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As a concerned citizen of Alabama, I have done my best to help by summarizing some important medicinal and religious properties, as well as the safety of, Salvia divinorum. It also puts forth several objections to proposed legislation in Alabama.
MEDICAL PROPERTIES
The genus name Salvia is derived from the Latin salvare, meaning "to heal" or "to save." The words salvation and savior also come from this same root. Salvia divinorum is endemic to the Mazatec Sierra of central Mexico, where it has a long history of medicinal use. It is used both for its psychoactive properties and as an effective treatment for arthritis, headache, and eliminatory complaints. The validity of each of these different applications is well supported by recent pharmacological findings.
To summarize recent findings: Salvinorin A is a unique and highly selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist, and as such, it has tremendous potential for the development of a wide variety of valuable medications. The most promising of these include safe non-addictive analgesics, antidepressants, short-acting anesthetics that do not depress respiration, and drugs to treat disorders characterized by alterations in perception, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, chronic depression, and bipolar disorder (Roth et al., 2002).
Kappa-opioid receptor agonists are of particular interest to pharmacologists because they provide effective pain medications that are not habit forming and do not produce dependence. In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that indicates that kappa-opioid receptor agonists are actually "aversive"—the opposite of addictive. There are numerous case reports in which people testify to the effectiveness of this herb for managing pain. The ability of salvinorin A to block perception of pain also suggests that it proves quite useful as a general anesthetic. The fact that it does not depress respiration indicates that salvinorin A could be much safer than most general anesthetics currently in use. The traditional Mazatec use of Salvia divinorum to treat headaches and arthritis also attests to its efficacy as an analgesic.
Dr. Karl Hanes published a case report in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, in which he describes a patient that obtained relief from chronic depression by using Salvia divinorum (Hanes, 2001). Many accounts can be found online of people who have recovered from serious, life-threatening depression with the help of this herb. It is especially interesting that these people are able to obtain persistent relief from their depression after only a few treatments. Quite unlike the continuous medication regime required with conventional antidepressants such as Prozac—which in most cases only offer symptomatic relief from depression—Salvia divinorum often produces long-lasting clinical improvement.
Because salvinorin A alters various perceptual modalities by acting on kappa-opioid receptors, it is clear that these receptors play a prominent role in the modulation of human perception. This suggests the possibility that novel psychotherapeutic compounds derived from salvinorin A would be useful for treating diseases manifested by perceptual distortions (e.g. schizophrenia, dementia, and bipolar disorders). This is a promising area of research that is important to pursue further.
Salvia divinorum has several properties that make it useful in psychotherapy: it produces a state of profound self-reflection, it improves one's ability to retrieve childhood memories, and it provides access to areas of the psyche that are ordinarily difficult to reach. There are many psychotherapists who have used this herb in their practice and are impressed with its effectiveness as a psychotherapeutic tool. It has even been used to successfully treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is not new—the Mazatecs have long used Salvia divinorum to treat psychological complaints.
There are many popular misconceptions about Salvia divinorum. Presumably, your article is based on some of these. Many of these misconceptions have their origin in a few sensationalistic articles that have appeared in the popular press, and others derive from the absurd advertising claims of unethical herb vendors who deliberately exaggerate the effects of Salvia divinorum in an effort to increase sales through puffery.
The fact is that the effects of Salvia divinorum are not appealing to recreational drug users. The majority of people who try it find that they do not enjoy its effects and do not continue using it. People who use it medicinally take it infrequently. It is not euphoric or stimulating. It is not a social drug. Since it increases self-awareness, it is useless as an escapist drug. It is most useful as a natural medicinal herb.
Salvia divinorum is not addictive or habit forming. Its mechanism of action indicates that it is actually anti-addictive. Many people have reported that Salvia divinorum helped them to overcome substance abuse problems. This has included, but is not limited to, addictions of alcohol, caffeine, crack, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, nicotine, and XTC.
