Regional News
Users of salvia defend it to Nebraska lawmakers
Published Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 03:40 PM
By ANNA JO BRATTON Associated Press Writer

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Scott Ferguson of Lincoln told state lawmakers Wednesday that he's smoked or chewed the plant Salvia divinorum a dozen times in the past five years, and called it "a unique visionary substance."

He disagreed with those who said it was dangerous, and he said a law banning it was premature and unnecessary.

"Before we ban nondescript houseplants, we've got to step back and take a clear look," Ferguson said.

But Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Corey O'Brien told the Legislature's Judiciary Committee that salvia is a fast-acting hallucinogenic drug similar to LSD. He said it can make people dangerous to themselves and others.

"It also gives many a very bad trip," O'Brien said. He told lawmakers that nine states have already banned the plant.

State Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber has introduced a bill (LB123) making it a felony to possess or sell salvia. Possessing it would be punishable by up to five years in prison; selling it, up to 20 years. A similar bill didn't reach a final vote last year.

Salvia divinorum is generally smoked but can also be chewed or made into a tea.

Called nicknames such as "Sally-D," "Magic Mint" and "Diviner's Sage," salvia is a hallucinogen that gives users an out-of-body sense of traveling through time and space or merging with inanimate objects. Unlike hallucinogens such as LSD or PCP, however, salvia's effects are shorter, generally up to an hour.

Recently, a store owner stopped selling salvia after state officials ticketed him for selling the plant at his Lincoln store, Exotica.

Officials said Christian Firoz violated a statute that prohibits the sale of substances that will be used to induce intoxication.

Karpisek said salvia is a "gateway drug" that can lead to other drug use.

"What is the different if it lasts all day or just a few minutes?" Karpisek said.

No known deaths have been attributed to salvia's use. It is not the same as the ornamental plant known by the same general name and is easy to purchase through the Internet.

Steven Glaser of Lincoln told senators it's a nontoxic, innocuous plant that can be useful as a painkiller.

And Ferguson, also of Lincoln, said that while people under age 18 probably shouldn't be allowed to purchase anything meant to be smoked, "adults should be able to interact with salvia."

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