Health Canada can't control psychedelic herb

OTTAWA — A common garden herb that packs a powerful psychedelic punch has some federal health officials recommending strict controls.

Health Canada, however, says it cannot regulate the use of salvia divinorum until there is more evidence of its dangers.

Department documents obtained by the Canadian Press under Access to Information law say salvia is being used by adolescents and young adults for its hallucinogenic properties.

A December, 2005, report by the marketed health products directorate, an arm of Health Canada, recommends that salvia be placed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Department spokesman Jason Bouzanis said salvia has been known to cause hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, unconsciousness and short-term memory loss. But that is not enough to declare it illegal.

“We can't make any recommendations to place salvia under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act schedules until we have sufficient scientific and empirical data that concludes it has the potential for misuse and abuse,” Mr. Bouzanis said.

Continue reading this article

Sometimes when I am reading another typical piece of drug war propaganda, I get a little pissed about all the ways that the media falls for it hook, line and sinker. First they talk about all the ways that the latest drug is harmful and dangerous. They did it with marijuana, crack cocaine and meth. This salvia divinorum reefer madness article is just another example of the media's support of prohibition. Not once is the notion that prohibiting a drug the best way to control and regulate it even questioned. Just look at the people they quoted in the article: a department spokesman for Health Canada, an RCMP sergeant, and a professor of pharmacology. All of them promoted prohibiting salvia as a way to control it and "Save the children!"

“Salvia is the world's most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen,” he said.

“You wouldn't want to be driving a car, or you wouldn't want to be on a balcony in a high building so the concern is that if individuals were to take a sufficient dose, they might get themselves or others into trouble.

“The distribution is totally unregulated so unsuspecting teens or even children younger than teenage years might chance upon it and that's a recipe for disaster.”

Obviously it would be counterproductive to mention that the prohibition of drugs has not reduced the number of kids using drugs.

Guess who they asked for a dissenting view of the prohibition of salvia. Did they ask a drug policy reformer, scientist or politician? Nope, they asked the owner of a headshop.

“Salvia is so intense, most people only try it once or twice,” said Ryan (Big P) Poelzer, who works at the Urban Shaman, a popular botanical store in downtown Vancouver.

He said the store sells at least fifty pills every week, mainly to people between the ages of 19 and 25.

Mr. Poelzer, 20, described his experiences using salvia as “mind blowing” and “out of this world.”

“You don't think you're in this world and you don't think you're coming back. It's like going into outer space. Time being ripped in half is a good way of describing it.

“It's definitely the most powerful psychedelic out there.”

Despite the blatantly biased propaganda in this piece, I did manage to find something to smile about. Take a gander at some of the quotes I found in the comments:

John E7 from Salt Spring Island, Canada writes: Jeez peanuts are more dangerous than this stuff. I'm surprised the RCMP does not go after peanuts, it actually kills. And I wonder how many times a drunken rowdy has uttered threats against an officer ;)'
utoob has some vids of kids under the influence of the stuff. Looks like fun but I'm too old for that type of entertainment.
BC bud will be a thing of the past as giant fields of salvia blossom...

Mark Orr from Toronto, Canada writes: Oh Give it up. Natives up north are sniffing gasoline, why don't they ban gasoline? And if they did, why not ban glue....then any volatile petroleum...... some people want to get high, nothing you can do to stop it. You just end up criminalizing more of the population and causing more damage.

Reg Walker from toronto, Canada writes: When Uncle Sam decides this drug of concern should be illegal the rest of the world will have to do likewise. It will not be long.

Free Your Mind from Toronto, Canada writes: No sooner does a safe (if used responsibly) entheogen drug become widely available than the killjoys in the general media start demonizing it and the anti-privacy forces in government start looking for a way to ban it. God forbid people should be able to explore their consciousness, gain insights into themselves inaccessible through everyday rat-race mentality, or just plain have fun. Oh, but *alcohol's* okay, even though it has caused far more injuries, deaths, and broken up more families, than a herb used harmlessly by Mexican aboriginals for millenia ever could. Stop the War on Drugs NOW!

Grey Rabbit from Canada writes: thanks for the info, looks like i gotta try some of this stuff

This is just a small sampling of the positive responses in that thread. Very few people seem to be falling for the pro-drug-war propaganda, despite the best efforts of the media. This post practically wrote itself.