Did you know your teenager can legally buy a drug whose effects have been compared to LSD? It’s called salvia and it’s very dangerous.
Even seasoned drug users have called salvia “too intense” and “scary.” In fact a teenager’s suicide in Delaware is being blamed on the herb. So the Investigators went undercover to show you how easy it is to buy salvia.
You can find dozens of videos on YouTube of people who say they’re high on the herb.
It’s called salvia divinorum and police say its effects are like a cross between LSD and PCP.
Former salvia user Jay L. said, “All of a sudden, the room had flipped upside down and was on the ceiling and my friends had shrunk to miniature size.”
Jay L. is sober now – but Jay used to use various drugs, including salvia. Jay says the hallucinations that salvia users experience are alarming.
“Someone I knew was smoking it in their car, but thank god it was parked, because he ran out of his car and took off, because of what he was seeing, so if they were driving it could have been very dangerous,” said Jay.
Salvia divinorum is an herb that’s native to southern Mexico. The leaves are either smoked or chewed for a hallucinogenic high.
Lisa Pangrazzi is a counselor at Pathway Family Center – a drug treatment program in Southfield. Several teens in the program have tried salvia.
While there haven’t been many studies -- Pangrazzi says research has shown salvia can cause paranoia, short term memory loss, and it can be a precursor to schizophrenia.
The amazing thing about salvia is that it’s totally legal. As long as you’re over the age of 18 in Michigan – you can buy it.
This is hidden camera video from inside a store in Macomb County.
The investigators went undercover to buy salvia. For $25 – we got one-tenth of a gram and quite a helping of advice from fellow customers.
So, is it too extreme? The DEA can’t regulate salvia because in most states, it’s not illegal to use it. But earlier this year, they did issue this alert about the drug.
The package we purchased also came with an information sheet – warning people not to have others under your care when you’re using salvia. Other packages recommend having a sober “sitter” with you when you smoke it.
Lt. Joe Quisenberry is the commander of the Oakland County Narcotics Enforcement Team. Quisenberry says his deputies don’t see salvia on the street that much, but he agrees, it can lead to trouble.
So far four states have made salvia illegal and others may follow. The parents of the teenager from Delaware who committed suicide – are pushing for national ban on salvia.
