallucinogenic herb.

Salvia, the plant that apparently triggered those reactions, is legal
in California. Anthony Adams, a freshman legislator in the California
Assembly, is pushing a bill that would ban its sale to minors. If the
bill becomes law, selling salvia to people younger than 18 would be a
misdemeanor carrying possible penalties of six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.

The bill passed out of the Assembly's public safety committee on Jan.
15. Adams said the bill is scheduled to go before the Assembly
Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

Adams, R-Claremont, said in a telephone interview Tuesday that he
considers salvia a growing danger to San Bernardino County and wants
to promote anti-salvia legislation before its use becomes an epidemic.

He ventured that salvia could become a drug problem similar to that
of ecstasy, or MDMA, a drug with hallucinogenic and stimulant
properties that's often associated with the rave subculture.

Ecstasy is illegal, but when it comes to salvia, Adams lamented that
California youths have a "completely unchecked ability to buy it."

Salvia is not prohibited by the federal government as a controlled
substance, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Adams, whose district includes parts of the High Desert and an area
around eastern Highland, said he would like to seek more restrictions
against salvia than what is proposed in his bill. However, he doesn't
expect a tougher proposal to survive in the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

Salvia can be purchased in the Inland Empire. At Glass Blown
Creations, a Yucaipa head shop, a single vial of "Salvia Solution"
was on sale Monday for $61.65. Store clerk Eric Williams said Adams'
proposal would not affect business because it's against store policy
to sell anything to minors.

Salvia's use can be traced to what is now Oaxaca, one of Mexico's
southernmost states, said Daniel Siebert a self-styled botanist who
maintains www.sagewisdom.org, a Web site that features a users' guide
to salvia.

"They use it for a tool for going into a trance-like state, where
they pray fervently," said Siebert, who lives in Malibu.

Siebert said current salvia users can feel calming sensations if they
use low doses of the the herb. People who use stronger doses of
salvia can experience something Siebert described as a waking dream.

Although Siebert said salvia use can be a positive lifestyle choice
for adults, he's not opposed to laws that would ban its sale to minors.

"I'm in favor of making it less available to young people," he said.
"They're the ones most at risk to using it recklessly."

San Bernardino Police Lt. Scott Paterson said officers haven't yet
encountered much in the way of salvia-related problems.

"There are all kinds of junk out there that can be used that way and
hopefully they (youths) don't get too into it," Paterson said.