States Slating Salvia to Controlled Substance List

A plant which produces an approximate half hour hallucinogenic feeling is being slated to the Controlled Substance List by more and more states. According to the February 2, 2008 Anchorage Daily News ("Hallucinogen is legal; that may change"), "Salvia divinorum, a species of sage, isn't banned under the federal Controlled Substances Act, but more than a half dozen states have made the drug illegal through state law. At least 12 more states, including Alaska, are debating whether to do so. Sen. Gene Therriault, R-North Pole, has been leading the charge here. Therriault said the drug's effects, which are similar to LSD's, are too powerful, dangerous and unpredictable to leave it unrestricted."

The Daily News reported that, "Reports of problems stemming from the plant's use are rare to nonexistent in Alaska, said Lt. Andy Greenstreet, deputy commander of the Alaska Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement. 'It's popped up down south, but it hasn't been much of an issue here yet,' Greenstreet said. 'It's probably just a matter of time.' Its use while driving is of particular concern, he said, but driving under the influence laws already encompass all drugs."

The Daily News noted that, "If passed, the bill would list Salvia divinorum and Salvinorin A, the psychotropic chemical in the plant, as Schedule IIA controlled substances under state law -- the same category as LSD, mescaline, peyote and psilocybin, the active chemical in hallucinogenic mushrooms."