The psychedelic era did not begin in New York. Nor did it get its start in London or Paris. Instead, it began in Saskatchewan -- Weyburn, to be exact. Psychedelic was a term coined by Dr. Humphry F. Osmond from the use of lysergic acid diethylamide -- better known as LSD -- in medical research in the southern Saskatchewan community. Eventually the word would become synonymous with an entire culture in the 1960s. Following the Second World War, LSD was among the drugs that interested Osmond and his colleagues in their research into mental illness. [continues 467 words]
OTTAWA -- An easily available herb that packs a powerful psychedelic punch has some federal health officials recommending strict controls. But Health Canada says it can't regulate the use of salvia divinorum until there's more evidence of its dangers. Department documents obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information law say salvia is being used by adolescents and young adults for its hallucinogenic properties. Salvia divinorum is difficult to grow outside of its native habitat in southern Mexico, but the plant's leaves and extracts of salvia's active ingredient in pill form are sold in Canada. [continues 488 words]
OTTAWA - A freely available herb that packs a powerful psychedelic punch has some federal health officials recommending strict controls. But Health Canada says it can't regulate the use of salvia divinorum until there's more evidence of its dangers. Department documents obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information law say salvia is being used by adolescents and young adults for its hallucinogenic properties. Salvia divinorum is difficult to grow outside of its native habitat in southern Mexico, but the plant's leaves and extracts of salvia's active ingredient in pill form are sold in Canada. [continues 316 words]
Health Canada Looking Into Potential Danger A common garden herb that packs a powerful psychedelic punch has some federal health officials calling for strict controls. But Health Canada says it can't regulate the use of salvia divinorum until there's more evidence of its dangers. Department documents obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information law say salvia is being used by adolescents and young adults for its hallucinogenic properties. A December 2005 report by the marketed health products directorate, an arm of Health Canada, recommends that salvia be placed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. [continues 313 words]
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. [continues 106 words]
Salvia Divinorum Can't Be Declared Illegal Without More Data OTTAWA - A freely available herb that packs a powerful psychedelic punch has some federal health officials recommending strict controls. Department documents obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information law say salvia is being used by adolescents and young adults for its hallucinogenic properties. A December 2005 report by the marketed health products directorate, an arm of Health Canada, recommends that salvia divinorum be placed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. [continues 413 words]
According to a recent study conducted by U.K. medical journal The Lancet, alcohol and tobacco are more harmful than illegal drugs like cannabis, LSD and ecstasy. Of the 20 drugs studied, alcohol ranked fifth behind heroin, cocaine, barbiturates and street methadone. Tobacco ranked ninth, while cannabis ranked 11th, LSD 14th and ecstasy 18th. Addiction experts, including psychiatrists, scientists, medical specialists, and police officers, were solicited for the study. Professor Michael Cook, who teaches physiology and pharmacology at Western, wasn't surprised by the rankings. He said tobacco's negative effects aren't seen in the short term. Likewise, alcohol does cumulative damage to users over an extended period. [continues 333 words]
Booze and Cigs More Harmful Than Class A Drugs Claim Experts ALCOHOL and tobacco are more harmful than class A drugs such as LSD and ecstasy, experts have claimed. In a landmark study published today, they put booze almost on a par with heroin, cocaine and street methadone. And they place tobacco ninth in a list of 20 drugs - ranking it more dangerous than cannabis, solvents and date rape drug GHB. The list was drawn up by medical experts who say the current Class A, B and C system - in place for 36 years - should be scrapped. [continues 384 words]
I have a few comments about the recent article entitled "Salvia Questioned." I am thankful that The Oracle decided to cover this important issue, and I hope that more space is devoted to covering psychedelic issues in our community. First, the comparison of Salvia Divinorum to LSD, which is common in mainstream media coverage of the issue, is really an exercise in misinformation, as is obvious from reading sources such as the Journal of Ethnopharmacology or browsing the thousands of experience reports at erowid.org. It is notable that the effects of smoked salvia material, whether the leaves or the extract, last only a few minutes, while LSD lasts several hours. [continues 400 words]
Some young people are turning on, tuning in and dropping out for quick highs on a hallucinogenic drug that is legal and sold openly at novelty stores, smoke shops and adult video stores. But some state lawmakers say the substance - salvia divinorum - is dangerous and have proposed a bill to ban possessing or selling it. "=46rom what I understand this drug is at least as dangerous as marijuana or LSD," said Rep. John Lim, R-Gresham, who is sponsoring a bill that would make the plant a Schedule I controlled substance in Oregon, on par with ecstasy or synthetic heroin. "This drug is not a widely used product, but it is becoming problematic." [continues 525 words]
