Salvia: Freaky, legal

Old herb yields powerful new drug

By MARC KILCHLING, SUN MEDIA

The first time Ryan Fentie smoked salvia, he was overwhelmed by the sudden, intense feelings that swept over him.

A huge hole opened in the ground before him, vines snaked out of the pit and encircled his feet and he felt himself become a part of them.

"I had no idea what the drug was doing to me," Fentie recalled. "It feels like you entered another world."

His high came from a powerful hallucinogenic drug that can be bought -- legally -- at convenience stores and head shops across Toronto.

It's a drug that increasingly is drawing attention from law enforcement and municipal officials, particularly because it's easy for teens and younger kids to purchase.

Would-be salvia users can buy the herb on the Internet and there are plenty of online retailers willing to ship the drug to anyone with a credit card or PayPal account -- with no age limit or safety precautions.

At the same time, salvia has attracted intense interest from medical researchers for its potential therapeutic value as a powerful medicine to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Salvia divinorum is a naturally occurring plant grown in the Sierra Mazateca region of Mexico. Mazatec natives have used the plant for centuries in ritual healing ceremonies and vision quests but it's now heading north and into the hands of people looking for a legal high.

Most users light the leaves in a glass pipe and inhale the smoke, producing a high that lasts for up to 20 minutes, generally including strong hallucinations.

"There's so little information out there about salvia," Dr. Kavita Babu, a professor in medical toxicology at Brown University in Providence, R.I., told the Sunday Sun.

Babu is one of the authors of a study released earlier this year on salvia seeking to raise physician awareness of the drug.

"Gram for gram, it's one of the most powerful naturally occurring hallucinogens out there," Babu said.

Her biggest concern is that there is no knowledge of the long-term effects of salvia use.

"We have a lot to learn about salvia and what concerns me is that something we know so little about is unregulated," Babu warns.

"Even though there may be no documented fatalities or injuries, it may be going unnoticed."

And because it is legal, salvia's popularity is growing.

Thousands of salvia users have recorded their trips and posted them on online video sharing sites, such as Youtube. The videos highlight the varying effects of the drug, from people feeling like they are being eaten by the couch to having conversations with imaginary beings.

"Salvia can produce synesthesia, the confusion of the senses where one can see sound or taste light," Babu said.

The difference between salvia and other more common hallucinogens, such as LSD, is how it affects the body. Salvia triggers the kappa-opioid receptor in the brain, a key receptor associated with depression.

Salvia has several interesting research applications, Babu says, with scientists predicting salvia could be used to treat brain disorders including Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and depression.

But she notes "it's going to be a long time before we can even have research results on it."

Meanwhile, the herb is readily available in Toronto and other communities across the province.

Higher Grounds, a head shop on the Danforth, sells salvia in addition to an assortment of pipes and bongs to smoke it.

Store owner Joe Puglisi insists he doesn't sell the psychoactive herb to anyone under 18 and instructs them to use the herb with care.

"I always tell everyone to make sure they have somebody else around when they're doing it for safety reasons," he said.

The packs of salvia at the shop were labelled "Natural Incense -- not for human consumption" and cost roughly $25. But underneath that warning was a message that read: "This sacred plant can become a wonderfully helpful tool for anyone searching for a deeper understanding of one's self."

The two strengths of salvia Puglisi carries are 10x and 20x, representing the increased potency of the extract compared to naturally occurring levels in the raw leaves.

"I've heard of convenience stores selling up to 80x but we don't carry higher than 20x for people's safety," he said.

Puglisi believes salvia is safe "as long as people use it responsibly" and says customers report that after a salvia trip, some feel happier for up to a week.

His store sells between 20 and 30 packs a month, with half of those going to repeat customers and half to first-time users.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is aware of salvia but drug surveys have found it's not as prevalent as other problem drugs used in this city.

"Most people using it for the first time are turned off by the extreme high -- even experienced hallucinogen users," said Wende Wood, psychiatric pharmacist with CAMH.

Health Canada has looked into salvia and in a 2005 report recommended its inclusion on the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. So far the agency has not taken any steps to restrict the herb.

However, other jurisdictions have moved to outlaw salvia including several European countries while 13 U.S. states have some form of regulation.

COPS POWERLESS

Toronto Police said they are aware of salvia, but are powerless as long as the herb is legal.

Port Colborne has lead municipal efforts to ban the herb. Town council passed a resolution last year asking Health Canada to look into salvia again and has support from 82 other Ontario centres.

Sharon Knox brought the matter to council after her grandkids told her about a local store selling salvia. She's managed to get the products off store shelves, but not without a fight.

"At one store, he refused to take it off. I asked him, 'If you had kids would you give it to them?'

"He said no, but he was still willing to give it to my grandkids."

----------------------------------------

I think that report was printed on Sunday's Sun.

Video link: Click HERE