Pubdate: Wed, 12 Dec 2007
Source: Daily Cardinal (U of WI, Madison, Edu)
Copyright: 2007 The Daily Cardinal Newspaper Corporation
Contact: http://dailycardinal.com/resources/letter_to_the_editor
Website: http://dailycardinal.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/712
Author: Matt Jividen, The Daily Cardinal
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/salvia

SALVIA BILL DEMONIZES HARMLESS HALLUCINOGEN

Lawmakers Fail to Recognize That Banning Salvia Does Not Mean 
Preventing Its Trade or Usage

There is a danger growing around Madison. And no, it isn't the sexual 
assaults, kidnappings, bank robberies, murders or violence. According 
to state lawmakers (and probably Lou Dobbs), it is imports from 
Mexico that may be here illegally to destroy American culture and 
American youth.

I'm talking, of course about Salvia Divinorum - a non habit-forming 
herb that has historically been used in the Mazatec region of the 
Sierra Madre Mountains in Oaxaca, Mexico as part of ritualistic 
healing and prophecy rituals. Since the early 1990s, it has increased 
in popularity in the United States (although, to call (although, to 
call it popular is somewhat misleading.) State Representatives 
Sheldon Wasserman and David Cullen authored a bill that would 
prohibit the sale and manufacturing of Salvia Divinorum. The Assembly 
Criminal Justice Committee held a public hearing on the measure last Wednesday.

Currently, there is no Federal regulation on the herb.  According to 
Bertha Madras, deputy director of demand reduction for the White 
House Office of National Drug Control Policy, "Salvia Divinorum is so 
far down the list, it's a tiny fraction of 1 percent." Although 
Wasserman doesn't seem to understand much about the herb, he feels it 
is dangerous. He says, "[Salvia] affects the way we think, the way we 
act. It impairs our judgment." I will not dispute these facts, but I 
emphatically disagree that this is any reason for the government to 
mandate what citizens can and cannot consume.

While people might not be willing to get on board to defend the 
marginal Salvia herb, this struggle is symbolic of something far 
greater. The astute reader will no doubt remember that these same 
arguments were put forth nearly a century ago to prohibit Americans 
from imbibing Alcohol. However, the short-lived prohibition was left 
by the wayside because Americans believe it to be their 
constitutional right not only to enjoy delicious alcoholic libations, 
but also to choose what they would consume without governmental 
interferenceaE"on one condition: that it doesn't present a clear 
danger to others. This sentiment is reflected in the imposed strict 
drunken-driving laws.  In effect, this stance punishes the people who 
have proven incapable of moderate usage instead of punishing the 
majority who are capable of responsible and moderate use. But is that enough?

Does anyone else find it somewhat ironic that Wasserman would be so 
concerned with an herb that only a handful of people in Wisconsin use 
while a much more damaging drug actually effects Wisconsin on a grand 
scale? Right now, Wisconsin ranks No. 1 in the nation for adult binge 
drinking, and the percentage of high school students who drink is 
also well above the national average. Furthermore, MADD has ranked 
Wisconsin as the worst state in the nation as far as DUI deaths are 
concerned. By Wasserman's logic as presented in this bill, alcohol 
should also be illegal in Wisconsin. But, don't worry. I doubt they 
will ever prohibit booze again. After all, "what made Milwaukee 
famous" sounds a lot better than "what made Milwaukee infamous."

Just like prohibition in the 1920s, I doubt this legislation would 
stop the small contingent of Wisconsinites who enjoy Salvia 
responsibly. First of all, can police officers distinguish the plant 
from hundreds of different species in the genus Salvia? The plants 
are not typically grown in the same fashion as the easily recognized 
marijuana - Salvia grows well as a houseplant without expensive high 
intensity lights.  This is just one of several logistical problems. 
The legislation is problematic on the grander scale as well. Making a 
drug illegal does not generally curb usage (especially if said drug 
is readily available in many adjacent states). With similar 
legislation, marijuana use has steadily increased since 1937 - along 
with driving an estimated $6.2 billion industry underground in the 
United States.

This legislation will also hurt a handful of businesses in Madison 
and across the state, which begs the bigger question - who does this 
bill really help? I'm not equipped to answer that question, but 
perhaps this is just a manifestation of a government that has become 
half mother and half pusher-man.

It demonizes certain substances by making them illegal while 
condoning others. Most lawmakers turn a blind eye to state condoned 
drug dealing - alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs. And, if I 
didn't know they were honorable men, I might assume it has something 
to do with the massive alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical lobbies in 
the United States.