Pubdate: Wed, 04 May 2005 Source: Huntsville Forester, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2005 The Huntsville Forester Contact: http://www.huntsvilleforester.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2430 Author: Bruce Hickey SALE OF HERB STIRS PARENTS TO ACTION Even though it's legal and can be sold to anyone of any age, a downtown shop owner says "as of right now" he is no longer selling an herb which, when smoked, causes intense hallucinations. For months, Tony Theos, manager of the Silver Daisy tattoo parlour on Brunel Road, had been selling packets of salvia divinorum. Sometimes known as Divine Mexican Mint, or Diviner's Sage, the herb has been used for centuries as a hallucinogen. But when Huntsville teenagers started buying the herb and smoking it, some parents decided to put their feet down. One recent Saturday night, a 14-year-old Huntsville boy raised a pipe to his mouth and inhaled deeply. Within moments, he began hallucinating. He was smoking a teaspoon-size, $40 hit of salvia divinorum purchased at the Silver Daisy. While police have no recourse, the parents of the 14-year-old boy, who contacted The Forester, hope by spreading the word about salvia, they can steer other teenagers clear of giving it a try. "Our family doctor had not heard anything about [salvia]. He made some calls about it and thought it was something that had slipped through the cracks of our medical regulations," said the mother of the 14-year-old. She and her husband did not want to be identified in order to protect the identity of their son. While Theos told the Forester "as of right now, I am not selling salvia anymore," it can still be bought over the Internet and via magazines. Theos said recent media attention about the herb only served to increase the number of people wanting to try it. What bothers the parents of the 14-year-old the most is that the herb was being sold to minors, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. "Originally our goal was to get the stuff off the streets. We were hoping for a ban or an age limit being put on it, but we realize that is going to take a long time," said the boy's mother. They said their son heard about salvia at school, and that it had become popular for many teens to try at least once. Scared after having a bad experience, the boy confided in his parents. He said after smoking the herb, his mind drifted away "to a different land" where "little people would not let him leave." While the boy's parents realize that there is nothing illegal about salvia's sale, they question why anyone knowing its potential would sell it, especially to young people. "If you are younger, you don't always have the faculties to make the right decisions about these things," said the boy's father. His mother said, "What's worse is [the store] selling it like you would sell bubble gum." When asked about this, Theos refused to make any further comment for the record. The easy availability of salvia is a concern, said the boy's mother. Unlike smoking salvia, she said teenagers who drink alcohol or smoke pot still have the hurdles of illegality and access to overcome. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Drug Intelligence Centre, abuse of salvia can cause intense and debilitating hallucinations. Even smoking small quantities (one-quarter gram) can affect perception and senses. These effects can result in abusers harming themselves and others. Salvia has become a phenomenon in the past eight years, with a lot of its popularity due to information easily available on the Internet. Health Canada reports that it is monitoring the herb; so is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Currently it's legal to import because it's an 'unscheduled' substance under Canadian law. The sale of the herb has been banned in Australia. The substance, which looks like green tea, is largely imported from Mexico. According to the Natural Medicines Database, Diviner's Sage was used for centuries by the Mazatec Indians, a native people who live in Oaxaca, Mexico. While it may serve spiritual purposes for some, the legal sale of the product in Canada could hit a dead end soon under new National Health Product Regulations. Brought into force in 2004 by Health Canada, the regulations place requirements on people who manufacture, package, label, import or distribute natural health products. The law is intended to regulate substances that are safe for over-the-counter use. Manufacturers and importers have six years to secure their licensing. "During that six-year period, every single product on the market, all the herbs, have go through a re-application to be sold in Canada," said Dr. Heather Boon, assistant professor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Pharmacy. "The only way [salvia] would be allowed on the market in future, under these new regulations, would be if it had a medicinal use. Honestly, this stuff does not seem to have a medicinal use." Because there are 50,000 herbal and other natural products on the market, Boon, a graduate of Huntsville High School, said, it is taking time for Health Canada to work through the process. "That's probably why [salvia] has not been caught yet. I don't know if it would even be allowed to be on the market," she said. Even prior to a licensing review, Health Canada will act if concerns are reported about products. "Should evidence arise that there is an abuse problem or significant risk to health and safety, then the department investigates and takes whatever action is necessary," said Health Canada media spokesperson Nathalie Lalonde. She said she could not report if an application for licensing had been forwarded for salvia, and even if one had, she could not discuss it while under review. But if salvia is going to sold in Canada, it will be reviewed for"safety, ethics and quality," said Lalonde. She added that anyone with a complaint about salvia, or any other natural health product, can report it to Canada's Regional Inspectorates at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpfb-dgpsa/inspectorate/contact us_e.html - --- MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman