Herb with LSD-like effects still legal

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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Intense hallucinations. A floating sensation. Slurred speech.

The LSD-like effects can come from smoking an herb known as Sally D or Diviner’s Sage — and it’s perfectly legal in Maryland.

But soon not in Virginia.

In July, Virginia joins 11 states that have banned or restricted salvia divinorum, a Mexican herb from the mint family that is smoked or chewed and causes effects lasting about half an hour.

The herb is available on the Internet, with several Web sites such as YouTube that promote how to smoke it for a good “trip.”

Delaware outlawed it two years ago, months after 17-year-old Brett Chidester committed suicide soon after starting to smoke salvia. The law was dubbed “Brett’s Law.”

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials are evaluating several factors, such as its potential for abuse, evidence of its effects and patterns of abuse, to determine whether salvia should be classified as a controlled substance, said Rogene Waite, a DEA spokeswoman.

“Just because something isn’t illegal doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous, doesn’t mean it’s not harmful,” Waite said.

Baltimore City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway introduced a bill earlier this year that would prohibit the sale, possession and use of salvia, but the bill never made it out of committee.

Conaway said she wasn’t aware of a problem in Baltimore City, but she wanted “to be on the front end.”

Other Maryland officials said they did not see salvia use as a widespread problem.

“It’s not something we hear a lot about,” said Erin Artigiani, deputy director for policy at the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland.

Dr. Michael Hayes, who operates the Center for Addiction Medicine affiliated with Maryland General Hospital, said he hadn’t seen it, but added, “That doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

At least two stores in Baltimore sell salvia. In one store, an employee said it was popular among 18- to 25-year-olds. A small container sells for about $20.

In Ocean City, police have had some complaints from parents, but because it isn’t illegal, there’s little they can do, said Officer Mike Levy, spokesman for the Ocean City Police Department.

“This is another one of those gimmick items being marketed carelessly and recklessly,” he said, adding salvia should be regulated.

However, the active component in salvia is a “unique compound” that may have therapeutic benefits such as treating depression, and Johns Hopkins researchers are awaiting approval from the FDA, said Matthew Johnson, an instructor in the Johns Hopkins psychiatry department.

Controlling it, particularly on the city or state level, could hamper this research, he said.

“This is a novel compound that presents a wide-open field of inquiry,” he said.

smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com

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