A legal herb that packs a powerful high is growing popular in central Wisconsin as lawmakers move to ban its sale. Salvia divinorum is a perennial herb of the mint family and is native to the Sierra Mazateca region of Oaxaca, Mexico. The plant has been used for centuries by the Mazatec Indians for spiritual rituals.

Little known in Wisconsin even a few years ago, salvia divinorum and its active ingredient, salvinorin A, have become popularized by Internet resources and chat rooms. “Lots of teens that I work with are talking about it,” said Sue Nowak, a certified drug prevention specialist for North Central Health Care in Wausau. “Usage in the Wausau area has definitely increased.”

Salvia divinorum is a hallucinogen, and Nowak’s clients have described the high as a cross between taking ecstasy and LSD. The effects, she said, can be intense and last five minutes to three hours depending on the dose…Salvia divinorum is legal in most states but has been classified as a drug or chemical of concern by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. A bill introduced in the state Legislature would make the sale of the extract illegal, and violators could be fined up to $10,000. Illinois also is seeking to ban the drug.

—Janet Craigmiles, Wausau Daily Herald, 8/7/07