States moving to ban salvia divinorum

A mint plant that can be smoked or chewed for a high lasting up to a half-hour is catching the attention of lawmakers in various states. It has already been banned in Missouri, Delaware, North Dakota and Illinois by being classified as a Schedule I hallucinogen (similar to heroin, LSD, marijuana and ecstasy). Other states, including Maine, have made it illegal to possess the plant or its extract for those under 18.

Besides Missouri, other border states of ours have acted on the plant. Oklahoma has banned possession of the substance only if it has been altered (the extract is apparently much more potent than the leaves). In Tennessee and Louisiana, it is legal to grow salvia for landscaping or aesthetic purposes, but not for consumption. A bill to ban the substance was filed in Texas but never made it out of committee. The DEA website states that adverse physical effects of consumption may include incoordination, hallucinations, dizziness, and slurred speech. For centuries, the Mazatec Indians of southern Mexico have used salvia in rituals.