Pubdate: Sun, 08 Apr 2007 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 PSYCHEDELIC HERB FLIES UNDER LEGAL RADAR OTTAWA - A common garden herb that packs a powerful psychedelic punch has some federal health officials recommending it be strictly controlled. But Health Canada says it can't regulate use of salvia divinorum until there's more evidence of its dangers. A December 2005 report by the marketed health products directorate, an arm of Health Canada, recommended that it be placed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. For one salvia user, Ottawa's concerns are unnecessary. "Salvia is so intense, most people only try it once or twice," said Ryan Poelzer, who works at the Urban Shaman, a popular botanical store in downtown Vancouver. He says the store sells about 50 pills a week. Poelzer, 20, describes his experiences using salvia as "mind-blowing" and "out of this world . . . It's like going into outer space. Time being ripped in half is a good way of describing it." Department spokesman Jason Bouzanis said salvia has been known to cause hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, unconsciousness and short-term memory loss. But that's not enough to declare it illegal. "We can't make any recommendations to place salvia under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act schedules until we have sufficient scientific and empirical data that concludes it has the potential for misuse and abuse," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek