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MEDILL NEWS SERVICE
Who would have thought buying illegal drugs—legally—would be as easy as crossing state lines?
The plant salvia divinorum was banned in Illinois effective Jan. 1, but it is still legal and available in 43 other states; including neighboring Indiana and Wisconsin.
The herbal substance is part of the mint family and when smoked, it is said to have hallucinogenic effects. The psychedelic feeling reportedly lasts for only a brief period of time, ranging anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes.
Illinois Rep. Dennis M. Reboletti (R-Addison), who helped introduce the bill to outlaw salvia, said its abuse was becoming a problem throughout the state.
“We weren’t going to wait for the Congress to take any action,” Reboletti said.
Salvia has been classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in Illinois and in six other states. Heroin and LSD also fall under this same classification. And possession of salvia is considered a Class 4 felony, which is punishable with one to three years in prison.
Reboletti said he learned of the effects of salvia when a parent in DuPage County told him his son bought it at a gas station and behaved erratically.
Reboletti said he was told the drug led the teen-ager into a severe depression. The teen’s relationship with the drug prompted Reboletti and other lawmakers to make salvia illegal.
“When you begin to see it [salvia abuse] on a more repeat basis, you begin to take notice,” he said. “Salvia began to present itself as a legal way to get high.”
But this sentiment is not shared by everyone.
John Coakley, owner of Guess Hookah in Wicker Park, said he thinks outlawing salvia will only make it more desirable.
Coakley questions the addictive nature of salvia and said though it was popular when it was legal, those who bought it were usually first time users.
“It’s not like we sold it to people on a regular basis,” Coakley said. “I don’t think I ever sold it to the same person more than a third time, and that would be rare.”
Coakley said the law is unfair because it is not enforced in every state.
“Everybody thinks it [the ban] is ridiculous, especially since you can walk across the border in Indiana and Wisconsin and buy it,” he said.
The legal inconsistency, however, does not worry Reboletti. He said he thinks a federal law will eventually be created banning salvia in every state. Salvia divinorum is currently on the federal Drug Enforcement Agency's watch list.
“I think the federal government…as [salvia] becomes more prevalent…will have to take notice,” Reboletti said.
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43 weeks 3 days ago
Lets see...Salvia divinorum is:
Not addictive.
Not toxic.
You can't overdose or die from it.
Not "fun" or "recreational".
Not a party drug.
Most people only use it once or twice.
Widely reported by users to be an anti-depressant. (I myself used it to break a ten year medication resistant cycle of depression, it saved my life)
Is being researched as an "anti-drug" with reports that it can break addiction in heroin and cocaine users.
Effects last a matter of minutes.
Not shown to cause any psychological damage.
Is not associated with any criminal or anti-social activity.
Seeing as no one can supply a valid reason for making Salvia illegal, why would anyone concerned for their childs safety and society as a whole want to surrender complete control of its supply into the hands of heavily armed criminal organisations?
Regulate it to over 21 and you can control its supply. Ban it outright and you gift wrap it for the drug dealers who dont care about selling to kids and will undoubtedly mix it with crack or some other substance to ensure repeat custom as salvia is not addictive by itself. I bet your local Mom & Pop tobacconist is not so scary now, eh?
I am astounded that legislators don't seem to realise that the first person on record to have their life ruined by using Salvia will be the first person sent to prison under these needless laws.
It seems to me the governments issue with this substance is that it induces dreamstates conductive to expanding conciousness. An "eye opener" if you will.
Now why on earth would a government be afraid of people seeing things more clearly I ask?
Please read this salvias wikipedia link for less biased information than provided by the news media or government
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_divinorum
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