Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jul 2005
Source: Sun News (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Copyright: 2005 Sun Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/987
Author:  Emma Ritch
Note: 150 word limit on LTEs

CITY SEEKS BAN ON HALLUCINOGEN SALVIA

Drug Available On Ocean Boulevard

Myrtle Beach City Council on Thursday discussed asking the S.C. General
Assembly for a statewide ban on a hallucinogenic plant that's being
sold on Ocean Boulevard.

The herb Salvia divinorum is legally available in many Boulevard
stores. It causes euphoria and disorientation through smoking or
chewing the leaf, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration Web
site.

However, City Council members Thursday spoke of the plant's ill
effects on teenagers who are looking for a legal high.

"Kids are really getting messed up on this stuff," Councilwoman Susan
Grissom Means told council members, many of who had not heard of the
plant and its extracts.

The council will vote on the request Tuesday night at the Ted C.
Collins Law Enforcement Center. The S.C. General Assembly won't pass
additional legislation until it reconvenes in January.

However, council members said they may soon vote to make sale of the
plant illegal in city limits.

The extract ranges in price from $20 to hundreds of dollars a gram,
depending on the strength. Sellers promise an immediate, short high
with hallucinations and say some people don't react well. Several
countries and U.S. states have looked to ban the plant, and St.
Peter's, Mo., prohibited sale to those under 18.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has stopped short of a ban by
labeling the plant as a "chemical of concern."

"There really is an issue with the junk on the Boulevard, and a couple
of states are moving in that direction," said Mayor Mark McBride, who
supports a ban.

Myrtle Beach police have had no arrests or injuries reported in
conjunction with the plant, Capt. David Knipes said Thursday. If sale
of the drug were made illegal, police would likely not need extra help
to enforce the new rule, he said.

Employees working on Ocean Boulevard were hesitant to speak about the
plant Thursday but said it gave a high similar to marijuana. However,
they warned against the most potent varieties of the plant.

Also at Thursday's meeting, the council discussed finalizing the
contract to buy 40.6 acres from Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc. to expand
the city's convention center.

The $10 million contract will be up for vote Tuesday.

Myrtle Beach Horse-Drawn Carriages will ask the council to vote
Tuesday to give the company a permanent license to operate in the
city. The company has completed a 30-day trial run on the ring road
around Broadway at the Beach.

Frank Norris, one of the owners, said the company wants to expand to
other areas of the city after Labor Day because of the high fee to
operate at Broadway at the Beach.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin