Pubdate: Sun, 12 Jul 2009
Source: Daily Times, The (MD)
Copyright: 2009 The Daily Times
Contact: http://www.delmarvanow.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.delmarvanow.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/116
Author: Brian Shane, Staff Writer

RESORT OFFICIALS SEEK BAN OF SALVIA

OCEAN CITY -- Resort officials are rallying to outlaw  sales of the
hallucinogenic herb salvia and plan  continued lobbying of state
legislators to pass a ban  on its sales and possession.

"Our hands are tied right now," said Ocean City  Councilman Doug Cymek
at a police commission meeting  recently. "Until Delegate Mathias or
some other people  help us along here a little bit up in Annapolis, 
there's not much we can do to enforce this."

Salvia divinorum is a plant native to Mexico that, when  consumed,
causes brief but intense psychedelic  experiences, its users report.
It traditionally was  used by native tribes to take "spiritual journeys."

Salvia saw its American popularity skyrocket in the  last decade and
elected officials noticed. Since 2005,  15 states have passed laws
regulating or banning it,  with 16 others considering a ban. Congress
has taken no  action against it; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has 
called salvia a "drug of concern."

Ocean City officials also said they're bothered by the  preponderance
of drug-related paraphernalia sold by  Boardwalk retailers -- objects
like pipes, bongs or  hookahs -- that can be used to smoke drugs like
salvia,  crack cocaine or marijuana, they said.

Worcester County State's Attorney Joel Todd said if  salvia wasn't
there and merchants were selling just  paraphernalia, resort police
could make arrests on  charges of possessing drug paraphernalia. But
because  they're selling legal salvia alongside plastic bongs,  "we
don't have the presumption that the paraphernalia  is being sold for
the purpose of selling an illegal  substance," Todd said.

Town officials would like to outlaw salvia on their  own, but cannot
because legislation of controlled  dangerous substances in Maryland
falls under the  purview of state legislators.

During the last legislative session, Mathias and  several other Shore
lawmakers got behind a bill to ban  salvia. The bill passed the House
but failed in the  Senate.

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler also strongly  supports a
salvia ban, saying it should be treated in  the same manner as other
illegal hallucinogens like LSD  or peyote. Gansler would prefer an
outright ban, he  said, but primarily has his sights on keeping salvia
 away from children.

"I think it ought to be illegal for adults as well, but  I can live
with the bill as it came out of the House.  That's certainly better
than we are now, where a  9-year-old can walk into any T-shirt shop in
Ocean City  and buy bubble gum-flavored salvia, go home and smoke  it
and kill himself because he's hallucinating," he  said.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in February  testified
during legislative hearings that salvia has  the potential for
treating pain and psychiatric  disorders such as Alzheimer's disease,
schizophrenia,  bipolar disorder and dementia. Research also could 
yield a better understanding and treatment of drug  dependence, they
said.

Gansler said he would back a salvia ban that still  allows for medical
research. 
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