RELIGIOUS PROTECTIONS
There are Hispanic religious organizations, with members in Alabama, which utilize Salvia Divinorum as a literal divine sacrament. They believe it is a plant that was put here, by God, to not only further spiritual enlightenment but to heal our minds, body and souls. It is the foundational basis of their beliefs and is crucially essential to the pursuits of the religion. Adult members utilize Salvia divinorum medicinally and also ritually as a divine spiritual sacrament that is approached with sincere reverence and protection. The act of cultivation is also a major part of this ritual for most followers. Many of these practices and beliefs are several hundred years old, derived from Mazatec spiritual practices. A small church in New Mexico (UDV) recently won a Supreme Court case upholding the use of certain other plants as religious sacraments (Case #04-1084). This gives guaranteed protection under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that prevents interference and restriction of religious practices.
SAFETY
Salvia divinorum is completely non-toxic. Toxicological studies have been performed by Dr. Leander Valdés at the University of Michigan, Jeremy Stewart at the University of Mississippi, Dr. Frank Jaksch of Chromadex Inc., and Wayne Briner of the University of Kansas. Neither Salvia divinorum nor salvinorin A showed toxicity in any of these studies. There is a vast body of empirical evidence that indicates Salvia divinorum is a remarkably safe herb. Indeed, the Mazatecs, who have used S. divinorum for hundreds of years, do not attribute any toxic properties to this plant.
Even after over 40 years of scrutiny the plant is still considered harmless. It has no lingering effects like a hangover, and no one, the DEA included, has heard of a person overdosing or experiencing long-term consequences. Calls to law enforcement agencies, hospitals, rehab clinics, colleges and universities across Alabama, as well as a survey of the rest of the US, failed to reveal Salvia divinorum as a problem or a direct contributor to any addictions, conditions, accidents, injuries, crimes, or deaths. In short, Salvia divinorum is not, and will not be, a danger to anyone in the state Alabama.
CONCLUSIONS
Salvia divinorum is a relatively obscure medicinal herb with no significant abuse potential. It does not present a risk to public health or safety. Criminalizing it would only serve to create a problem where one did not previously exist. The regulation of herbal medicines is a matter handled by the FDA, not the Controlled Substances Act. There is no reasonable justification for making Salvia divinorum a controlled substance. Placing it in schedule I would deprive people of a safe and useful natural medicinal herb, hamper promising medical research, and deprive people of their religious freedoms.
There are also already many laws currently in place that can, and should, be enforced against 'reckless salvia users' that would address the issues of concern and not punish responsible users. This includes, but is not limited to, laws that prohibit public endangerment, public intoxication, reckless driving, and driving under the influence. A more sensible approach would be to regulate Salvia divinorum similar to alcohol or tobacco, moving towards regulating it to individuals 21 years of age or older, making selling or providing it to anyone under the age of 21 a criminal offense with possession by a minor being a civil violation. This would even generate tax revenue during a time when funds are lean and will also save money from the costs of enforcement and legal defense funds. Imprisoned citizens are expensive and deprive the state of tax dollars. This is especially true with the costs of housing prisoners on the rise. Criminalizing it would be an ineffective poor use of time, money, and other resources, not to mention an encroachment upon personal freedoms.
Schedule I is intended for substances that have a high potential for abuse, a lack of accepted safety, and no currently accepted medical use. Salvia divinorum does not meet any of these criteria.
I am a law-biding, tax-paying, voter-registered, church-going, active member of my Alabama community. I also use Salvia divinorum medicinally to effectively treat severe chronic depression which was not alleviated by any other prescribed medicines. This has allowed me to finish school, get my degrees, and become an employed, productive member of society through my volunteer work. I have a clean record and do not drink, smoke, or do illicit drugs. Please don't let ill-informed sensationalism turn myself and others into criminals, taking away our basic rights to health and free practice of religion, and also deprive citizens of Alabama of a plant with so much potential that already does so much good to so many.
This is ridiculous.. People need to stop analyzing this stuff, just like any hallucenegen Salvia should not be underestimated, it is a very intense but short lasting trip which is why its legal right now.
Setting is mood is the most important aspect to a trip and it should be treated with respect. Too many people abusing it..that coupled with the propaganda posted above and on youtube is ruining it for people.
06-23-2008, 10:58 AM
Some Pro-Salvia Info 
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