Pubdate: Wed, 11 May 2005 Source: Bracebridge Examiner (CN ON) Copyright: 2005 The Bracebridge Examiner Ltd. Contact: http://www.bracebridgeexaminer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2354 Author: Scott Turnbull Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Salvia+divinorum WON'T SELL HERB TO MINORS While the manager of the Huntsville location has said that he is no longer selling the stuff, Todd Brookes, owner of the Silver Daisy boutiques in Huntsville and Bracebridge, will continue to sell a consciousness-changing herb in his Bracebridge shop. Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviner's Sage, has been used for centuries in some Latin American cultures as a hallucinogen. Usually ingested through smoking, salvia can have short-lived but profound effects on perception and consciousness, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Drug Intelligence Centre. Considered a 'natural health product' in North America, salvia came to local prominence recently after an Examiner article highlighted a Bracebridge resident's concern that her teenaged brother could legally purchase the powerful hallucinogen. After the Examiner article appeared, a group of concerned parents in Huntsville began lobbying the Huntsville Silver Daisy manager to stop selling the herb. Store manager Tony Theos has said he is not selling it anymore. Last Thursday, in an interview in his Bracebridge store, Brookes said that he would continue to sell salvia in Bracebridge, but not to anyone under 19, noting that it was mostly adults who were purchasing the one-gram packets of the herb anyway. "The day after the Examiner article came out, 15 people came in to buy [salvia]," said Brookes. "But you know what? Not one of them was under 25. To me, the issue is not really with the salvia -- it's with the kids wanting to get high." Brookes said that the majority of customers who purchase salvia do not buy it again, speculating that once people try it, they don't find it something they would do on a regular basis. An individual who recently tried salvia purchased from the Silver Daisy said the immediate sensations after smoking the herb were extremely powerful and overwhelming. "I thought I was going to get a little 'head rush,' but all of a sudden I was on the floor, paralyzed and hallucinating," said the 28-year-old, who preferred to remain anonymous. "It only lasted about 10 minutes, but it was still one of the strongest drug experiences I've ever had. I'm amazed that it's sold legally." Under Canada's new National Health Product Regulations, the sale of salvia could soon stop, however. Brought forward last year, the regulations will require natural health products to have a product licence before they are marketed. Obtaining a licence will require detailed information on the product submitted to Health Canada, including medicinal ingredients, source, potency, non-medicinal ingredients and recommended use. It will take up to six years for Health Canada to complete the process for all natural health products. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake