My Personal Experience with Salvia Divinorum, the New Marijuana

Surely everyone is familiar with the terms marijuana, LSD and mushrooms, but Salvia often ceases to ring any bells.

According to www.salvia.net, Salvia Divinorum is a plant that, when consumed, produces a hallucinogenic state that can range from a subtle trip to extreme madness. In comparison to LSD or mushrooms, which can last for over eight hours, Salvia only lasts for about one hour tops, the average trip usually lasting a half hour.

Unlike its counterparts, however, Salvia is legal and can be purchased virtually anywhere online for a cheap price, perhaps accounting for the stir the plant has caused among lawmakers in the US.

According to Jessica Gresko of the Associated Press, one of such lawmakers, Florida's state representative Mary Brandenburg, is actively looking to ban the drug, stating "As soon as we make one drug illegal, kids start looking around for other drugs they can buy legally. This [Salvia] is just the next one."

Brandenburg recently has introduced a bill, suggesting the possession of Salvia and its extracts be punished as a felony, with up to five years in prison. This would make the plant a part of the same controlled substance class as LSD and marijuana. Eight states in the US have already enforced limitations on the plant.

I first heard of Salvia from a college professor whose theory on life was "to try everything at least once." Sharing similar views, I was surprised I never stumbled upon this legal wonder.

After doing some research online and talking to some friends who had tried the substance, I decided to take the plunge.

Although many say taking Salvia outside is a wonderful experience, I decided against it, as being at college I ran the risk of running into an angry campus cop, or simply scaring off a bunch of students.