Little-Known Drug Offers Legal High

April 30, 2007 — -- It's a potent hallucinogen that's comparable to LSD. And while it's been around for centuries, it's just now catching on with college students and recreational users nationwide.

It's called salvia divinorum and it's easy and legal to purchase inmost of the United States.

Despite its strong hallucinogenic properties and popularity with young users, salvia is not classified as a controlledsubstance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

That means that in most places salvia can be bought straight off thestore shelf or ordered on the Internet, where a one ounce of driedsalvia leaves sells for $7.49.

Chris Barstow, a 28-year-old lawmaker from Maine, is out to changethat, at least for his state. He has proposed a bill to the statelegislature that would ban the sale of salvia.

"It's a very strong drug," Barstow said. "The idea that we have ahallucinogen of this nature out there without regulation when alow-grade drug like marijuana is banned -- I just don't see a balancewith regard to the drug scheduling practices."

But if Barstow is fighting a crusade, it's against an enemy few peopleknow by name.

A plant originally found in Mexico, salvia divinorum or "divinerssage" was used for religious and medicinal purposes by indigenoustribes.

When the leaves are chewed or smoked, they produce ahallucinogenic effect that lasts anywhere between 15 minutes and threehours.

Users describe its effects as an intense, psychedelic high: fingerschanging color, a floating sensation, imaginary objects moving throughmidair.

"For a few hours after you do it, you feel really distracted and justplain stupid. But for about three minutes after you do it, you feel reallyelated and out of body," said one user, a student at Dartmouth Collegewho asked not to be identified.

According to some users, effects of the drug include a sense ofcontemplative peace and intense calm. Others report a more negativeexperience, saying they were overcome with panic and depression, aloss of self-awareness and a lack of bodily control.