Tripping on salvia divinorum extract could mean a trip to prison if legislation being considered by a Michigan House of Representatives committee is passed.
The hallucinogenic plant’s effects have been likened to LSD and ketamine.
Michigan considers prohibiting salvia
The legislation aims to prohibit the purchase, possession and use of salvia across the state.
Rep. Michael Sak, D-Grand Rapids, introduced a House bill earlier this month classifying salvia as a narcotic subject with the same penalties as marijuana possession and distribution.
“It has such negative impact on individuals, and we don’t want them to purchase this across the state,” Sak said.
The substance is illegal in seven states, he said, but is facing legislation in several others.
The bill is being reviewed by a committee on health policy, but Sak said he will ask for a hearing in the near future.
“We want to make Michigan a leader in this legislation,” he said.
The herb’s hallucinogenic effects include the appearances of shapes, bright colors and other images, said James McCurtis, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health. It also can affect the user by altering perceptions of reality, McCurtis said.
“It’s hallucinogenic and it’s a dangerous drug that’s out there,” he said.
“We’re encouraging parents to talk to kids about it so they stay away from it.”
Thomas Prisinzano, an associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Kansas, has been conducting salvia research since 2003.
He said the drug’s use has risen significantly in the past four years, in part because of the Internet.
“It’s coming into the national conscience pretty strong,” he said.
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“For the most part, salvia use had kind of been underground before that.”
Prisinzano said many aspects of the drug, including its long-term effects, need to be studied further.
“It seems to be fast-acting,” Prisinzano said. “We don’t know of any toxic effects of salvia on humans.”
Statistics on salvia’s consumption in Michigan aren’t kept because the drug is legal across the state, said Rich Isaacson, a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Detroit Field Division.
Isaacson said salvia’s unknown effects make it a dangerous substance.
“If medical people and scientists are still researching this, then it’s probably not a good idea for individuals to try,” Isaacson said.
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