Palm Trees

The Debate Behind Salvia

Known on the street as Divine Sage and Magic Mint, Saliva is a powerful natural hallucinogen that is marketed as a harmless perception and spirituality enhancer. While this herb has been known to render users completely powerless and to an illusive state, Salvia Divinorum is legal in every country except Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Japan, Spain and Sweden.

A member of the Sage family, Salvia is actually considered a common garden plant. At this point, Divinorum appears to be the only species of Salvia that has perception-altering or intoxicating capabilities. Seeds for the Divinorum species are rare, but as the Salvia craze intensifies, they may become easier to find.

Native to the Mazatec region of southern Mexico, Salvia has an extensive history of being used by Mexican Shaman to induce visionary states in the context of spiritual practices. These Shaman chewed the plant’s leaves to induce these visions, but the herb can also be ingested by smoking it or using a tincture.

While many users argue that the effects last only a few minutes and do absolutely no harm to the body, research has shown that the herb can trigger serious psychiatric problems. And, while the effect of Salvia is undeniably mind-altering, there is growing controversy in the scientific, law-enforcement and drug-regulation fields on how to handle the growing popularity.

Thirteen states in the U.S. have passed legislation that ranges from placing Salvia in the most serious narcotics category alongside heroine and cocaine to outlawing its sale and distribution to minors under 18. The problem is that U.S. federal drug regulators have reported that they have yet to identify a convincing case to add Salvia to the list of controlled substances.

Part of the challenge for those fighting against the rapid growth of the use of Salvia is that it is the first drug craze to be driven almost entirely by the Internet. YouTube and other sites posts videos of users in the process of using and reacting to Saliva and the aftermath. These videos then invite other users to share their experiences while commenting on what they have seen.

No matter what their motivation, users can easily find Salvia at a store around the corner or a visit to eBay. And, since it is still legal in many states, there is little motivation to ignore the substantial buzz surrounding the effect of what many users are referring to as a “spiritual episode”.

The effects of Salvia include visionary hallucinations and a trance-like state. The duration of the effects of the smoked saliva lasts for a few minutes at best. According to research performed at the University of Nebraska, long-term effects of Salvia use include improved mood and “antidepressant-like effects” increasing its appeal to users.

Californian Republican assemblyman Anthony Adams was first made aware of the drug in 2006 when police officers in his district approached him with their frustration. They reported that they were increasingly finding students in possession of the herb during raids for other offences.

'It was clear to them that salvia was harmful, emotionally and possibly physically, and they were frustrated that there was nothing they could do,' he said in an interview. 'So they approached me to ask about the possibility of introducing legislation to ban it. Even if it's non-addictive, you lose your ability to reason, you are incapacitated, and you cannot make informed decisions about your behavior.'

Even if more states and the nation as a whole is able to make Salvia illegal, it will still be difficult to regulate as it can be grown easily, does not have a distinct smell or appearance and it leaves the body within 15 minutes of use. For those seeking to control it, the road will be long and tough.