Legal Hallucinogen A Dangerous "Roll Of The Dice," Warns UF Expert

August 12, 2003

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A Mexican plant hawked on the Internet as a legal alternative to marijuana and Ecstasy is actually an extremely potent hallucinogen that could be a nightmare for unwary users, warns a University of Florida expert.

What’s more, he says, its potential victims include a growing number of U.S. teens and young adults.

“It’s a dangerous drug and the reason it’s legal and widely available is a quirk of regulation,” says Paul L. Doering, a UF distinguished service professor of pharmacy practice and co-director of the statewide Drug Information and Pharmacy Resource Center.

A perennial herb related to the sage plant, Salvia divinorum is native to the Mexican state of Oaxaca, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. Many species of Salvia are grown for ornamental purposes.

Taken as a drug, Salvia divinorum causes disorientation, sensory distortion, visions and intense introspection, lasting 15 to 60 minutes, depending on the dosage and how the drug is taken. Users may smoke or chew the plant’s leaves or take concentrated leaf extracts.

“The long-term side effects and its effects on physiology and the functioning of the body are really not known,” Doering says. “I would see (using Salvia divinorum) as a roll of the dice.”

Salvia divinorum has not been outlawed in the United States because it was virtually unknown in the U.S. drug culture until recently, he says.

To interview Paul Doering, call Linda Homewood at 352-392-2137, Ext. 231. For photos and videotape b-roll, call Tom Nordlie at 352-392-2755.