Pubdate: Mon, 03 Aug 2009 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2009 The Baltimore Sun Company Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 Author: Michael Dresser Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/topic/Salvia Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hallucinogens.htm (Hallucinogens) OCEAN CITY DECLARES WAR ON SALVIA City Council Moves To Ban Legal Hallucinogenic Herb In most of Maryland, salvia is a spiky, colorful plant that looks good in flower beds and attracts hummingbirds. In Ocean City, salvia is better known as a legal hallucinogenic herb you can buy over the counter and share with friends. But resort officials, alarmed by an increase in the herb's popularity, are preparing to weed it out. The Ocean City Council will vote Monday night on an emergency proposal to ban products made from salvia divinorum, a relative of herbal sage and common garden plants that is now sold openly at many shops along the Boardwalk. The police and a majority of the council members are backing a move to make possession and sale of the substance a misdemeanor with a possible penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. "By Monday night, it will be illegal in Ocean City," said police Chief Bernadette Di Pino, warning visitors from Baltimore not to bring salvia, which can be acquired legally in Maryland and a host of other states, to the beach town. Supporters say the ban is a matter of protecting the public - pointing to incidents of bizarre behavior by people using the substance. Some, including Di Pino, point to the proliferation of videos on YouTube showing young people under the influence of salvia. But critics call the move a rush to judgment that could have unintended consequences more harmful than salvia by criminalizing a substance that's not addictive. Joe Mitrecic, president of the Ocean City Council, said he supports passage of the legislation as an emergency measure - making it effective as soon as it is signed by the mayor. "I believe the council feels this is a public safety issue, and we want to do something about it before next year," he said. Councilman Doug Cymek said use of salvia has led to violent outbursts on the Boardwalk, where he said as many as 18 stores sell the product. "We've had some incidents in Ocean City that have not been good," Cymek said. Di Pino said the incidents include one in which a woman was yelling that she had been raped but turned out when officers responded to be actually under the influence of salvia. In other cases, she said, officers have had to restrain people affected by the substance. "It's like they hallucinate and see things," Di Pino said. But a Johns Hopkins professor who is familiar with salvia said that while it is indisputably an hallucinogen, it is neither addictive nor physically harmful. If anything, he said, users often try it once and never want to repeat the experience. "This isn't the next cocaine or next methamphetamine," said Matthew W. Johnson, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The substance in the cross hairs is a derivative of a plant that is native to the Mexican state of Oaxaca, where the Mazatec Indians use it for medicinal purposes and to produce mystical experiences. It can be chewed or smoked to induce dramatic but short-lived psychedelic trips that Johnson called similar to those caused by peyote or hallucinogenic mushrooms. "It's an intense drug that definitely puts someone in an altered reality," he said. But Johnson said salvia use has not led to any perceptible increase in emergency room visits - perhaps because its effects typically wear off within 15 minutes. Salvia is not a controlled substance under federal law, but a dozen states - including Delaware and Virginia - and about 10 other countries have banned its possession or sale. Spurred by concerns from Ocean City, Eastern Shore lawmakers introduced legislation during this year's General Assembly session to classify salvia as a Schedule 1 drug --the same category as heroin. The measure never made it out of committee. Among the opponents were Johnson and a Hopkins colleague who argued that such a classification could have a chilling effect on research into salvia's potential usefulness as a treatment for such disorders as Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Di Pino said that after the legislature declined to act, Ocean City received an opinion from the Attorney General's Office saying the municipality had the authority to enact a ban of its own. She said she hopes other jurisdictions in Maryland, as well as the legislature, will follow Ocean City's lead. But Johnson said that while there is ample evidence in favor of barring the sale of salvia to minors, a law making possession by adults illegal with a jail term could harm those it is intended to protect. "They have a permanent mark on their record and it affects the rest of their lives," he said. "That would be an over-reaction." But Mitrecic, the council president, said city officials are determined to move forward with the measure even though there has been no public hearing on the issue. He said the council will take a preliminary vote Monday night, then allow members of the public to speak. After that, he said, members would decide whether to make the ban official right away or defer a final decision for two weeks. Mayor Rick Meehan said he's prepared to sign the emergency measure immediately. "Why would we wait another two weeks if we think it's a problem?" he said. About salvia Scientific name: Salvia divinorum Aliases: Ska Pastora, Diviner's Mint, Sally-D, Lady Salvia Place of origin: Oaxaca, Mexico Effects: Motor impairment, altered senses, hallucinations, "out-of-body" experiences. Federal status: Legal State status: Legal in most states, including Maryland; banned for human consumption in 14. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom