A craze among the younger generation in this country has been to smoke the hallucinogenic herb Salvia. Many people may have heard of it, but odds are that the majority of people have not heard of Salvia or have read about its effects. What is most alarming is that the drug is legal in the United States, although some states are taking matters into their own hands and outlawing it. The most common method of consumption and the one that causes the most controversy is to smoke the herb. Many news outlets have compared the herb to LSD, which is a false comparison. The hallucinations with Salvia last only a few minutes to half an hour at the most, whereas LSD can last for hours or even longer.

Salvia smoking is done much in the same way that smoking marijuana is done. The herb is packed into a pipe and inhaled. According to experts, the best way to burn the herb is with a butane torch, not with a regular lighter. The effects of Salvia are felt almost right away. The symptoms can be uncontrollable laughter, visions, remembering past things, merging with objects, or having false perceptions. These symptoms will last for a short period of time and afterwards a relative return to normalcy will occur. Long term studies of Salvia have not fully been completed, although one indicates there may be up to a 24 hour “anti depressant like feeling” due to the chemicals in the herb.

Media stories have increased in frequency over recent years due to the fact only a handful of states have banned the drug. Measures have been introduced into Congress for a national ban, although they have gone nowhere. Many have become concerned about those who use the product, putting videos of their reactions on youtube.com and other sites, because of the influence that it may have on others. Proponents of Salvia smoking are opposed to the ban saying it is their right to do what they want and in the end it would just be consumed illegally like marijuana. Opponents point to the potentially harmful effects that Salvia smoking has on those that do it, concerns about possible hallucinations that can end up harming someone. The federal government appears to be doing little on this front, but Salvia is currently illegal in roughly a dozen states, while another 15 states have pending bans. The remainder of the country has not taken action yet, but that is probably because they do not know about Salvia smoking.