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TuneInTurnOn
Guru


Registered: 12/11/06
Posts: 521
Loc: Toronto, Canada
Last seen: 14 years, 3 months
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Gorham legislator seeks Salvia ban [ME]
#6358729 - 12/11/06 06:26 PM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=29230
Rep. Chris Barstow said he will introduce a bill in the Legislature to make Salvinorin A an illegal drug. “It’s a drug very similar to LSD,” Barstow said.
He said his legislation would forbid the use, sale or possession for consumption of Salvinorin A, a mind-altering substance in the leaves of a plant, Salvia Divinorum, of Mexican origin.
Barstow said its leaves are being sold locally.
On the street, the drug is known as Sally D, magic mint or Maria Pastora.
He said users smoke, chew or chew and swallow the Salvia leaves. Leaves could be smoked in pipes or rolled in papers. Barstow thought it sells for $5 to $10 a pouch, which he guessed would contain a couple ounces.
“We need to have it banned as soon as possible,” said Barstow.
Kimberly Johnson of Gorham, director of Maine’s Office of Substance Abuse, informed Barstow about use of the substance in Maine. “It came to me through my staff,” Johnson said about learning of the drug’s use in Maine.
Johnson was told six months ago that juveniles interviewed in a Maine youth center had admitted using the drug. She said it could create “intense” hallucinations and use could be frightening. But she doesn’t believe use of the substance is widespread in Maine now. The drug is widely available over the Internet, and Barstow said he thought it was also being sold locally.
Johnson favored legislation to ban its use.
“You want to catch it early because it’s so dangerous,” she said. “It’s a drug that is as dangerous as LSD.”
Salvia divinorum and its psychoactive ingredient Salvinorin A, which a government report said could cause incoordination, dizziness and slurred speech, are not federally controlled. Barstow worries about highway safety if impaired drivers got behind the wheel.
The U.S. Department of Justice reports that effects include “perceptions of bright lights, vivid colors and shapes, as well as body movements and body or object distortions.” Other effects include hopelessness and uncontrolled laughter, besides hallucinations. Adverse physical effects could cause incoordination, dizziness and slurred speech, according to the government.
Gorham High School Principal John Drisko said the school nurse knew about the drug, but hasn’t heard or seen any evidence of it being used among Gorham students. Use of the drug would violate the school’s policy, Drisko said.
Jim Hager, chairman of the Gorham School Committee, said use of the drug by students would be prohibited by the spirit of the school policy. Hager praised Barstow for his proposal. “I applaud Chris for taking it under his wing.”
Salvia divinorum is from the sage family. Its name is derived from the Latin word Salvare, which means to heal or save. The plant grows in groups to more than 3 feet in height. It has large green leaves, hollow square stems and white flowers, the justice department described it.
Barstow said it could be grown in Maine, but thrives best in warmer climates.The plant family also has garden varieties that are grown in Maine back yards. Barstow’s bill would exempt those garden plants.
He said police would be only interested in a particular plant – the same as spotting marijuana. Barstow said enforcement would require some “cursory” training for law departments.
“The first big step is to get it off shelves in stores,” Barstow said.
The Department of Justice reported that a number of states have placed controls on Salvia divinorum and Salvinorin A or both. Louisiana, Tennesee, Delaware and Missouri have made it illegal to purchase or distribute Salvia divinorum, and several states have proposed legislation.
Responses to some quotes from the article:
"It's a drug very similar to LSD" "It's a drug that is as dangerous as LSD"
- The effects of LSD last for several hours. The effects from Salvia when smoked last a few minutes. Why do so many media stories, politicians and other people who should know better, persist in this perpetuation of the myth that Salvia divinorum is like LSD?
"Adverse physical effects could cause incoordination, dizziness and slurred speech, according to the government."
- Some of the effects described sound similar to those of alcohol. Perhaps the government is getting confused.
"Other effects include hopelessness and uncontrolled laughter"
- More confusion. To help clarify, Salvia divinorum is showing some potential as an anti-depressant.
"He said police would be only interested in a particular plant - the same as spotting marijuana. Barstow said enforcement would require some 'cursory' training for law departments."
- The police will need more than 'cursory' training. Salvia divinorum is no way as identifiable as marijuana. Its appearance is nondescript. It's not easy to distinguish it from any other species of sage.
"You want to catch it early because it's so dangerous"
- Can we have some EVIDENCE please? Salvia divinorum has been used beneficially by native Mazatec cultures in Mexico for perhaps centuries, where it's not even really thought of as a drug, but is considered rather as a sacrament. Salvia has been widely available in the US for the last 10 - 15 years. There have been no reported cases of Salvia overdoses. The police are not reporting it as a problem issue. Neither are accident and emergency rooms.
The campaign against Salvia divinorum is driven by paranoia, ignorance, and a particular cultural prejudice. For goodness sake I ask people to educate themselves about the subject and not simply succumb to the politics of fear.
Edited by veggie (12/11/06 06:35 PM)
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Primate
former addict


