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Salvia divinorum : Turning Herbs Into Illegal Drugs
Written by Wellness Club on March 12, 2008 – 11:51 pm -Commentary by Dr. Myatt
Just when you thought the outlawing of non-toxic nutritional supplements, bioidentical hormones and herbs couldn’t get any sillier, along comes a new twist: Big Brother trying to outlaw common garden herbs. Next up on the “hit list,” a member of the mint family, Salvia divinorum.Salvia divinorum, commonly known as “Diviner’s sage,” is a small leafy green member of the mint family found in Mexico. The plant was traditionally used by indigenous peoples as a healing and “visionary” aid.Internet “smoke shops” often sell and tout it as a “marijuana alternative,” although users on internet forums report that it has very mild effects that are short-lived. (5-15 minutes). There is no known LD-50 (lethal dose).
Several states already outlaw the herb, and Florida and others are looking to join the prohibition. The concern seems to be that people — especially teens — might smoke this herb and get “high.”
Well guess what? Aside from the fact that this herb probably doesn’t deliver much of a buzz, and when it does, that “buzz” lasts only a few minutes, and the herb is safe (no known lethal dose), kids and other folks seeking a “high” are going to use something — anything — to alter consciousness. Looks like Big Pharma and Big Alcohol want to be sure they’re making a buck on the buzz.
Look, kids smoke oregano to try and get high. Should we outlaw oregano? They inhale diflouroethane (canned, compressed gas – the stuff you clean dust from your computer with) to try and cop a buzz, and more than a few have died from this. They hold their breath and “hang” themselves hoping for an altered experience. Whether we outlaw a simple member of the mint family or not (and one that no deaths can be attributed to), people will seek altered experience.
Juxtapose this with the strange fact that Ritalin, a stimulant drug, is approved for use in children, and in 1995 six million — that’s MILLION — kids are legally drugged with this “upper.” (Newer statistics are difficult to find – is Big Pharma hiding something?) And “head meds,” although known to cause serious damage to children in their formative years, are approved for use in children. What conclusion are we left with?
Here’s my conclusion. The outlawing of a “probably-not-mind-altering” and for SURE not dangerous common herb is ridiculous. But “let’s outlaw everything that’s not a prescription drug (or alcohol) because we’d hate to see Big Pharma and Big Alcohol lose money” is a transparent example of Big Money “buying” Big Government.
Can you say, “adios, Freedom”?
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