As if it's not bad enough that the U.S. government has wasted billions of dollars in a hopeless effort to eradicate marijuana use, now it appears they're getting interested in a particular variety of salvia (Salvia divinorum). According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the plant's leaves cause hallucinations similar to the effect of LSD or magic mushrooms when chewed or smoked. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has taken a sudden interest in the plant, which is native to Mexico but is now being legally grown here.
Now, I'm not an advocate of hallucinogenic drugs. Personally, I find reality weird and disturbing enough. I'm just hoping that this will not become another ridiculous target in the so-called war on drugs. It's bad enough that we are not allowed to reap the many practical benefits of hemp. It would be a shame if we had to worry about the DEA going after our salvias too.
Funny how the government manages to act on "new" discoveries like this, when there are many plants with similar properties that have been used for thousands of years! I mean, doesn't anybody crack open a book anymore? The feds should be way more concerned about the rampant misuse of prescription drugs by so many people-especially teens. The commercials on TV don't help, and I wish they'd ban them like they did cigarette ads, although the cat's out of the bag already now.
ReplyDeleteI saw a reference to smoking Salvia on another blog. There were links to YouTube videos showing kids smoking it. Very. Scary. Stuff. Some of them giggled. Others had what looked to be a very bad trip. I couldn't help thinking these kids were suffering brain damage. See for yourself. Being the parent of a teenager, I thought I was pretty informed about current dangers, but this was a new one for me.
ReplyDeleteThe stuff can be truly mind expanding
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