Pubdate: Sun, 02 Nov 2008
Source: Cincinnati Enquirer (OH)
Copyright: 2008 The Cincinnati Enquirer
Contact: http://enquirer.com/editor/letters.html
Website: http://enquirer.com/today/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/86
Author: Peggy O'Farrell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/salvia
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hallucinogens.htm (Hallucinogens)

SALVIA NOT A 'FUN' HIGH, BUT HAS FANS

Ohio Considers Banning Hallucinogen

Lee Eubanks didn't really like the high he got from smoking salvia.

It made him paranoid, and whenever he used it, said Eubanks, 17, of 
Milford, he felt almost paralyzed.

He got a much better buzz from alcohol and marijuana.

But salvia is cheap and legal - and it doesn't show up on a drug 
screening, so he kept using it.

"It would free me from the problems I was dealing with and just allow 
me to run away from them," he said.

The herb salvia divinorum, not to be confused with the colorful red 
or blue flowers popular in so many home gardens, is gaining notoriety 
as a hallucinogen.

Ohio lawmakers are debating whether to make the herb illegal.

The plant's effects range from mild relaxation and visual 
hallucinations to a state where users can't move or feel pain, said 
Monica Mertens, program director for the Pathway Family Center in 
Milford. The center, part of a national network, provides drug and 
alcohol treatment for teens.

Commonly called "diviner's sage," salvia is used in religious 
ceremonies by the Mazatec Indians in Mexico to induce a visionary, 
trance-like state.

Proponents of the drug say it's a powerful tool for self-exploration, 
but they also warn that users shouldn't be left alone while the high 
lasts. Salvia is not a "party drug," like marijuana or Ecstasy, they warn.

Teens and other users can find it online with a few clicks of the 
mouse. It's also sold in some head shops, tobacco stores and 
botanical shops around the region.

"It's pretty easy to find," Eubanks said.

It might not be so easy to find for much longer, though.

The Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill in April to make the 
herb and its active ingredient controlled substances; the bill is 
stalled in committee in the Ohio Senate.

Lawmakers in a handful of other states, including Missouri, North 
Dakota, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas and Florida, have outlawed the plant.

Not much is known about the herb's long-term effects, or how toxic it might be.

So far, there are no indicators salvia is addictive, said Rob Goetz, 
a senior poison specialist at Cincinnati's Drug and Poison 
Information Center. "It's more of a 'get high and do something 
stupid' kind of risk," he said.

There were plenty of stories circulating in the 1960s and 70s about 
LSD users getting hurt or killed while under the drug's influence, he 
said. The same thing could happen to someone using salvia, Goetz said.

An online user's guide for salvia divinorum warns users that they 
should use it only when a "sober sitter" is with them so they don't 
fall or try to drive.

Although teens might look forward to taking a trip with salvia, it's 
really not a fun high, Goetz said.

"The abuse potential is likely to be minimal because the trip is so 
unpleasant," he said. "I think most people don't really like it. It's 
not something that's easy to control."

Some users report feelings of paranoia or panic after using salvia, 
or a deep introspection. It's not a drug that leaves users feeling 
happy and relaxed, he said.

There are no statistics on how widely used salvia is because it's 
legal in most states. Goetz said the center gets only a few calls about it.

Eubanks remembered "checking my pockets, like I thought the people I 
was with were stealing from me" after he used the drug. "I felt like 
everyone was against me, like they were all watching me."

Even though he called the experience "frightening," he kept using 
salvia when nothing else was available.

"It was there for me when I didn't have alcohol or marijuana," he 
said. "It was there when I didn't have anything else to do or I was bored."

Eubanks went into a residential treatment program, the Pathways 
Family Center in Indianapolis, after he was arrested for drunken 
driving. He'd previously been through an outpatient program, but 
relapsed after two months of sobriety.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom