We would like to respond to the Feb. 23 editorial No need to ban salvia on the Government of Canada's recent proposal to control salvia divinorum and salvinorin A. We want to eliminate the misconception that salvia is a safer alternative to street drugs. It is not. Salvia divinorum, and its active ingredient salvinorin A, can produce powerful hallucinations similar to those associated with the use of the well-known hallucinogen LSD, which is a controlled substance. Other effects include confusion, disorientation and anxiety. [continues 115 words]
Illicit drugs were once again in the headlines this week, after news broke that the federal government is moving to criminalize an hallucinogenic herb called Salvia divinorum, a naturally-occurring plant of the sage family which grows in southern Mexico. The plant has been around since, well, forever. It's available to buy at a few "head shops" in Winnipeg. You know, those places that sell marijuana pipes and t-shirts that depict the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Che Guevara. Smoking the herb causes brief hallucinations, uncontrollable laughter, lack of co-ordination and in some cases, loss of consciousness. [continues 1073 words]
The federal government is planning to criminalize yet another substance, in this case, salvia. MP Shelley Glover states that the government is "very worried about the long-term effects" of using the herb (Feds eye ban on obscure herb, Feb. 22). Following this logic, we should soon be expecting that cigarettes, sugar and salt will also be criminalized, in total denial of the fact that, in the 1920s, the criminalization of alcohol was a massive failure that contributed hugely to the growth of organized crime in North America. [continues 92 words]
Prohibition never worked. The stress on criminalizing salvia divinorum is a terrible idea, and the reasons stated for the criminalization are weak, at best. People have the right to affect their bodies in any way that they would like, and if one were to point out that by using drugs, people damage their bodies and incur health-care costs, one would have to open their eyes to the demon that is alcohol, before their points could be taken with even a grain of seriousness. [continues 51 words]
The federal government is moving towards banning the sale of salvia, a mostly decorative plant that has hallucinogenic properties when it is smoked in one big hit. The public debate is focused on whether the government is taking too much control over people's lives, whether the government is wasting time and money on something that isn't as important as, say, health care and deficits, and whether the government is turning what should be a social concern into a legal problem. [continues 833 words]
St. Boniface MP Shelly Glover may well be -- along with all the other parents she insists share her fears -- "very worried about the long-term effects" of salvia divinorum, but until that or some other evil of smoking this herb is established by scientific evidence, the hallucinogen ought not be banned. There is little science that says it is dangerous to human health and safety. Salvia, regulated in Canada as a natural health product, has been compared to marijuana, except that it produces more often a wild psychedelic trip rather than a cosy high. Those who smoke, inhale or chew it can experience an out-of-body sensation or the sense that they become inanimate objects, such as a table leg. Others collapse into laughing fits. Infamously, Miley Cyrus was sure that a guy at her party looked exactly like her boyfriend. Ms. Cyrus' mini-trip wrote salvia onto the parental watch lists -- who would want their newly minted 18-year-old to indelibly imprint their own "this is your brain on salvia" on YouTube? [continues 134 words]
Hallucinogen Salvia Target Of Vowed Ban A little-known leaf is facing lockdown as Ottawa moves to ban a hallucinogenic herb that has turned into a YouTube hit. At a press conference in St. Vital on Monday, St. Boniface MP Shelly Glover announced the federal government plans to put salvia divinorum onto its list of controlled substances. The move would make selling, owning or cultivating the herb a criminal offence. Currently, salvia is sold and designated in Canada as "natural health product." This gives Health Canada the ability to limit its sale to approved vendors, though it has done little to enforce its regulations. [continues 739 words]
WINNIPEG -- The federal Conservatives are taking a pre-emptive strike against an herbal hallucinogen that garnered plenty of media attention thanks to teen pop-star Miley Cyrus. Salvia divinorum, a naturally occurring plant of the sage family which grows in southern Mexico, is most commonly ingested by smoking the leaves. Users of salvia commonly experience a short-lasting high that can include hallucinations, uncontrollable laughter, lack of co-ordination and even loss of consciousness. The Tories are proposing to add salvia divinorum to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), a move that would take up to two years, MP Shelley Glover said Monday. [continues 273 words]
The federal Conservatives are taking a pre-emptive strike against an herbal hallucinogen that has garnered plenty of recent media attention thanks to a teen starlet. Salvia divinorum, a naturally occurring plant of the sage family which grows in southern Mexico, is most commonly ingested by smoking the leaves. Users of Salvia commonly experience a short-lasting high that can include hallucinations, uncontrollable laughter, lack of co-ordination and even loss of consciousness. Late last year, teen pop-star Miley Cyrus was forced to apologize to fans after she was shown in a video on Youtube taking a bong hit of Salvia before giggling uncontrollably and talking nonsensically. Glover said the move to criminalize Salvia had nothing to do with Cyrus. [continues 268 words]
As much as officials agree a danger lurks in bath salts and synthetic marijuana, they do not believe those types of "legal highs" are widely used in this region. While synthetic marijuana has been around for a while, bath salts are relatively new on the scene. Both can be easily obtained locally. "I know it's here, but I haven't seen it a lot," said city police officer Ken Mains. Mains believes it is critical that parents are aware of the products. [continues 571 words]
SAN MARCOS - The Kyle City Council earlier this week took the first step in banning the sale of synthetic marijuana products known as "K2" and "Spice." The council voted 6-1 on first reading to make the purchase, sale or use of salvia divinorum a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 . The council is planning a final vote at their next meeting. Kyle Council Member David Wilson said that while he expects K2 will become illegal everywhere soon, he didn't want to wait to keep it out of Kyle. [continues 377 words]
TUCSON - No one has suggested that his use of a hallucinogenic herb or any other drugs contributed to Jared L. Loughner's apparent mental unraveling that culminated with his being charged in a devastating outburst of violence here. Yet it is striking how closely the typical effects of smoking the herb, Salvia divinorum - which federal drug officials warn can closely mimic psychosis - matched Mr. Loughner's own comments about how he saw the world, like his often-repeated assertion that he spent most of his waking hours in a dream world that he had learned to control. [continues 784 words]
"Everything turns to water-- like cel-shaded water, and I fall onto a pirate ship as I'm smoking it. Then I start hallucinating. All of a sudden I'm in the world of Zelda, like the Deku Tree area. And I try to run, but on salvia you can't really move. So [my friend] tries to hold me back, but I fight him off and I run but my legs give in and I fall forward and hit myself on the bed. The hallucination only lasts about a minute for me. Then I'm just really happy and really hungry, so I go back to my own dorm room and I put all my bedding and my mattress inside my closet, and just sit there and listen to the Radiohead song 'Treefingers' on repeat." [continues 678 words]
Regarding the Dec. 16 letter "Teachable drug moments": Shelley Mowrey of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America wants us to be shocked at the video of Miley Cyrus smoking salvia divinorum. Mowrey calls it a "teachable moment," which we parents should use to "initiate a conversation" with our children about "drugs and alcohol." Mowrey wants us to believe that her organization is privy to the "single most effective way to raise healthy, drug-free children," and, at the same time, tells us that the average age for first drug use in Arizona is 13, which is pretty much the same as it was 40 years ago when this insane "war on drugs" started. [continues 73 words]
To the Editor: Re "Salvia Takes a Starring Role" (Dec. 26, 2010): The article on Salvia divinorum was right: "It's not an experience that everyone is eager to repeat, or try." In fact, it's rare, and laws are generally irrelevant to drug choices. Drug experimentation peaks by age 21, especially after 17. Almost all teenagers experiment with illegal substances, notably alcohol and marijuana. Alcohol clearly is the normal sequential "gateway" and crucial in almost all teenage and adult drug abuse and addiction. Heavy youthful alcohol use and use of other drugs go hand in hand. Almost all light drinkers show little interest in other drugs. Minus accurate comparisons with alcohol and proper warning about age, dosage and dangerous combinations of drugs, particularly with alcohol, drug policy is doomed to be irrelevant and incoherent. Jerry Epstein Houston The writer is the president of the Drug Policy Forum of Texas. [end]
Regarding the Dec. 16 letter "Teachable drug moments": Shelley Mowrey of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America wants us to be shocked at the video of Miley Cyrus smoking salvia divinorum. Mowrey calls it a "teachable moment," which we parents should use to "initiate a conversation" with our children about "drugs and alcohol." Mowrey wants us to believe that her organization is privy to the "single most effective way to raise healthy, drug-free children," and, at the same time, tells us that the average age for first drug use in Arizona is 13, which is pretty much the same as it was 40 years ago when this insane "war on drugs" started. [continues 57 words]
