Salvia Divinorum: Legality in Jeopardy?

Salvia divinorum may very well be the last vestige of free drug expression in the United States when it comes to natural psychoactive agents. The little-known substance is quite unlike any other recreational drug, and its relative obscurity in the national consciousness might be its greatest asset.

Salvia Divinorum is a plant indigenous to the Sierra Madre mountains in Oaxaca, Mexico. The plant itself, a short leafy shrub of the mint family is relatively inconspicuous and is not as easily identifiable as the characteristic five-leaf cannabis for example. The leaves of salvia contain the reactive molecule known as Salvinorum A, responsible for psychoactive effects.

Salvia is generally smoked, either in leaf form or as a concentrated extract that is sold in varying potencies. Unlike marijuana, salvia generally gives the user a much more quick-acting, short lasting, and intense psychoactive experience. Depending on the potency of the leaf or extract being used, the Salvia experience can vary greatly. Generally its effects are much more hallucinogenic than marijuana; however it is difficult to accurately compare its effects to hallucinogens such as psilocybin mushrooms or LSD.

Although Salvia has recently begun to be controlled in several countries worldwide, it is still legal to purchase, possess, and use Salvia Divinorum in the majority of the United States. Since Salvia is quite unlike other broad-spectrum controlled substances such as opiates or amphetamines, it is unlikely that it will be controlled according to the 1986 US Federal Analogue Act. This act controls substances that are not technically members of the families of scheduled substances, but are structurally similar enough to merit some level of control from the Drug Enforcement Agency.