TEEN TRENDS: THE LEGAL HALLUCINOGEN

(This blog is written to inform parents and others of disturbing trends of teenagers.)

Salvia Divinorium is a legal, powerful hallucinogenic herb easily obtained by teens. Salvia is not a new drug or plant. Salvia is a member of the sage family and a common garden plant.

Teens experimenting with Salvia may find themselves unable to stop.

SIDE EFFECTS:

• Psychic effects include perceptions of bright lights, vivid colors and shapes.
• Uncontrollable laughter.
• Visual alterations.
• Body or object distortion.
• Loss of physical coordination.
• Sense of total confusion or madness.
• Intense dissociation and disconnectedness from reality.
• Hallucinations.
• Dizziness and dysphoria.
• Physical and visual impairment.
• Synesthesia, e.g. hear colors and smells sounds.
• Sense of flying, floating, and twisting.
• Feeling of being underground or underwater.
• Experimenting multiple realities.
• Loss of sense of awareness as an individual.
• Feeling as though one has entered into the "realm of the dead".
• Becoming inanimate objects (a wall, stairs, a couch, etc).
• A negative experience can be living nightmares and blackouts.

STREET NAMES:

• Sally D
• Magic Mint
• Shepherdess' Herb
• Diviner's Sage
• Sage of he Seers

THREE DEGREES OF USE:

1. GENERAL INEBRIATION (a few hits) - Similar to mushrooms with brighter colors and increased sexual desire.

2. INCREASED POTENCY - Users fall into trances.

3. FURTHER INCREASED POTENCY - User remains conscious, but loses accurate perception of actual surroundings. At this point, the person should not be left alone and must have a sober person in the room. The user is in an altered reality, will wander, and encounter brief periods of unconsciousness and blackouts.

HOW IS SALVIA USED?

• When chewed, its effects appear within 5 to 10 minutes.
• When smoked (most common), its effects appear within 30 minutes.

IS YOUR TEEN USING SALVIA?

There is a Salvia language that has been created specifically for this drug. These words are used to describe a "trip". The use of this language may be the only clue a parent has that their teen is using Salvia:

• After glow
• Besaged
• Dissociadelic
• Dream people
• Fantasia
• Floating
• Goofy
• Magic Casements
• Mind Tunnels
• Sound of silence
• Visions
• Strange attractor
• Weird
• wiSalviaom

SALVIA IS ILLEGAL IN THE FOLLOWING STATES:

• Delaware
• Florida
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Mississippi
• Nebraska (Beginning in December 2009)
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Virginia

ONLY LEGAL WHEN NOT INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION:

• Louisiana
• Tennesee

LEGAL FOR ADULTS BUT ILLEGAL TO SELL TO MINORS:

• California
• Maine

"Salvia Divinorum has been steadily growing in popularity over the last few years due to the incredible visionary mystical experiences people are having. Many people are discovering Salvia Divinorum as a powerful tool for soul searching, exploration of consciousness and pure bliss."

In researching Salvia Divinorum, I found it is often hard to detect if your teen is using this drug. It is usually done in groups, because of the hallucinogenic effects, and these effects can last between 15 minutes to a couple of hours depending on the method of use. This is one more reason why parents have to stay aware of what their teens are up to. Become familiar with the language above, because as I said before, this could be the only clue you have that your teen is using Salvia. Listen to your teen and his/her friends talking. Get involved in their conversations, ask questions. They won't like it, but hey your the parent. I still get in the middle of Hollie's conversations (even if she's on the cell phone & I only hear a one-sided conversation). She gets irritated with me, but I just smile and tell her I love her.

(As with marijuana, there was mention of health benefits of salvia divinorum, but my blog is geared towards dangerous teen trends.)

www.parentingteens.suite101.com