Pubdate: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 Source: Macon Telegraph (GA) Copyright: 2003 The Macon Telegraph Publishing Company Contact: http://www.macontelegraph.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/667 Author: Richard T. Pienciak, New York Daily News DEA ISSUES WARNING FOR LEGAL HERB STRONGER THAN LSD NEW YORK - The Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a nationwide alert about a legal hallucinogenic herb from Mexico that is more intense than LSD and can cause debilitating, out-of-body visionary trances. "There has been a recent interest among young adults and adolescents to rediscover ethnobotanical plants that can induce changes in perception, hallucinations or other psychologically induced changes," the DEA says in a bulletin titled "Drugs and Chemicals of Concern." Salvia divinorum, popularly known as diviner's mint, is most powerful when smoked, but it also can be chewed or taken orally in an extract version. It is one of about 1,000 members of a species that also includes common garden plants. At the highest intensity of use, one loses consciousness or "at least is unable to later recall what one has experienced," according to the Web site Salvia divinorum Frequently Asked Questions. "The individual may fall, or remain immobile or thrash around," the site says. "Somnambulistic behavior may occur; injuries can be sustained without pain being felt." Salvia is best taken in the presence of a sitter, according to the Sagewisdom Web site, because taking a high dose can "cause you to lose awareness of your physical environment, freak out or become delusional." "We're looking at it," said John Gilbride, associate special agent in charge of the DEA's New York field office. "The DEA at the national level is tracking this to determine if this will become a growing trend as a drug of abuse," Gilbride said. The intelligence gathering process - which includes DEA agents and members of the NYPD - is being complemented by state police members of the DEA's Drug Enforcement Task Force, Gilbride added. Daniel Siebert of Malibu, Calif., 42, a botanist who created the Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center, said tests in mice show that the herb is "not very toxic." He said a human user would likely pass out before being able to take a lethal overdose. Siebert said that because excessive use can lead to "very unpleasant consequences - panic, injuries, fires, falls and severe social humiliation" - - such overuse is not likely to be repeated. He sells Salvia online, but, he said, only to those 18 and older. He said he also believes that the herb should not be made illegal. A 25-gram bag can be bought for $10, 100 grams for $35. Smoking as little as one-quarter of a gram can alter perception and senses. The DEA's national warning about the herb, which is part of the larger family of sage plants, said that in addition to widespread Internet sales, salvia can be purchased at head and smoke shops in New York, Los Angeles and other large cities. But last week, a New York Daily News reporter was unable to buy the substance at any of 12 stores in Greenwich Village. One DEA official said investigators were having a difficult time tracking the level of sales because of the widespread use of the Internet. Attempts to make Salvia divinorum and its active ingredients illegal under the Controlled Substances Act have been unsuccessful. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh