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

HALLUCINOGEN NOT AVAILABLE IN HUNTSVILLE STORE --FOR NOW--

It is ironic, perhaps negligent, that a hallucinogenic herb can be sold to 
anyone in the country without Health Canada scrutiny or approval, while 
newly developed cancer drugs are kept out of Canadian pharmacies by the 
same agency.

Salvia divinorum is an herb that has been used for centuries by the Mazatec 
Indians of southern Mexico in religious ceremony. This sacred, yet potent, 
herb found its way into Canada via the Internet and mail-order magazines, 
and until recently, it was being sold at the Silver Daisy in downtown 
Huntsville. Salvia's recreational use by Huntsville youth is anything but 
spiritual.

The drug, which is most potent when smoked and inhaled, causes 
hallucinations which at times can be compared to a really bad nightmare 
from which you can not awaken. The $40 bad dream impairs judgment, can 
affect perception and senses, and can result in users harming themselves 
and others. The long-term effects of salvia use have yet to be determined.

While there is presently nothing illegal about selling salvia, it is 
sickening to think that a local business would profit from making this 
stuff available to our youth. "As of right now, I am not selling salvia 
anymore," the manager of Huntsville's Silver Daisy told us. It seems that 
the attention salvia has brought to the Silver Daisy is unwanted. Perhaps 
attention is just what the community should be paying to ensure that salvia 
doesn't reappear.
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman