Pubdate: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (AR) Copyright: 2001 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Contact: http://www.ardemgaz.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/25 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?345 (Hallucinogens) DEA CHECKS INTO HERBAL HALLUCINOGEN MALIBU, Calif. -- A Mexican plant that contains the most powerful natural hallucinogen known is being sold legally over the Internet and is drawing the interest of medical researchers and law enforcement. Anecdotal accounts of use of the herb, called Salvia divinorum, describe hallucinogenic trips that make the user feel like an inanimate object or worse. The plant's effects can vary from mild to extreme, making even regular users wary. Experts said interest in the plant, a member of the sage family, springs from its use as a ritual herb by an Indian tribe near Oaxaca, Mexico. Other hallucinogens, like the South American brew ayahuasca, have similar followings. "We are gathering information on it to see if it needs to be controlled," said Rogene Waite, a Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman in Washington. - --- MAP posted-by: GD