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Salvia: The Legal High Save Email Print
Posted: 11:26 PM Feb 20, 2008
Last Updated: 3:13 PM Feb 21, 2008
Reporter: Beth Shayne
Email Address: beth.shayne@wilx.com

A | A | A

"It burnt my throat....and then I just went numb in my whole body....so numb I lost control of my jaw," Jarrod Stoddard says of his one and only trip with Salvia almost six years ago.

"I hated it," Stoddard says. The now 20 year old, who works here behind the scenes on our newscast, was sure immediately he'd never to try Salvia again.

Salvia Divinorum is a leaf from the sage family that creates a quick, intense hallucinogenic high. Users compare it to LSD.

It is legal--so legal that Frivolity Kingdom where you can buy it on Lansing Ave. in Jackson advertises Salvia outside. It is also sold at several other locations in the area. Frivolity Kingdom's owner Greg Somervill says he does not sell to people under 18, but that the spectrum of who buys it is wide. Salvia Divinorum is generally fairly weak, which is why what most people buy is an extract that is much stronger.

"One of my friends was talking about how he and his brother found this new stuff called Salvia," Stockbridge high school sophomore Cody Allred tells us. He and many of his friends from a group called Explorers tell us they know people who have tried it. Many of them are under 18.

The Explorers, Waterloo Post 190, are a group that's preparing for careers in law enforcement and their group is, for the time being, involved with law creation too. They brought their concerns to Rep. Mike Simpson, D-Liberty Township, who is now having legislation drafted to address it.

"At the very least, we want this listed as a controlled substance, but ideally we want this banned from the state of Michigan," Simpson says.

Simpson calls it dangerous, and Somervill, owner of Frivolity Kingdom, doesn't disagree. He says the high is quick, and the herb is non-addictive, but he says many of his customers abuse it. Why is he selling it? He says media reports are only making it more popular. "Supply and demand," Somervill says.

Salvia Divinorum is already banned in 6 states and 10 countries.

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Posted by: Lena T. Location: Lansing, MI on Apr 14, 2008 at 12:10 PM
I love it, the illiterate asses out here in Lansing, got it taken away from the only store I knew of that sold it. I am on a search to find.

Posted by: Joshua Location: CA on Feb 29, 2008 at 03:52 PM
In CA we just passed a ban on sales to minors. This is the best way to keep salvia out of the hands of those most likely to abuse this plant. Outright ban means another black market source of income for cartels & LESS ability to control its potential detrimental effects by law enforcement. This would also give the zealots who are pushing this ban trying to appear 'tough on drugs' a compromise. Everything we know about salvia suggests that an adult who takes the proper common-sense precautions (sober sitter, doesnt drive)will have a safe experience.Criminalizing such behavior has led to a failed war on drugs, and many instances where the punishment is far more dangerous than the crime. Having been a victim of a paramilitary raid on our house bc of a false-informant who lied to police claiming we had 'kilos' of marijuana, I know what a barbarous policy prohibition is. A govt serious about drug abuse would do more to educate, address underlying causes & seek to rehabilitate,not incarcerate

Posted by: Kyle Location: Iraq on Feb 26, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Salvia Divinorum is a quick way to get a legal high. the side effects vary. ive tried it a number of times and havent had a "bad" experience with it, just a temporary high body temperature and some uncontrollable laughter. however, it is a drug, and should be scheduled as such. i dont agree with the way it is used, however just like any other hallucinogenic, if you ban one, a new one will show up. it tastes nasty, and smells worse. the effects are very short lived (usually between 10-15 minutes at the most). its not wise to do by yourself, but i think alot of people overstate the effects. its usage was started with indians (of varying cultures) using it to get a closer connection with the spirits and just to get that out of body experience (which, unfortunately works). its not as bad as alot of the other drugs available, but the effects can hang with the best of anything you can find illegaly. i agree on the reclassification, but not with the ban

Posted by: G Location: Lansing on Feb 24, 2008 at 05:54 PM
Its been around for years. When recent medical research suggested that it could be used in substance abuse and alcohol treatment, there was a big push to ban it. Sak's one of the bill's sponsers, and he gets his money mostly from the alcohol lobby. Its that way in every state. The drug has also shown great promise in the treatment of Alzheimers and Schizophrenia. This drug isnt addictive, isnt toxic and isnt fun. There's simply no reason to criminalize this drug and throw out 10 years of medical research.

Posted by: Svedge Location: Norway on Feb 24, 2008 at 02:15 PM
Too bad! MOST users will NEVER compare Salvia to LSD or mushrooms, there are just too many differences to compare.

Posted by: Kristyn Location: school on Feb 22, 2008 at 08:30 AM
Wow i'm o it! Ban salvia!

Posted by: d Location: el on Feb 21, 2008 at 09:51 AM
Yes. Ban another plant. God obviously made a mistake when he created these. We know better than God what is good for us! Funny but true story: we grew salvia divninium in my Kindergarten class as a science project.

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