Salvia: ‘Seer's Sage' or ‘Devil's Drug'?
By SHEILA RHOADES
Friday, August 3, 2007 10:21 PM EDT
It's called salvia divinorum and it's the latest drug sweeping the country. This potent, mind-altering plant is generally used as a hallucinogen and is often compared to LSD and PCP. It cannot, thus far, be detected through typical drug screening.
If that's not frightening enough, consider this ... its use is legal in the state of Indiana and much of the United States.
Most have never even heard of it, including local pharmacists, herb shop owners, smoke shops and even law enforcement, which could actually mean that parents can learn about a drug targeting our youth - maybe even before our youth know about its existence.
Wabash City Police officers Matt Rebholz and Nick Brubaker, both detectives with the Wabash Drug Task Force, tried to find some information from law enforcement in the southern part of the state, where, according to some Internet maps, salvia has already arrived.
“We contacted three different agencies down there,” Brubaker told the Plain Dealer, “but we still haven't heard anything back.”
Rebholz said they had also been in touch with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) out of Chicago and he said they didn't consider it to be a problem there, yet.
Sgt. Tony Slocum with the Indiana State Police said the three officers that work narcotics said “they haven't seen any.” He then added, “But since it's not an illegal drug, they wouldn't be looking for it, either.” Only one of the officers were familiar with the salvia.
Those who know its properties or have experienced its effects are calling it one of two things - “Seer's Sage” or “Devil's Drug.”
The Internet is a virtual reference guide on the topic and most of the information in this article was gleaned from some of the Web sites.
Salvia divinorum is a perennial herb from both the mint and sage families. It looks like an ordinary plant with no distinctive features and can be successfully grown indoors anywhere with no special equipment. It produces purple flowers when in bloom.
There are many forms of salvia - you may have at least one species in your flower garden - but this kind is not used as a decorative arrangement for the dining room table.
It is native to areas of the Sierra Mazateca region in Oaxaca, Mexico, and can grow to more than three feet tall. It has been used for many years by the Mazatec Indians for religious and healing purposes, yet its origins are not specifically unknown.
Salvia can be chewed or crushed (to make an extract to drink), but is normally dried and smoked; it induces hallucinations with very little use of the product. Its effects can take hold within seconds and last for up to an hour. It is promoted as a “visionary” herb or “teacher plant” designed to enhance “travel down your spiritual path.”
At even moderate doses, according
to some salvia users, you may experience “encounters with beings, entities, spirits; or travels to other ages may occur. You may even live the life of another person.”
At a higher level, users may enter a “befuddled” state of mind. For that reason, “a sitter is essential to ensure the safety of someone voyaging to the inner levels. To the person experiencing this, the phenomenon may be terrifying or exceedingly pleasant.”
At the utmost level, “the individual may fall or remain immobile or thrash around; injuries can be sustained without pain being felt.” The user cannot ever recall what they experience in this very deep trance state.
Depending on the strength, one deep inhalation or “hit” can send you to the highest level possible.
On YouTube, one can even view videos of teenagers who have recorded themselves taking “trips” on salvia.
Some Internet Web sites offer step-by-step instructions for various methods in achieving a “high” and even suggest ways to keep the drug legal.
Creators of the Internet “user's guide” Sage Wisdom admit that salvia is not a party drug like alcohol or marijuana. Instead they categorize it as a “consciousness-changing herb.”
At this time, it is not known exactly how or if the brain is permanently affected by use of the drug. There are no confirmed, documented reports of death.
Their claims are that no suicides have been directly related to salvia use, however, Brett Chidester, a 17-year-old Delaware youth, is suspected of having committed suicide after smoking the drug. Already dealing with depression, his parents remain convinced the hallucinations he experienced had revealed the “secrets” which provoked his death.
Proponents of the drug insist it is not at all like LSD, but says salvia offers a very “unique” experience, like an intense “meditation, yoga or trance” state of mind. Only a small percentage of users (less than 20 percent) compare it to other psychoactives like LSD and PCP.
Salvia supporters say that while the drugs have “comparative potencies,” they are different in that LSD is a “synthesized drug not found in nature, whereas salvinorin occurs naturally in plant form. They also point out that the effects of salvia last “only a few minutes,” while LSD effects can persist for up to 10 hours.
Internet users - regardless of age - can easily find and, if they have access to a credit card, purchase salvia for as little as $15. There is even a “starter package” for less than $50. Any order can be delivered to their doorstep the next day. Most Web sites, however, do “insist” the buyer be at least 18 years of age.
Some purchases of salvia divinorum have been made in larger cities through assorted nature and herb shops. The Wabash Plain Dealer contacted some area herb and smoke shops to see how accessible it is locally.
Rustic Gardens, Roann, Wabash Herb Shop, A-Z Tobacco, Wabash, and Donna's Herb Shop, North Manchester, were all contacted and their owners asked if they carried the herb. All said they had never heard of it. After being told what it was, each said they would not carry it even if it were made available to them.
Recently, the DEA initiated an “Eight Factor Analysis” of salvia divinorum. The analysis must be performed before any substance can be scheduled as a controlled substance. The analysis is expected to take several months to complete.
Is salvia destined to reach Wabash County? Only time will tell.
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