The MSM pushes a new drug onto the American public: Is Salvia the Next Marijuana?

[devilgrrl]

Is Salvia the Next Marijuana?
By JESSICA GRESKO (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
March 11, 2008 12:43 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - On Web sites touting the mind-blowing powers of Salvia divinorum, come-ons to buy the hallucinogenic herb are accompanied by warnings: "Time is running out!" and "stock up while you still can."

That's because salvia is being targeted by lawmakers concerned that the inexpensive and easy-to-obtain plant could become the next marijuana. Eight states have already placed restrictions on salvia, and 16 others, including Florida, are considering a ban or have previously.

"As soon as we make one drug illegal, kids start looking around for other drugs they can buy legally. This is just the next one," said Florida state Rep. Mary Brandenburg, who has introduced a bill to make possession of salvia a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Some say legislators are overreacting to a minor problem, but no one disputes that the plant impairs judgment and the ability to drive.

Native to Mexico and still grown there, Salvia divinorum is generally smoked but can also be chewed or made into a tea and drunk.

more: http://enews.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20080311/47d611d0_3421_1334520080311722100125

I swear to Christ they (the MSM) advertise this just like they did with crack cocaine. They want people to take these substances, keeps the private prison industry going.

[LostinVA]

1. From what I understand of salvia, it isn't very recreational

Hardly the new marijuana.

[dionysus]

5. no its not, it will *fuck*you*up*, it's for the hardcore trippers only

[devilgrrl]

7. I've tried it and wasn't impressed.

The experience only lasts about 20 seconds and is way too intense. I don't get the appeal.

[tridim]

9. Seems like the same point as whippets.

All drugs that just "fuck you up" suck IMO.

[dionysus]

11. i can barely handle tabs... no way i'd mess with that...

[ThomWV]

2. That shit has been around for years - its funny

Its the pipe dream of every 15 year old weed head in the country.

[Richard D]

3. That is . . .

. . . one of the stupidest articles I've seen.

[Dora]

4. It's my understanding that salvia's effects are sig. different from mj's.

I have a friend who tried this particular salvia, and he told us he'd NEVER do it again. I did some reading on it at erowid.org, and it sounds like a really intense trip that renders the user out of control. NOT at all like mj.

I must add that making it illegal still seems like a bad idea to me. I'm a strong supporter in the decriminalization of drug use. Education is always better than prohibition and disinformation.

[tridim]

8. The point is that the media is equating it with cannabis

It's the same "mistake" our government made equating cannabis with opiates, speed and cocaine.

Now kids are going to go out and get fucked up on salvia when they could just use a mild and safe drug that humans have been doing for almost our entire history.

[NanBo]

6. I read this as saliva

and was like WTF?? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

sorry, carry on.

[lonestarnot]

13. Me too....

:rofl: I think it's time for meat for breakfast!

[Buns_of_Fire]

22. That's what I read at first. But take heart!

Saliva is only harmful when swallowed in very small amounts, over a very long period of time.

So sayith George Carlin, who has as much credibility as anyone else these days.

[TechBear_Seattle]

10. From the Wikipedia

Its primary psychoactive constituent is a diterpenoid known as salvinorin A —a potent κ-opioid receptor agonist. Salvinorin A is unique in that it is the only naturally occurring substance known to induce a visionary state this way. Salvia divinorum can be chewed, smoked, or taken as a tincture to produce experiences ranging from uncontrollable laughter to much more intense and profoundly altered states. The duration is much shorter than for some other more well known psychedelics; the effects of smoked salvia typically last for only a few minutes. The most commonly reported after-effects include an increased feeling of insight and improved mood, and a sense of calmness and increased sense of connection with nature—though much less often it may also cause dysphoria (unpleasant or uncomfortable mood). Salvia divinorum is not generally understood to be toxic or addictive. As a κ-opioid agonist, it may have potential as an analgesic and as therapy for drug addictions.

Salvia divinorum has become increasingly well-known and more widely available in modern culture. The rise of the Internet since the 1990s has seen the growth of many businesses selling live salvia plants, dried leaves, extracts, and other preparations. During this time medical experts and accident and emergency rooms have not been reporting cases that suggest particular health concerns, and police have not been reporting it as a significant issue with regard to public order offences. Yet Salvia divinorum has attracted increasing attention from the media and some lawmakers.

Media stories generally raise alarms over salvia’s legal status, headlining, for example, with not necessarily well supported comparisons to LSD. Parental concerns are raised by focus on salvia’s use by younger teens—the emergence of YouTube videos purporting to depict its use being an area of particular concern in this respect. The isolated and controversial case of Brett Chidester, a 17-year-old Delaware student who committed suicide in January 2006, has received continued attention. He reportedly purchased salvia from a Canadian-based Internet company some four months prior to taking his own life; his parents consequently blame this for his death. Salvia divinorum remains legal in most countries and, within the United States, legal in the majority of states. However, some have called for its prohibition. Most proposed bills have not made it into law, with motions having been voted down in committee, failed, died, or otherwise stalled. Other more recent bills are as yet still at the early proposal stage. There have not been any publicised prosecutions of anti-salvia laws in the few countries and states where it has been made illegal.

The full entry is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_divinorum

[BrotherBuzz]

12. Search salvia over on Youtube and you'll find dozens of idiots experimenting with it

Doesn't look very recreational to me. :shrug:

[High Plains]

14. A solution in search of a problem.

[librechik]

15. If you call stepping into a time/space machine, going to a different planet for 60 seconds

(completely unaware of your current surroundings) and then slowly waking up to notice you are back in your own living room or DRIVER'S SEAT?????--a recreational drug--

If you tried it and pranksters carried your unconscious body to your car and put you behind the driver's seat, started the car and set it rolling and then you came back to this world it would be truly hilarious as you screamed and screamed.

Children, do not try this one alone, with others doing it at the same time and no control folks to help your drooling helpless bodies. Do not try it in unsafe or public locations, where you could fall over and hit your head or face as you black out. Do not try it while holding a hot (or cold) drink, while holding a cigarette, while lying on your back (you might puke, choke and die and never know it) Do not try it for fun. It is not fun. It is in fact a little bit scary, even for a wizened old acid washed shaman such as myself, ahem. It was interesting, but I didn't have a hankering to try it twice.

I am sure salvia has its purposes, but recreation is definitely not one of them, IMO. I am saving it for some future time when the Emperor of Middle Earth comes to me for an exquisitely necessary divination, and all my other tools have proven useless, and I must steel myself to go to the land of demons and maniacs to find some clue floating around in their collective unconscious.

Hope that never happens!

Till then I'm sticking to something much safer! Peyote!

[High Plains]

16. Wanna buy some? Check out the ads on this very page!

[High Plains]

17. Well, they were there! I didn't hallucinate them.

Even if they've vanished as quickly as a salvia high.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. eBay is loaded with auctions for it.

[On the Road]

19. I Tried it About Ten Years Ago

and it pretty much had zero effect. I understand it's glitchy that way. No doubt some people have had intense experiences.

[alfredo]

20. It's closely related to Coleus. Broadleaf Sage

It also works the same way.

[dweller]

21. learn more about it

here:

http://www.erowid.org/

dp