Pubdate: Sat, 17 Feb 2007
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2007, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact:  http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: David Hutton, Special To Sun Media

ON A MAGIC MINT RIDE

Users Say Potent -- And Legal -- Herb Is Safe, But  Police Official
Warns Of 'All Sorts Of Bad Trips'

Reality shatters in front of your eyes. Your ego  dissolves. And you
can find God on your lunch break.

These are just a few of the accounts from hemp store  employees who
have taken a psychedelic ride using an  increasingly popular -- and
perfectly legal -- herb  that packs a powerful punch.

The herb is Salvia divinorum, more commonly known as  Salvia, magic
mint or the diviner's sage.

It has come under scrutiny in several U.S. states, with  one Delaware
mother saying the herb was a major  contributor to her son's suicide.

Some in the Ottawa police are concerned about its use  in the city,
especially among youth, but users defend  the powerful herbal
psychedelic as a mind-altering but  safe trip they only sell to those
of age.

"It's a substance that can cause disturbing side  effects," said
Ottawa police youth intervention program  co-ordinator Louise Logue.

"It's bad for physical and community safety.

"All of a sudden a kid thinks they can stop a bus and  they run out in
front and get crushed. Hallucinogens  like Salvia can cause all sorts
of bad trips."

UNREGULATED

Salvia is an unregulated hallucinogen that is legal to  possess,
distribute and consume in most places around  the world and can be
bought over the Internet or in  hemp stores.

In Canada, Salvia is not regulated under the Controlled  Drugs and
Substances Act.

According to Health Canada, Salvia has been known to  cause
unconsciousness and short-term memory loss, but  the department is not
aware of any dependency and has  been collecting information relevant
to the substance.

Salvia has been used for hundreds of years by the  Mazatec indigenous
people of Mexico for spiritual trips  and is usually chewed or smoked.
It gives users a short  but powerful hallucination, lasting anywhere
from 30  seconds to 30 minutes.

Tom, a part-time employee at Smoke Signals who asked  that his last
name not be used, said the drug is  "humbling" and only recommends it
"to people who know  themselves."

He smokes the herb roughly once a month.

Smoke Signals, one of many hemp shops in Ottawa, has  been selling
Salvia for three years.

Tom said the store warns people to take the drug in a  controlled
environment, and hands out pamphlets with  information on safe
consumption.

He said the store will not sell Salvia to anyone under  19. The
hallucinogen is sold in several potencies and  ranges in price from
$15 to $100.

The biggest misconception about Salvia, Tom said, is  that it's a
legal substitute for marijuana. It's an  anti-social experience and
certainly not a party drug,  he said, noting a lot of people never use
it again  after an unsettling first experience.

NO PROBLEMS

Staff Sgt. Pete Gauthier said the Ottawa police drug  unit has not had
contact with Salvia on the street.

"We're not running into any problems on the enforcement  end of
things," he said.

"It's a mind-altering drug, so we're concerned, of  course, but we
haven't come in contact with it at all."

Tom admits it's only a matter of time before it becomes  a controlled
substance, but likely for political  reasons rather than scientific.

"I don't agree with it being illegal," Tom said.

"It has no negative side effects. It's about as bad as  smoking paper
your whole life."
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MAP posted-by: Derek