Registered: 08/12/99
Posts: 855
Last seen: 14 years, 4 months
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Re: Gorham legislator seeks Salvia ban [ME] [Re: TuneInTurnOn]
#6359191 - 12/11/06 08:15 PM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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"Salvia divinorum and its psychoactive ingredient Salvinorin A, which a government report said could cause incoordination, dizziness and slurred speech, are not federally controlled. Barstow worries about highway safety if impaired drivers got behind the wheel."
Is this possible? lol
-Prim
-------------------- "Power to the peaceful" -Micheal Franti and Spearhead
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CptnGarden
fuck this site
Registered: 05/13/04
Posts: 11,945
Last seen: 14 years, 9 months
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Re: Gorham legislator seeks Salvia ban [ME] [Re: Primate]
#6359805 - 12/11/06 11:56 PM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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driving on salvia? YEAH RIGHT. 5-10$ for a couple of ounces? YEAH RIGHT.
the cheapest ive ever seen leaf being sold in headshops is 5$ a gram.
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Gastronomicus
3-0-G


Registered: 03/31/05
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Re: Gorham legislator seeks Salvia ban [ME] [Re: CptnGarden]
#6359987 - 12/12/06 01:15 AM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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"Salvia is just as dangerous as LSD"
Precisely why it should stay legal =D
-------------------- Make my Funk the P Funk, I wants to get Funked up
LAGM2024
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tealeaf
Just Touch It


Registered: 09/21/06
Posts: 2,907
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Re: Gorham legislator seeks Salvia ban [ME] [Re: Gastronomicus]
#6360528 - 12/12/06 08:17 AM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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has anyone ever seen salvia being sold on the street.........haha
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rawtoxic
Stranger
Registered: 10/06/02
Posts: 2,097
Loc: smokey mountains
Last seen: 13 years, 6 months
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Re: Gorham legislator seeks Salvia ban [ME] [Re: tealeaf]
#6360538 - 12/12/06 08:24 AM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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You missed the first line of the article: GORHAM (Dec 7, 2006): A Gorham legislator wants the state to ban a psychedelic drug that is now legally available in Maine and over the Internet.
Important part about this is it's just Maine, but that's almost 5 states - 10% statewise of the US it's now going to be illegal.
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rawtoxic
Stranger
Registered: 10/06/02
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Loc: smokey mountains
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Re: Gorham legislator seeks Salvia ban [ME] [Re: tealeaf]
#6360539 - 12/12/06 08:24 AM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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Double post... Never done that before sorry.
Edited by rawtoxic (12/12/06 08:27 AM)
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Mitchnast
Toadmonger


Registered: 10/27/99
Posts: 8,656
Loc: Okanagan
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Re: Gorham legislator seeks Salvia ban [ME] [Re: Primate]
#6369063 - 12/14/06 03:24 AM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Primate said: "Salvia divinorum and its psychoactive ingredient Salvinorin A, which a government report said could cause incoordination, dizziness and slurred speech, are not federally controlled. Barstow worries about highway safety if impaired drivers got behind the wheel."
Is this possible? lol
-Prim
what? possible to drive? or possible to be so laughably hypocritical?
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