Are you a parent who is alarmed by news reports of a new drug called salvia divinorum that is sweeping the country and threatening your children? As a parent myself, I can understand why you'd be concerned after reading the deluge of conflicting, inaccurate, and misleading statements from online news sources about salvia divinorum. I've seen the following headlines:

"Did you know your teenager can legally buy a drug whose effects have been compared to LSD?"

"It's called salvia and it's very dangerous."

"It's called salvia divinorum and police say its effects are like a cross between LSD and PCP."

"Some say it's not just dangerous, it's deadly."

In this article I separate the accurate from the inaccurate regarding this "new drug", so that you can be in a better position to discuss your views on salvia use with your child.

What is salvia divinorum?

Salvia divinorum is a plant, a member of the mint family, that has been used for centuries by Mazatec Indians in Oaxaca, Mexico in their healing and divination ceremonies. While many mature spiritual seekers in modern society have discovered its usefulness in serious exploration of consciousness and spirituality, some young people have also been drawn to it in their search for a legal high. They typically smoke extracts of the plant - crushed leaves fortified with high concentrations of the active ingredient - for a brief, 5-15 minute trip.

It is often referred to as "Sally D", "magic mint', "diviner's sage", or just plain "salvia". But do not confuse it with the hundreds of other varieties of salvia that many grow in their gardens or use in cooking and which have no hallucinogenic properties (that we know of). 

Is salvia divinorum really legal?

Because it cannot be classified along with other substances scheduled by the the federal government, the federal government needs to show that it meets specific criteria before adding it to the list of illegal substances. This has not yet been done, so there are no federal laws prohibiting salvia divinorum at this time.

Individual states, however, can pass laws to make the plant or extracts illegal, and many states and even other countries have done so.The following website contains a list of the legality of salvia divinorumm in various states and countries:

So yes, it can be legal where you live.

Where do people get salvia?

Salvia divinorum, in leaf or extract form, is available over the internet. Many smoke shops will also carry the extracts. Typical "brands" are Purple Sticky or  Club13.   

Is it like LSD?

Salvia is considered a hallucinogen, but that is where the similarity ends.

• The nature of the effect is different. The salvia trip is more dream-like and not pleasant for many people.
• The salvia trip lasts for 5-15 minutes, instead of the 3-6 hour-long journey that LSD elicits.

Is it addictive?

There is no indication that it is addictive. It does not bind itself to the same receptors in the brain that addictive substances do - the receptors that are responsible for creating addiction.

If anything, there is evidence that it has anti-addictive properties.

What are the short term effects?

The immediate effects involve putting the person into a dream-like state where the subject has little, if any, awareness of his or her surroundings. The effect lasts anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, after which the person returns to normal awareness and typically feels a mild uplifting buzz for another hour or so.

What are the long term effects?

There is little known of long term effects, from a scientific study perspective. The Mazatec have used it for centuries, and there is no evidence of detrimental effects among those people.

How dangerous is salvia divinorum?

There is no known toxic dose. It does not cause organ damage.The primary "danger" is the risk due to accidents resulting from the person's disoriented condition, which is why most responsible users have a sober sitter at their side to watch over them during the trip.

Isn't salvia responsible for a teen suicide?

People determined to prove that salvia is deadly will point to the case of Brett Chidester.

Brett Chidester was a 17-year old who tragically committed suicide in 2006. His parents, the Delaware legistature, and much of the media claim that salvia divinorum was to blame. What are the facts?

• Brett Chidester was using salvia for a few months prior to his death, along with marijuana and alcohol as is not uncommon with teenagers. The fact is that suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers. Suicide among teenagers is a very complex issue, and cannot be isolated to one cause or another. Depression, alcohol consumption, or any substance abuse are just some of the risk factors.
• He was not on a salvia-induced trip at the time he committed suicide, as many news sources have stated. This would be impossible as salvia renders people incapable of navigating their surrounding in the normal way, much less leave someone capable of orchestrating the elaborate steps that Brett took in arranging his suicide. Furthermore, there is no method to detect salvia in the system so there is no way to prove whether he actually had it in his system at the time of his death. Recent studies have shown that the active ingredient acts on the brain quickly and then just as quickly leaves the human system.
• His personal writings indicate (according to his mother) a change in personality which began sometime after he started using salvia. He was definitely an intelligent and sensitive young man who was capable of deeply reflecting on life. Being introduced to new ideas could have a disruptive effect on his thinking, depending on his psychology. This could happen from listening to a charismatic guru type personality, from reading one of many life-changing works, or from being exposed to the alternate reality of salvia. Perhaps he was not mature enough to be able to integrate such experiences properly. But there is no evidence that it physically changed his brain as his mother maintains, and any personality change could have occured with or without being exposed to salvia.

Yet despite the lack of proof that salvia had any direct relation to Brett's death, the coroner revised the death certificate to list salvia as a contributing factor. The state of Delaware then went on to enact "Brett's Law", the Delaware statute prohibiting use of the psychoactive herb.

Is salvia divinorum safe for teenagers?

Up to this point I've done my best to stick to facts. The answer to this question, however, represents my opinion.

Children and teenagers should not use salvia, for the same reasons that there are laws regulating alcohol and cigarettes. Bodies and minds that are still developing do not need to be exposed to substances that have such a dramatic effect. Salvia can be a useful tool for the spiritual explorer, but that is rarely the intent among young people. And even if it were, their as yet immature psychological development makes exposure to such a substance unwise.