Dear Editor: Video recently leaked onto the Internet of Miley Cyrus smoking salvia, a herb that can produce hallucinogenic effects when smoked or ingested. Since then, there have been reports of increases in salvia sales at some California smoke shops. As parents, we need to examine how incidents like this affect our kids. It begs the question: What type of influence do celebrities have on kids and teens with regard to important issues such as substance use and abuse? This is the perfect example of a teachable moment - a way for parents to get educated and initiate a conversation with their kids and teens about drug and alcohol use. [continues 61 words]
HARRISBURG -- Some call it "K2." Others call it "genie," "spice" or "legal bud." State Rep. Jennifer Mann calls it dangerous. The Lehigh Valley Democrat is renewing her effort to criminalize possession of synthetic marijuana. A similar proposal overwhelmingly passed the House this fall but the legislative session closed before the bill could come to a vote in the Senate. The product, which sells online and in smoke shops for $10 to $20 an ounce, is made from plant products sprayed with chemicals that, when smoked, mimic the effects of marijuana. [continues 405 words]
SEVERAL weeks after Miley Cyrus turned 18 in November, a video surfaced showing the pop singer and actor celebrating her adulthood with uncontrollable laughter, garbled speech and a shapely bong. It was neither marijuana nor hashish in the pipe, she explained in the face of public furor, but Salvia divinorum, a powerful hallucinogenic that adults can legally use in California. The controversy involving Ms. Cyrus, the former child star from "Hannah Montana," has led to new interest in this psychoactive Mexican herb. Google searches for "salvia" in the United States spiked 600 percent in the days that followed, Twitter went aflutter, and "Saturday Night Live" spoofed the incident last weekend. [continues 636 words]
Ever heard of the drug Salvia? Salvia is an old natural herb that the Mazatecs from Mexico used to use for shamanic visions. Nowadays it is considered to be a hallucinogenic drug much like LSD. There's one difference, though: salvia is legal in many countries across the world. Last week the Celebrity gossip website TMZ released a video of teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus smoking from a bong. Soon after the video surfaced, Miley's manager assured everyone that she was not smoking marijuana, another popular drug amongst young adults, but rather, she was smoking salvia, which, they clarified, is legal in the state of California. [continues 491 words]
A Nanaimo merchant says he gets two or three requests every week for the hallucinogenic herb Salvia divinorum, but refuses to carry it because it would be "socially irresponsible." The plant, which has used for centuries by Mazatec Indian shamans for medicinal purposes and to induce visions, has also been used as a recreational drug for years. It made headlines after an Internet video showing pop star Miley Cyrus smoking the stuff went viral. Salvia divinorum is not illegal in Canada, but the plant has been under study by Health Canada since at least 2006 to determine whether it should be regulated under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act. The agency warns people not to use it until its effects are better known. [continues 205 words]
SASkATOON -- A Saskatoon radio disc jockey touched off a fierce local debate about the hallucinogenic herb Salvia divinorum on Thursday by smoking it during a live broadcast. Concerned about a recently released video of teen pop star Miley Cyrus giggling after puffing something her publicist claimed was salvia divinorum -- a legal substance sold in many hemp stores -- DJ Ryder of Wired 96.3's morning show staged a live demonstration, hoping to discourage others from trying it themselves. The station later posted a disturbing 12-minute video of his "trip" on its Facebook page, along with a link to an online petition started by Ryder calling for the federal government to make salvia an illegal substance. [continues 497 words]
Reaction to the video of a local radio host smoking salvia live on air has been as swift and powerful as the drug's hallucinogenic effects. The 12-minute video of Wired 96.3 host Ryder smoking the herb salvia divinorum set off a storm of public reaction that started Thursday morning after his live demonstration and continued on Friday when popular gossip website Perezhilton.com post the video. "The reaction is exciting and honestly it's scary with how big this has been," said Ryder in an interview Friday afternoon. "I was mentally prepared for negative reaction in Saskatoon, but now it's worldwide." [continues 327 words]
Hallucinogenic plant legal in Canada; 15 U.S. states have banned it The drug Salvia divinorum, made famous in the viral You-Tube video in which pop star Miley Cyrus smokes a bong, has been sold quietly for at least the past 10 years in Vancouver. Fox News and other agencies are reporting that sales of the drug have tripled in some U.S. states, such as California, where people are specifically asking for "the stuff Miley was smoking." But Vancouver Seed Bank owner Rebecca Ambrose says Salvia has long had a following of perhaps a few hundred people locally. [continues 272 words]
Online video of Miley Cyrus smoking the plant in a bong has peaked interest in the legal psychoactive, which is sold locally Health Canada is warning people to avoid using the Mexican herb Salvia divinorum until its effects are better understood. Native to Oaxaca, Mexico, the plant known as Magic Mint or Seer's Sage has been used for centuries by Mazatec Indian shamans for medicinal purposes and to induce visions, but also has gained a foothold in Canada and United States as a recreational drug. [continues 771 words]
There are legal highs beyond salvia. You just might not know about them. Salvia divinorum sales are booming since Miley Cyrus was seen on video smoking a bongful, according to USA Today. Some customers specifically requested "the stuff Miley was smoking." But authorities have been cracking down on herbal highs for a while. A synthetic form of marijuana called spice, or K2, is in demand, according to CBSNews.com. Also called genie and packed in colorful bags, it provides a high that's been compared to marijuana, and it's already banned in some states. [continues 332 words]
\A recent report claims that teenagers are experimenting with a new substance to get high. It's not the illegal marijuana plant and it's not the recently outlawed Salvia plant or even K-2, the herb that gives a marijuana-like high. It's the dreaded "nutmeg." That's right, nutmeg. So, legislators, get out your pen and paper, for there is yet another substance to be outlawed. Sorry, folks, all those holiday desserts have got to go before it becomes an epidemic. Dawn Palmer Tarrant [end]
Substance Said to Mimic Marijuana, Sold Legally at Local Shops It says on the label: "This product is NOT intended for human consumption." But the barely concealed word on the street is that "spice" is an herb mixture laced with chemicals that mimic the effects of marijuana. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Mike Turner, with the Denver field division, said it's not known what's in it or what the long-term effects are. "If I had a child in school, it would be a definite concern to me," he said. [continues 898 words]
GREENSBORO - Law enforcement and legislators across the country are scrambling to ban a legal, synthetic form of marijuana that is giving youths a new high. The spice cannaboid, known as K2, is an herb-and-spice mixture that is sprayed with a chemical compound similar to tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the pyschoactive ingredient in marijuana. People smoke K2, also known by names such as spice and genie, through pipes or rolled in paper. It's sold on the Internet and in gas stations, convenience stores and head shops for prices ranging from $15 to $150 per 3-gram bag. [continues 675 words]
Oct. 25 starts Red Ribbon Week for drug awareness, and this year Department of Defense officials hope to shed light on what may be a disturbing new trend in substance abuse by service members. While illegal drug use has held static for several years, according to the department's annual survey of health related behaviors among active duty personnel, the misuse of prescription drugs and legal substances is growing. In 2005, the survey showed an uptick in service members' misuse of legal substances such as prescription drugs, inhalants and compounds known as "designer drugs" marketed on the Internet often as herbal remedies, said Lynn Pahland, the Defense Department's director of health promotion and preventative services policy. [continues 440 words]
SANTA CRUZ -- A new synthetic marijuana and the resurgence in popularity of a hallucinogenic drug have police and community leaders worried because both substances are legal and for sale in the Santa Cruz area. "I don't know enough about this stuff," Watsonville Police Chief Manny Solano said. "That's what concerns me." "Spice" is a relatively new herbal and chemical product that produces similar effects as marijuana. It does not show up on drug tests and is not regulated. Area smoking shops started carrying the substance about six months ago and Spice started gaining in popularity this summer. [continues 661 words]
K2 Is A Legal, Though Possibly Dangerous, Synthetic Cousin To Marijuana. As college students return to school in Charlotte and the Triangle, some are cracking open lip balm-size jars and plastic bags of a legal herb product that mimics the effects of marijuana. K2, or "Spice," is a lab-made leafy green drug that looks and smells like oregano, with hints of blueberry, citrus and other flavors. The designer drug is showing up at tobacco and head shops, misleadingly labeled as "incense." The labels also inform buyers that the contents are not fit for human consumption, but behind closed doors the "incense" is being puffed as a legal alternative to marijuana. [continues 1165 words]
