"Where is everything sliding…why is the table rolling?" These questions were asked by a young man after smoking salvia divinorum, a relatively new hallicogenic drug.
The Drug Enforcement Agency has classified the drug as a Schedule 1 drug, like LSD, for its potent hallucinogenic effects. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, salvia divinorum causes hallucinations, or delusional episodes that mimic psychosis. NIDA explained that the "effects include psychedelic-like changes in visual perception, mood and body sensations; emotional swings; feelings of detachment; a highly modified perception of external reality and the self, which leads to a decreased ability to interact with one's surroundings."
Despite all these dangerous effects, salvia is still legal in most states and has become increasingly popular among adolescents and young adults. Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Delaware, Maine, North Dakota, Illinois, Kansas, Virginia and Florida are the only states that have made possession and sale of the salvia divinorum illegal.
According to a New York Times article from Sept. 8, 2008, over 1.8 million people in America have tried Salvia in their lifetime, over 750,000 in the past year. Among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, almost three percent reported having tried salvia in the past year, which is more than twice the consumption of LSD and ecstasy. Despite the fact that there is a growing number of frightening videos of people hallucinating after smoking salvia, and despite the fact that the drug's use has become widespread in America, salvia divinorum's fate has not been that of LSD and ecstasy; it has not been outlawed.
The reason that lawmakers have not unanimously pushed for outlawing salvia divinorum is that studies have been published indicating that salvia may have potential to treat pain, addiction and depression.
Though a seemingly innocuous member of the mint family of plants, salvia divinorum contains the active ingredient salvinorin A, which activates the kappa-opioid receptors. Though the kappa-opioid receptor functions are not well understood, research has shown that medications that activate or block these receptors may have therapeutic effects.
Animal studies have suggested that activation of the kappa-opioid receptors can decrease pain without the risk of addiction, in contrast with the activation of the more common opioid receptors by drugs like morphine, where there is a very large risk of addiction.
Moreover, salvinorin A, the main ingredient of salvia, is unique in that it activates only a single receptor in the brain, whereas similar drugs like LSD activate over 50. This, as described by Dr. Bryan Roth of the University of North Carolina, provides potential for discovery of treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's and schizophrenia. The fear shared by many is that outlawing salvia divinorum will create unnecessary barriers limiting access and research by pharmaceutical
companies.
Salvia is the genus name of sage plants and is native to Oaxaca, Mexico. For many years, it has been used by the Mazatec Indians in Oaxaca for religious and healing rituals and by the Mazatec shamans seeking revelation. There are no reported deaths caused by the drug in any of the religious proceedings. In the U.S., reports of salvia-related emergency room admissions are nonexistent. Additionally, there are no studies indicating that salvia is addictive or prone to overdose and abuse.
According to the DEA, the effects of salvia divinorum, when smoked, are generally felt within 30 seconds. Adverse effects include nausea, dizziness, slurred speech, sweating and mild hallucinations. But when used properly, people have claimed that its effects can be restorative and can spur introspection.
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