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Apr 24, 2008 9:46 am US/Eastern
Hallucinogenic Herb May Become Illegal In Florida
Salvia Divinorum Is A Hallucinogenic Plant
Those Caught With It Could Be Sentenced To Jail
Currently Available On The Internet
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) ―
A hallucinogenic herb called Salvia divinorum, also known as the "new marijuana", would be made illegal under a proposal now headed to the governor.
The Senate passed a bill criminalizing the substance on Wednesday, and it had already passed the House.
The measure would also put Salvia divinorum in the same class of controlled substances as marijuana and LSD. Possessing the herb, which is sold on the Internet, would become a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Though there is little data on how widespread the herb's use is, lawmakers said they were increasingly worried about children buying it online. A number of states have already placed restrictions on it and others are considering doing so.
Native to Mexico and still grown there, Salvia divinorum is generally smoked but can also be chewed or made into a tea and drunk.
Called nicknames like Sally-D, Magic Mint and Diviner's Sage, salvia is a hallucinogen that gives users an out-of-body sense of traveling through time and space or merging with inanimate objects.
Unlike hallucinogens like LSD or PCP, however, salvia's effects last for a shorter time, generally up to an hour.
No known deaths have been attributed to salvia's use, but it was listed as a factor in a Delaware teen's suicide two years ago.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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