Explain the history behind Salvia divinorum, the potency, what the DEA has said about this drug, and the results of a 2009 Michigan survey. Why is this drug a concern? What is the current status of this drug?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The Mexican herb, Salvia divinorum, has a long tradition as a shamanic
treatment for diarrhea, headache, rheumatism, and abdominal discomfort. When smoked, chewed, or brewed as a tea, Salvia produces intense visual hallucinations (resembling the effect of psilocybin-containing mushrooms), laughter, and an "out of body" dissociative experience.

Its potency approaches that of LSD, but the effects are very short-lived. In one recent study of Salvia users, 85 percent reported Salvia effects lasting less than 15 minutes.
Considerable media attention has been directed toward recreational use of Salvia. At present, it has not been classified as a controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substance Act. The DEA is currently pursuing the possibility of classification as a Schedule I drug, but until that occurs, Salvia has been officially classified as an illicit drug, along with other hallucinogens.

According to the 2009 University of Michigan survey, 6 percent of high school seniors reported using Salvia in the past year. In a smaller sample of college students reporting in 2006, 23 percent of students had heard of Salvia. About seven percent had used it at some time in their life, but the prevalence rate plummeted to less than one percent when asked whether they had
used it in the last month. The particularly intense and unpredictable character of the Salvia experience as well as its very short duration will be unpleasant to many. A majority of the first-time Salvia users in the college sample said that they would not want to use it again.