Published: August 05, 2008 09:45 pm      

More teens using hallucinogenic salvia

CHARLESTON — A sage-like herb that triggers intense hallucinogenic trips is a new drug of choice among the country’s teenagers.

It’s a drug you don’t need to buy covertly off the street.

Salvia divinorum can be purchased legally online or at smoke shops in most states, including West Virginia.

Type ‘salvia’ into the search engine on YouTube, and you’ll get more than 4,000 videos depicting youngsters smoking the drug and tripping on it.

This widespread trend has caught the attention of most states, which are now pushing to ban salvia.

Salvia leaves can be chewed or smoked, resulting in experiences that can include uncontrollable laughter, dizziness and profound altered mind states. The high lasts from a few minutes to a half-hour.

Recently, California became the 11th state to restrict salvia when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill forbidding the sale of the drug to minors.

In West Virginia, there are no laws regarding salvia. Abuse of the drug doesn’t appear prevalent here, said Lt. Chuck Carpenter, who heads up the Metro Drug Unit.

“It’s more of an Internet thing around here,” Carpenter said. “We haven’t had a lot of reports, but we’ve heard rumblings about some people using it. So far, we haven’t had any emergency room visits reported.”

A National Survey of Drug Use and Health report found that 1.8 million people ages 12 and older had used salvia. By comparison, about 23 million people in the same age group have used LSD at some point in their lives.

There is no evidence to indicate that salvia is addictive or fatal.

But that doesn’t mean it’s OK to consume it, Carpenter said.

“People think if it’s legal, it’s harmless,” he said. “That is not true.”

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is studying salvia to determine if it should be labeled a controlled substance.

The herb is grown mainly in Mexico and is actually banned in several countries such as Australia, Belgium and Italy.

The National Drug Intelligence Center states that users experience vivid hallucinations, out-of-body experiences and feelings of merging with inanimate objects.

Maine, Missouri, Delaware and North Dakota have classified salvia as a Schedule 1 hallucinogen, the same category as heroin, LSD, marijuana and ecstasy.

“I don’t see any medicinal value in it at all,” Carpenter said. “It does seem dangerous at first glance.”

Salvia has traditionally been used for healing purposes in indigenous cultures. Mazatec Indians contend it eases ailments such as headaches and diarrhea.

In 2004, the University of California Berkeley and California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute conducted a survey of 500 salvia users who identified certain short-term effects of the drug. Forty-five percent of them reported improved mood. Several users also said it produced increased sweating and a feeling of warmness.

Delegate Don Perdue, chairman of the West Virginia House Health and Human Resources Committee, said the issue hasn’t surfaced among lawmakers at the Capitol.

A pharmacist, Perdue said he was interested in learning more about the herb.

“I heard about it a year ago at a pharmacy seminar,” said Perdue, D-Wayne. “The Internet is what’s driving this.”

Online retailers began offering salvia in the 1990s, when the drug’s popularity spiked. Dried salvia leaves can be purchased for as little as $10 an ounce on the Internet.

Perdue said the hype over salvia reminds him of the public sentiment over LSD in the 1960s.

“Being a child of the ’60s, I remember hearing about LSD and how good or bad it was,” he said. “There was a bit of controversy, but after research, it turned out to be a bad drug.”

Perdue believes more research should be done on salvia.

“I am concerned any time a hallucinogen is out there,” he said.