Some young people are turning on, tuning in and dropping out for quick highs on a hallucinogenic drug that is legal and sold openly at novelty stores, smoke shops and adult video stores. But some state lawmakers say the substance -- salvia divinorum -- is dangerous and have proposed a bill to ban possessing or selling it. "From what I understand this drug is at least as dangerous as marijuana or LSD," said Rep. John Lim, R-Gresham, who is sponsoring a bill that would make the plant a Schedule I controlled substance in Oregon, on par with ecstasy or synthetic heroin. "This drug is not a widely used product, but it is becoming problematic." [continues 616 words]
Used By Shamans In Mexico, It Is Sold In Some U.S. Stores Some young people are turning on, tuning in and dropping out for quick highs on a hallucinogenic drug that is legal and sold openly at novelty stores, smoke shops and adult video stores. But some state lawmakers say the substance, salvia divinorum, is dangerous and they have proposed a bill to ban possessing or selling it. "From what I understand, this drug is at least as dangerous as marijuana or LSD," said Rep. John Lim, R-Gresham, who is sponsoring a bill that would make the plant a Schedule I controlled substance in Oregon, on par with Ecstasy or synthetic heroin. "This drug is not a widely used product, but it is becoming problematic." [continues 471 words]
The psychedelic era did not begin in New York. Nor did it get its start in London or Paris. Instead, it began in Saskatchewan - Weyburn, to be exact. Psychedelic was a term coined by Dr. Humphry F. Osmond from the use of lysergic acid diethylamide - better known as LSD - in medical research in the southern Saskatchewan community. Eventually the word would become synonymous with an entire culture in the 1960s. Following the Second World War, LSD was among the drugs that interested Osmond and his colleagues in their research into mental illness. [continues 466 words]
The psychedelic era did not begin in New York. Nor did it get its start in London or Paris. Instead, it began in Saskatchewan - Weyburn, to be exact. Psychedelic was a term coined by Dr. Humphry F. Osmond from the use of lysergic acid diethylamide - better known as LSD - in medical research in the southern Saskatchewan community. Eventually the word would become synonymous with an entire culture in the 1960s. Following the Second World War, LSD was among the drugs that interested Osmond and his colleagues in their research into mental illness. [continues 462 words]
One University of Arizona researcher has found the real magic behind "magic mushrooms." Dr. Francisco Moreno, an assistant professor of psychiatry, has successfully treated the symptoms of nine patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder using psilocybin, an active ingredient found in hallucinogenic mushrooms. Moreno said he first got the idea to begin research with psychedelic mushrooms in 1997 after a patient with OCD disclosed that the hallucinogen had helped subdue the symptoms that accompanied this disease. To conduct the research, Moreno obtained permits and licenses from the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. [continues 402 words]
GREENSBORO -- A hallucinogenic type of mint widely -- and legally -- available for purchase on the Internet has caught the attention of the Partnership for a Drug Free NC. The organization, which works to reduce the negative effect of substance abuse and mental illness, is trying to persuade state legislators to pass laws similar to those in such states as Delaware and Tennessee, where the plant is illegal. Local law enforcement agencies, drug treatment centers, and school resource officers, however, said they have seen no evidence of Guilford County residents using salvia divinorum. [continues 215 words]
It seems from the story Legal hallucinogen concerns police (SP, Dec. 21), that The SP has a troubling habit of succumbing to reefer madness. Why is the SP so ready to print police lobbying? I thought police were paid to enforce the law, not lobby for changes based on moral judgments. Sgt. Jerome Engele says that stores shouldn't be selling a legal hallucinogen to anyone and that its legality is a problem. Engele is lobbying for a change to the law even though his organization admits that police have not had any problems with Salvia divinorum to date. [continues 135 words]
Salvia Divinorum Available In Winnipeg, Produces Short, Powerful Hallucination In order to buy a mind-altering substance in Winnipeg, all you need is identification. The hallucinogen, Salvia divinorum, is currently being sold in some stores and police are unable to stop it. "We are very aware that it is here, but can't prevent the use as it is not illegal. There are only a few stores in Winnipeg that sell the product and they assure us that they only sell to people over 18 years of age," said Winnipeg police spokeswoman Marnie Minkus. [continues 369 words]
Add a new name to the list of mind-altering drugs readily available in Maine. Salvia divinorum, a potent hallucinogen closely related to an ornamental plant commonly grown in Maine herb and flower gardens, is for sale at smoke shops throughout the state. It's not illegal, but Maine lawmakers in the coming session will take up a proposal to ban or regulate it. A bill proposed by Rep. Chris Barstow, D-Gorham, seeks control over the use, sale or possession of the plant. [continues 670 words]
US Opens 25-Year-Old Files on State Secrets Some secrets, it turns out, are too old or too big to keep - even for the Bush administration, which has made a crusade of rooting out leaks and clamping down on information on the inner workings of government. In the new year, the CIA, FBI, state department and more than 80 other government agencies that handle state secrets will declassify hundreds of millions of pages of documents under a new policy that institutes an automatic release of material after 25 years. [continues 269 words]