Legal and Undetected Smoking marijuana may not destroy your life like a heroin addiction or damage your body like cocaine. It does, however, destroy trust and damage relationships; no parent wants to be lied to, to lay awake at night wondering what's going on with their children or to explain to a 5-year-old girl why her brother isn't around much anymore and doesn't seem to like his family very much. Now, a new substance that mimics the effects of marijuana is sold legally as an incense. It could be causing the same worries - except most parents have no idea that the marijuana substitute even exists. They don't know what signs to watch for. They don't recognize the smell. It's sold by legitimate businesses and does not show up in drug tests. [continues 5976 words]
KINDE ? A legal combination of herbs and other ingredients named K-2 incense, a synthetic form of marijuana that induces a similar response in users, isn?t prevalent in Saginaw but has recently surfaced in neighboring counties, law enforcers say. Saginaw Township Police Detective Lt. Gary P. Grauf, said he?d never heard of the K-2 incense, though he did recently receive a memo with information about salvia divinorum, which, according to an article written by Don Fernandez for WebMD Health News, is a hallucinogenic herb that ?has been smoked for centuries by Mazatec Indians as a healing and divining tool.? [continues 420 words]
Dear Straight Talk: Can you tell me if DMT is safe? Articles I've read in Spirituality & Health magazine seem to indicate it is probably OK to use for a mind-expanding, healing experience. But I'm wary. I've heard there are different types of DMT and that some are hard to recover from. I took sacred mushrooms in Mexico and it was an extremely healing and helpful experience, but the dose was small. I'm an elder. I know wisdom can be obtained from sacred plants with a qualified guide, but it's not worth having a bad reaction or messing up my mind. [continues 765 words]
Use of synthetic marijuana has skyrocketed nationwide in the past two years. Inside the cellophane pouch is a mixture of herbs one might find in a spice rack, but these herbs are anything but garden variety. They have been sprayed with chemical compounds like JWH-018 to give consumers a legal high similar to marijuana. Use of synthetic marijuana has skyrocketed nationwide in the past two years, leading politicians to question whether they should ban the products. The issue hit Minnesota earlier this month when Sen. Katie Sieben, DFL-Cottage Grove, announced her plans to introduce a bill that would outlaw the substance. [continues 607 words]
Known as K-2 and sold under other designer-sounding monikers, a new synthetic cannibinoid drug has arrived on the market. But it will not be available for sale in Marshall, where now it is illegal to possess, use and sell. "We applaud our city commission for stepping forward and being one of the first East Texas cities to pass this. It shows their concern for our city, our citizens and our children," said Assistant Police Chief Leland Benoit, following the city commission meeting Thursday night. [continues 808 words]
Police say two Blacksburg men went to a hospital after they smoked an herbal mix. It goes by many names: K2, Cloud 9, Spice, Magic Gold, Buzz, Smoke, Skunk. The melange of herbs sprayed with a synthetic marijuana substitute is blooming in popularity, and making users sick and being outlawed as it does. The stuff, still legal in Virginia, announced its presence in the region Thursday night with an ambulance call to a Blacksburg home, where two 19-year-old men smoking "Bayou Blaster" were taken to the hospital with vomiting, accelerated heartbeats, and in the case of one man, violent seizures, police said. [continues 856 words]
Re "Drug tests" (Feature story, July 8): Drugs have been around far longer than governments and will continue to be long beyond them. Some do drugs to escape, party, get laid or have other juicy times. Some do it to push the limits of consciousness or to try to find meaning and art. Some abuse them, and that's bad. I think if you're an adult, you should be able to explore the limits of your own world/mind without hindrance--not because some silly second-hander says, "No, that's scary," or someone else wants to pass a law to "protect" you from yourself. [continues 109 words]
Welcome to this week's Reno News & Review. I'm still getting a hard time over last week's cover story, "Drug tests," in which I sampled some of the legal substances available at local head shops. It's not from the expected sources--you know, I expected my dad to call, "What do you mean you took coke in the early `80s?" or from some distraught parent, "I never heard of this stuff. Why are you doing telling my kids about it?" (And by the way, I'd never heard of some of this stuff, either, but I'm willing to bet any kid who'd be inclined toward experimenting already knew about it.) [continues 238 words]
As digital drugs or i-dosing appears in Oklahoma, experts warn that it's not the sounds themselves that should worry parents. The websites where the tones are sold entice young people down a slippery slope, they say. Schools and drug experts are warning parents to beware of "digital drugs" that Mustang High School students blamed for their apparent intoxication. Three students were sent to the principal's office when they appeared to be high on drugs or alcohol in March, said Mustang School District Superintendent Bonnie Lightfoot. She said the kids explained that they had tried something called "i-dosers." [continues 672 words]
SALT LAKE CITY -- A new state council that originated from a Clinton lawmaker's legislation will consider cracking down on the use of two unregulated herbs circulating as recreational drugs. The Controlled Substances Advisory Committee met for the first time on Wednesday to consider suggesting state regulations on three items: the herb Salvia divinorum, the herb called Spice and the prescription drug Tramadol. Earlier this year, the Weber School District banned Spice and Hill Air Force Base banned Salvia divinorum from use at their locations and were among the first entities in the state to take action on the herbal items. The products are legal and do not show up on drug tests, but both produce hallucinogenic or marijuana-like effects in some people when smoked. [continues 366 words]
I rarely use this column to explain my own writing, but I'm feeling a little creeped out by this week's cover story, and I think some of the themes are subtle for newsprint. First, I consider myself a sophisticated member of our society. I had a well misspent youth, and I went down a lot of dark alleys. So my arrogance is, since I've seen it all, I know a lot, and if my friends or my child starts going down a dangerous path, I'd like to think I'd recognize it. This story convinced me that is not true. I didn't even know the words. Salvia? Bath salts? Spice? I could have been sitting with a group of teenagers, and if they were discussing Pep or Genie or Halo or K2, I'd have no idea what they were talking about. I'm not a big "we must save the children by limiting adults' fun" type, but I should at least recognize the words. And so should those other parents who grew up in the '70s and '80s. [continues 189 words]
You Can Take These 'Legal' Intoxicants, but Do You Really Want To? You should have seen the kid's face at the head shop when I told him I wanted to buy some salvia and some mephedrone. His lineless face dropped open, and he nervously stammered. He was plainly conflicted: If he told the old guy who looked about half like a cop how to take the drugs, he could be forfeiting his job and maybe even his boss' business. If he failed to tell the old guy how to take the drugs ... well, maybe there would be one less old guy. [continues 2978 words]
On a weekend sometime in late winter or early spring, four young people checked themselves into the emergency department at St. John Medical Center complaining of similar symptoms. Each were nervous, panicky, and their hearts were racing, said Dr. Brian Hoyt, the director of the hospital's emergency department. Two of them arrived together, two others showed up separately. The teenagers and young adults, between the ages of 13 and 26, said they had smoked a synthetic form of marijuana known generically as "spice" but also called by its brand names, Black Mamba and K2. [continues 812 words]
A middle-aged woman in the pink halter top strolled into the Moorhead store and headed straight for the herbal incense. Flipping through the shiny plastic packets, she found one she hadn't tried before, a black bag labeled "Smoke XXXX." After shelling out $50 for the 3-gram pouch, she climbed into her minivan and tore open the package. Carefully, she poured the potpourri-like substance into her "Stairway to Heaven" hitter box (a small container normally used for marijuana), loaded up her cigarette-style pipe and fired it up. [continues 1782 words]
A legal drug that has been raising some concerns is no longer available at a Trail pawnshop since the city has stepped in. "I don't want a bad reputation," said Casey LeMoel, the owner of Bargain Pawn Shop in the Gulch. "I'm running a decent business here, it's not shady." Since Monday, LeMoel is no longer selling salvia divinorum - a hallucinogenic drug that comes in the form of dried leaves or a form of extract - at his hemp and new and used store that opened about four months ago. [continues 549 words]
A public hearing will be held Wednesday on proposed legislation that could pull two potent but legal substances from local stores, following a prohibition trend that is sweeping legislatures nationwide. If passed, Bill 396 would outlaw salvia divinorum and the chemicals that create "Spice" both which can be bought in Tumon stores. At least three adult entertainment stores had salvia for sale on Saturday and one had previously sold "spice" but was sold out. Store owners declined to be interviewed about either substances. [continues 965 words]
OC Officials Call for Expanded Law OCEAN CITY -- Police and government officials in Ocean City are taking a hard look at a new substance being sold in Boardwalk shops that they say, when smoked, mimics the effects of marijuana. Sold as incense or aromatherapy, the herbal substance has been sprayed with chemicals meant to interact with the brain just like tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. In Ocean City, it's available under brand names K2, Spice or Noella, among others. [continues 622 words]
