Legal status of Salvia divinorum in the United States

Siebert said "Given that there is no compelling evidence to suggest that Salvia divinorum presents a significant risk to public safety, I am hopeful that the DEA will be reasonable and not criminalize this beneficial plant unnecessarily.

[25] On October 18, 2007, State Senator Roger Bedford (D-Russellville), and Representative Johnny Mack Morrow (D-Red Bay) were reported as saying that they are going to propose legislation again that would make salvia a Schedule I drug, in Alabama.

Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing said that he hopes Alabama can step up as a leader in fighting to control it before it becomes a major problem – "It's cheap, it's easy to buy and it's dangerous," [...] "Those are combinations that we need to stop before it's too late" he said.

Jack Degenstein, with the Alaska Libertarian Party, who opposed Therriault's bill in a Senate hearing in 2007, said, "This is absolutely not a public safety risk" [...] "just because it's powerful doesn't mean it's dangerous."

Section 379 to be added to the penal code – "Every person who sells, dispenses, distributes, furnishes, administers, gives, or offers to sell, dispense, distribute, furnish, administer, or give Salvia divinorum or salvinorin A, or any substance or material containing Salvia divinorum or salvinorin A, to any person who is less than 18 years of age, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment."

[7][additional citation(s) needed] On January 23, 2006, Delaware teenager, Brett Chidester took his own life by climbing into a tent with a charcoal grill where he died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Senator Karen Peterson and Brett's parents Kathy and Dennis Chidester have subsequently continued to campaign for and support Schedule I legislation beyond their home state of Delaware.

In March 2008 it was reported that Florida state Representative Mary Brandenburg had proposed a bill to make possession of salvia a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

"[56] An online poll was conducted in connection with Indianapolis news channel's stories also in November 2007, asking the question – "Do you believe Indiana should regulate Salvia divinorum?

On January 13, 2008, it was reported that State Representative Suzanne Crouch (R-Evansville) was proposing a bill that wants Indiana law rewritten to declare Salvia divinorum a Schedule 1 controlled substance.

The proponents of the bill included Senator Peggy Mast; Tom Stanton, Kansas County and District Attorneys Association; and Teresa Walters, Emporians for Drug Awareness.

Naomi Long, director of the group's Washington metro area branch, urged legislators to reject the proposal, calling salvia's medical value "very promising" for treating health issues from depression and eating disorders to HIV infections.

In regards to safety in terms of addiction, unlike more traditional hallucinogens like LSD and mescaline, salvinorin A affects kappa Opioid receptors and is noted for its reverse tolerance.

[citation needed] Elaine Driscoll, a Boston Police Department spokeswoman, said the Hub "has not experienced widespread usage of this substance, however, it is always a good idea to get in front of an issue before it becomes a problem.

"[75] On April 16, 2010, Representative Rick Jones submitted house bill HB6038, which proposes Schedule I classification of a number of substances including Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A in the state of Michigan.

Rep. Morrie Lanning (R-Moorhead) is given as the primary author of the bill, with co-authors Rep. Joe Atkins (D-Inver Grove Heights), Rep. Steve Smith (R-Mound), Rep. Paul Marquart (R-Dilworth) and Rep. Tony Cornish (R-Good Thunder).

The following year, February 2010, another bill (HF2975) was introduced that would make sale and possession a gross misdemeanor, once again authored by Lanning, with co-authors Atkins, Cornish, Rep. Steve Smith (R-Mound), Rep. Denny McNamara (R-Hastings), and later by Karla Bigham (D-Cottage Grove).

[80] After the law had passed, it was reported that Attorney General Jim Hood was sending warnings to Mississippi business owners that it was no longer legal to sell Salvia divinorum.

Senator Vickie McDonald supported the legislation, saying – "Videos of teens using this common plant to get high have become an internet sensation," [...] "Nebraska needs to classify Salvia divinorum and its active ingredient, salvinorin A, as a controlled substance in order to protect our children from a drug being portrayed as harmless when it's not.

On February 3, 2011, Representative Zachary J. Cook introduced House Bill 336 to the state legislature, also seeking to add Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A to the list of Schedule I controlled substances in New Mexico.

In January 2011, State Sen. John J. Flanagan renewed attempts to have the substance criminalized by drawing attention to the alleged use of Salvia by mass murderer Jared Lee Loughner.

[7] In April 2008, the case of Bismarck resident Kenneth Rau, a 46-year-old bottling plant worker, was reported as likely being the first person charged for Salvia divinorum possession in the United States.

In 2008, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBNDD) was reported as working with Representative David Derby (R-Owasso), and Senator Jonathan Nichols (R-Norman), to enact House Bill 3148.

Rep. John Lim has been quoted as saying—"From what I understand this drug is at least as dangerous as marijuana or LSD", and Seth Hatmaker, a spokesman for Lim—"I think it's only a matter of time before we find people addicted to this stuff".

[118] On March 3, 2007, Representative Charles "Doc" Anderson (R-Waco) filed House Bill 2347 which proposed the addition of salvinorin A and Salvia divinorum to Penalty Group 2 of the Texas Controlled Substances Act.

[119] He was quoted in the Waco Tribune-Herald as saying, "This substance is dangerous, incapacitating and serves no medical use whatsoever", and "If somebody is getting behind the wheel of a car or other situations where they could injure people, we need to make folks aware of it and start to control the access.

[123] The next day, on November 28, 2006, the same channel reported House Representative Paul Ray's "immediate response" with proposed legislation to ban Salvia divinorum in the State of Utah, quoting him as saying, – "It was upsetting to see we have a drug of that strength that's legal."

[137] The report went on to say that according to Laura Bechtel of Virginia's Blue Ridge Poison Center there had only been eleven calls about salvia in the past four years, only four of which were people who had actually ingested, the other seven being callers just seeking information.

Wasserman was reported as saying – "This bill is all about protecting our children", and "I want to stop the Salvia divinorum dealers who are pushing young people to experiment with a potentially dangerous substance.

"[141] On August 7, 2007, Representatives Sheldon Wasserman (D), David Cullen (D), John Townsend (R), Mike Sheridan (D), Alvin Ott (R), Jake Hines (R), and Terese Berceau (D) introduced Assembly Bill 477 Archived 2008-07-22 at the Wayback Machine to the Wisconsin State Legislature.