NEWPORT — Like most of the videos posted on YouTube, this one begins harmlessly enough. Sitting in front of a webcam in what appears to be a sparsely decorated dorm room, a young man wearing a T-shirt and blue jeans addresses the camera. Then, just over one minute into the video, he begins to flitter in his chair.
Within seconds his eyes have glazed over and he proclaims to see bright lights. The ordeal goes on. Giddy, his arms begin to flail wildly. "I can't control my arms," he gabbles as he continues to writhe in place.
Sixty seconds more and he is nearly comatose. Dazed and rocking rhythmically in place, the boy has fallen under the hallucinogenic effects of salvia divinorum.
The episode, which lasts over nine minutes, is posted and broadcast over the Internet. At last check, it had been viewed more than 330,000 times.
Considered by some drug experts to be more potent than LSD, salvia divinorum — known on the street as Sally D., Maria Pastora, Sage of the Seers and Magic Mint — is becoming an increasingly popular drug of choice among the teenage and college set.
However, unlike other hallucinogens, salvia is legal and available for sale at area retailers as common as Wal-Mart.
The plant, which resembles the red and purple sage plants used to adorn flower beds in the deep south, originated in the Oaxaca region of Mexico. One of over 1,000 species of sage, salvia divinorum is the only kind known to induce psychoactive effects.
Chewed, smoked or brewed in tea, salvia is quick to act. According to the National Drug Information Center, when chewed, effects first appear within five to 10 minutes. Smoking dried leaves or commercially produced extracts can yield effects within 30 seconds.
The high, which can last up to 30 minutes, includes perceptions of bright lights, vivid colors and shapes, as well as body movements and body or object distortions. It is those psychoactive traits that first prompted its use as an entheogen by Mazatec Indian shamans in Central Mexico, earning it the name "diviner's sage."
Not regulated by FDA
Because it is naturally occurring and is marketed as a natural herb, salvia is not regulated by the Federal Drug Agency (FDA). Neither is it or its active ingredient, Salvinorin A, regulated under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA), which bans any hallucinogen that effects the brain's serotonin levels. That's because unlike substances such as LSD and "magic mushrooms," salvia doesn't affect any known neurotransmitter or hormone.
Consequently, tracking salvia's popularity and use is difficult. Because it's legal, there are no records about how widespread its use may be from local, state or federal law enforcement. The proliferation of the drug, however, is widely documented on the Internet.
Web sites such as YouTube.com, sagewisdom.org and SalviaMD.com showcase both the use of the drug and tout its effects in "shamanism, divination, healing, meditation and the exploration of consciousness." Still, most sites also recommend the drug be used only by responsible adults, and that a person use the drug with a "sitter" to ensure that no accidents occur.
"Jason P.," a Roger Williams University senior, admitted to using the drug in an interview earlier this month.
"I would best describe it as a very strong hallucination," he said. "My buddy ordered it online ... It is an experience. Once you do it once, you don't really want to try it again."
Jason, who asked that his full name not be given even though salvia is legal in Rhode Island, said he's always been interested in "seeing something that wasn't really there." His salvia experience, he said, lasted somewhere between five and 10 minutes and effectively incapacitated him.
"The trip is so intense; you're in a totally different world when you do it," he said.
Also admitting to trying magic mushrooms and mescaline – another naturally occurring high — the soon-to-be college graduate dismissed arguments that the drug warranted regulation.
"Should (law enforcement) be cracking down and arresting people for using drugs that aren't a harm to other people?" he asked. "No ... too much of any one thing is bad for you, whether it's water or (cocaine)."
Growing popularity, growing concern
As salvia's use spreads, a number of states have recently moved to place controls on the drug.
In 2005, Louisiana made it illegal to purchase or distribute salvia, while both Delaware and Missouri have classified it as a Schedule I hallucinogen, which bans it outright.
Tennessee, Oklahoma, Maine and North Dakota have also recently passed legislation controlling salvia and/or Salvinorin-A, and earlier this month, Michigan's Healthy Policy Committee passed legislation making the perennial herb a banned narcotic.
Other states considering bans or regulatory controls include Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Mike Healy, spokesman for Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch, said that since being elected in 2004, his office has not dealt with any salvia-related cases, although Mr. Lynch is familiar with the drug.
"It is something the attorney general is aware of. The good news is that you can't say it's the OxyContin of five years ago," Mr. Healy said, quickly adding, "But that doesn't mean it won't be a problem."
Ironically, while it may not be widely known at home, Rhode Island has unwittingly played a prominent role in efforts to ban salvia in other states.
In 2002, Tiverton High School student Daniel Moffa, then 15, was charged with stabbing another teen four times while trying to buy marijuana. The teenage drug dealer survived the attack, and Moffa wound up serving five years at the Training School. During his defense, the teen claimed that he had been under the influence of salvia at the time of the incident. Other states have pointed the Moffa case in their arguments to ban the drug.
Sold in local shops
While the drug may be flying below the radar at the moment, it's hiding in plain sight.
Currently, several stores in Rhode Island carry the herb including smoke shops in Newport, Bristol and Providence. It is also widely available on the Internet and can also be found in convenience stores, local tobacco retailers, and even in plant form at certain Home Depot and Wal-Mart locations.
Dr. Daniel Siebert, a California pharmacologist who studies the medicinal properties of plants, believes that concern over the use of salvia is unfounded and that the plant may one day be used for its healing qualities — much in the same way as marijuana is approved in certain states, including Rhode Island, for medicinal purposes.
According to Dr. Siebert, "Further research into the methods of action and possible medicinal values of this and similar compounds may prove to be quite rewarding."
Rich Ferreira, of Holy Smokes in Newport, has tried salvia and also believes that concern over its uses is unfounded. He likens opponents' fears to recent alarm over the reintroduction of another once-taboo substance into the marketplace.
"It's like absinthe," Mr. Ferreira said. "Everyone said that once absinthe was legalized people would try it and go crazy. It hasn't happened."
Mr. Ferreira also said that unlike certain drugs, there is no particular demographic or profile for a salvia user. The only constant, he said, is that most users tend to be under 30. "A lot of people try it once and never do it again," he said. "It's a curiosity factor." Still, he added that he will not sell to anyone under 18.
Anthony Franco of On the Point in Bristol also sells salvia. Located less than two miles from the gates of Roger Williams University, Mr. Franco estimates that college students account for almost 60 percent of his salvia sales.
Mr. Franco, who also indicated that doesn't sell salvia to anyone under 18, even though it is "perfectly legal," doesn't believe the plant should be considered a problem.
"I don't believe it's habit-forming or harmful," he said. "It lasts maybe 10 minutes ... You either like it or you don't."
Unlike readily accessible substances such as prescription medication or alcohol, Mr. Franco said the very nature of the drug precluded users from inflicting harm on others. "You can't drive," he said. "From what I've heard you probably don't even know what a car is."
Mr. Ferreira agrees. "You can't do much ... You pretty much wind up on the couch for a half hour," he said.
Or, alternatively, as Jason P. recalled, you wind up in the couch. "It felt like I was inside the couch. It felt like the couch was ... that I was actually inside it," he said.
Whether the issue will be left to federal regulators or wind up in the hands of state legislators remains to be seen. However, one thing is certain: Public officials are beginning to take notice.
"The attorney general's eyes are open," according to Mr. Healy. "It's something that we are aware of and have asked local law enforcement to keep an eye on."
By Tom Shevlin
news@newportthisweek.net