Powerful hallucinogen legal – for anyone – to buy

Salvia divinorum

It’s a hallucinogen that’s been around for years, but ask any parent, and they probably have no clue kids are using the common plant in a dangerous way.
It only grows in southern Mexico, a plant called salvia divinorum, and we found it packaged up and for sale on the shelves of several Albuquerque shops.

It’s known as “magic mint” or “seer’s sage.” One shop said to use it in a bong.

"The hotter you burn it, the more active it's going to get in your body," one store employee said.

Over the past several years, teens looking to get high on salvia have been doing so, often as parents and school officials remain oblivious to the drug’s existence and effects.

A spokesperson for Albuquerque Public Schools says campus police have never heard of it.

A trip can last for an hour, imparing the mind and body.

Dr. Tim Lowery, a plant scientist at the University of New Mexico, says salvia divinorum was first used by shamans in southern Mexico during religious ceremonies.

"If something was lost, they would take the drug and they would have a vision and figure out where the lost item or person was," Lowery said.

Salvia is becoming more popular as a recreational drug. A 2006 survey says nearly 2 million people over the age of 12 have used it.

12 states have passed laws either banning it outright or prohibiting its sale to minors.

New Mexico lawmakers in the house passed a bill this year that would have outlawed its sale and possession for minors, but time ran out and the bill died.

For now, it’s still legal for anyone at any age to buy and smoke the drug in New Mexico.

Julie Roberts, acting director of the New Mexico Drug Policy Alliance said, "By limiting the age for access to salvia, we will be able to monitor to who's getting access to this herb and to who's not."

The group says prohibiting salvia for everyone would make it more appealing. Roberts says it would be better just to ban it for people under 18.

“We really want to take an approach with salvia, not to criminalize it, not to move towards a system of prohibitions, but rather how you can regulate it to make sure our young people aren't getting access to the substance," Roberts said.

Representative Ken Gardner out of Roswell says he plans to push to outlaw salvia for New Mexico kids next year.

Ad for the long-term effects of salvia use, little is known. Some studies suggest it could be used to treat depression and addiction to cocaine.