Hallucinogen salvia may be outlawed

By S.P. SULLIVAN Bulletin Contributing Writer

Published on October 31, 2008

It's leafy green and has mind-altering properties, but it isn't marijuana. It also isn't illegal - yet.

Salvia divinorum, a psychoactive herb of the sage genus and mint family, has become the focus of a bill in the Legislature because it can be bought legally by anyone over the age of 18.

While the herb has highly hallucinogenic properties - some scientists have called it the most powerful herbal hallucinogen - it is sold in many stores, such as Trade Roots in Amherst, as incense. Labels on packages sold in the store say explicitly that the herb is not for human consumption.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has salvia listed as a "drug of concern," and is considering whether to declare the natural hallucinogen a "controlled substance."

Salvia is most often smoked, though it can have reduced effects if swallowed, and is sold as ground leaves and more powerful extracts. Its effects usually last less than 10 minutes, but users undergo strong visual hallucinations and loss of ego.

It can be found in many smoke shops, but is often purchased online. As of September, eBay had listings from a seller based in Amherst, but has since changed its policy - because of the controversial nature of the herb - and no longer permits sale of salvia on its site.

In 2007, retired Hanover police chief Paul Hayes testified before Massachusetts public health and judiciary committees in favor of criminalizing the drug in the commonwealth. Hayes, a member of the Governor's Advisory Council on Substance Abuse, showed legislators several videos of salvia users on YouTube.

Hayes' presentation prompted Reps. Vinny deMacedo, R-Plymouth, and Daniel Webster, R-Pembroke, to introduce legislation criminalizing the drug.

"We were approached by Paul Hayes and Joseph McDonald, the Plymouth County sheriff, and they informed us about this drug, which could be bought legally," deMacedo said. "We saw that it clearly has a strong effect on the mind."

The bill was introduced in 2007 and aimed to outlaw salvia, the Malaysian opiate and stimulant kratom, and khat, an African herbal stimulant.

But deMacedo said that the other two herbal drugs didn't pose as much of a threat as salvia, and held the bill back.

"There was not a lot of support for it," he said. "They were removed so we could move the salvia piece forward. Albeit, Chief of Police Hayes felt strongly about keeping them on."

DeMacedo said the Internet had a lot to do with bringing about legislation.

"It took off because of the whole YouTube thing," he said.

Alex Arsenault, treasurer of the University of Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition also attributed most of the controversy surrounding the drug to YouTube videos. But that's where his agreement with deMacedo ends.

"Politicians really don't know anything about salvia," he said. "In terms of factual evidence that they put forth, there's not a whole lot there."

Arsenault spearheaded a signature-gathering campaign for the cannabis coalition against the bill last year. The campaign got between 400 and 500 signatures. He said that there is little-to-no evidence that the drug poses any danger.

"In the state of Massachusetts - and across the nation, for that matter - there has not been a single report of hospitalization, crime report or psych ward visit (related to salvia)," he said. "In fact, there's no official report of it that acknowledges it in a negative way."

However, Dr. Edward Boyer, a pediatrician in the department of emergency medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical School, said there has been an increase in calls to poison control centers pertaining to salvia in recent years.

"Most of the calls were from parents who found salvia in their child's possession and wanted to know what they were dealing with, or individuals who observed somebody under the influence of salvia and were concerned with what they saw," Boyer said.

While Boyer said more people have inquired about salvia's physical effects, suggesting increased use, he said there has been little report of serious injury nationally, and none in the commonwealth.

"The risk may not be that great, either," he said.

However, Boyer said that salvia is a drug that offers "no therapeutic role and no tangible benefit."

"Individuals who say that there are medical uses for salvia are incorrect," he said.

Boyer did, though, acknowledge the medical use of Salvinorin A if it can be isolated. But he said salvia "is not itself a therapeutic drug. ... It may be possible in the future after chemists modify the Salvinorin A ([the primary psychoactive element in salvia) that it could have medicinal applications. But that's in the future."

"When people talk about the benefits of salvia, they're talking about the benefits of self-exploration," he said. "You can get that by walking in the woods."

Boyer said that more research needs to be done for its medical applications.

"I think (Salvinorin A) is a fascinating molecule and deserves further study."

DeMacedo said that legislation criminalizing salvia looks likely, but isn't definite.

"We feel good about it, but nothing is for sure yet," he said. "We don't know where the governor stands on it."

Boyer said that criminalizing salvia would not hinder research into the medicinal properties of Salvorin A.

"There's still going to be the opportunity to do research, and that's the main thing."

Arsenault said the drug creates little risk, aside from use while driving or operating machinery. But he said the same goes for legal drugs like alcohol and certain prescriptions.

"It poses no threat whatsoever," said Arsenault. "It's anti-addictive, it's anti-depressive, according to some research."

Arsenault was also dismissive of parallels drawn between salvia and the other controversial leafy green substance, which is the focus of Question 2 on the Massachusetts general election ballot.

"It's nothing like marijuana," he said.