The DePaulia

Issue date: 5/29/09 Section: Up Close

Media Credit: MCT Wire Service

There is a plant that gives the same kind of effects as LSD, can be purchased online and is legal in most U.S. states. Sounds pretty scary right? Meet Salvia Divinorum, commonly referred to as Salvia, the Sage of Seers or Magic Mint. A lot has been reported on the herb that derives from the mint family, but it is time to get the facts straight. Salvia, like most drugs, can be smoked, chewed, inhaled and ingested through a liquid form. The plant, which is commonly grown in Mexico, is slowly making its way across the border to the U.S. Its use is popular among college and high-school students who are looking for an out-of-body experience that, in most U.S. states, is 100 percent legal. In fact, it has become so common that it can be purchased easily online and in most head shops throughout the country.

Greg MacVarish, dean of students at DePaul University, does not seem to think that Salvia is as popular among college students as the media makes it out to be. "I definitely think the press makes Salvia a lot more mainstream then it really is," McVarish said. "We have had no cases of Salvia use at DePaul and I am not aware of any cases at other local schools. But most of DePaul's students live off campus so it is possible that students here use Salvia." Limited use at DePaul could also be because Salvia was made illegal in the state of Illinois last year, a decision that MacVarish supports.

While Illinois has made Salvia illegal, it is not the only state to do so. Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Virginia have all made Salvia a banned substance. The phenomenon of Salvia use has spread so quickly over the entire globe that many other countries have made its use and distribution illegal. Susan Carr, the deputy chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has said that the U.S. has been aware of the plant for several years. "Only recently has the active ingredient Salvinorin A been isolated and research on the abuse potential of the substance been published."

Due to the limited amount of research regarding Salvia's long- and short-term effects, the DEA has been unable to ban the substance in the U.S. This may soon change; the DEA is working with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to control the substance. "The DEA has completed its review and has requested HHS to provide its evaluation," Carr said. "The DEA cannot move forward with control until HHS responds with its scientific and medical evaluation and scheduling recommendation."

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