The leaves can be chewed or smoked, and the high lasts anywhere from 5-30 minutes, depending on how it’s used.

Several college students get ready to experiment after purchasing a bag of this “new” psychedelic drug from a local head shop. They pack the substance, which resembles dried tea leaves, into a pipe and smoke it.

A few moments later, they are laughing hysterically and mumbling about objects blending together and altered states of consciousness.

Shortly thereafter, the cops, tipped off by a neighbor, show up at the apartment to bust the students for drugs.

This sounds very probable, considering marijuana, LSD, mushrooms and other hallucinogenic drugs are unlikely to be legalized anytime soon.

Yet, when the cops arrive, they find that the students are breaking no laws. The drug they are using, salvia divinorum, with the exception of several countries and states, is perfectly legal and sold over the counter.

Salvia, a psychoactive herbal plant found in moist, isolated areas of Oaxaca, Mexico, has been used for thousands of years. Maztec shamans used it for spiritual healing and to obtain divine consciousness, and locals used it as a remedy for common ailments such as diarrhea and headaches. The leaves can be chewed or smoked, and the high lasts anywhere from 5-30 minutes, depending on how it’s used.

According to D.M Turner’s 1996 book “Salvinorin-The Psychedelic Essence of Salvia Divinorum,” immediate effects of salvia use include uncontrollable laughter, past memories (particularly of childhood), and visions of membranes, films and various two-dimensional surfaces. Videos of salvia trips on YouTube record users babbling incoherently and staring blankly into space.

A 2004 survey conducted by Matthew Baggot and E. and F. Erowid at the University of San Fransisco revealed that lingering effects of salvia include increased body heat, improved mood and an increased connection with the universe or nature. 36 percent experienced weird thoughts and 22 percent felt lightheaded. Only a small percent experienced a worsened mood and decreased insight.

Research regarding long-term effects of salvia use has proved inconclusive. Although the drug can potentially cause anxiety and depressive effects, it is more likely that the users will experience calmness and positive feelings.

The isolated case of 17-year-old Brett Chidester, a Delaware high school senior who committed suicide after routinely using salvia, received a lot of publicity. It was suggested, though, that Chidester suffered from depression and that salvia gave him too much insight that he couldn’t handle.

His parents sued the Canadian-based Internet company that sold Chidester the salvia, and shortly thereafter Delaware passed “Brett’s Law,” which classifies salvia as a controlled substance. As of late, there is no such law in Wisconsin prohibiting the use or sale of salvia.

An October 2005 investigative report by a local Fox Six News reporter went to Knuckleheads, a tobacco shop on Oakland Avenue. The report revealed that it is primarily college students who purchase salvia, although some high school kids do as well.

The clerks, who wished to remain anonymous, said that kids buy it for the high. To be safe, they will not sell it to anyone under the age of 18.

When trying to reach Knuckleheads for comment for this news story, the clerk could only divulge this much information to me:

“We sell salvia as incense.”

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