Unregulated hallucinogenic drug available at local outlet

A new fad drug gaining in popularity among young adults, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, is now being sold in Cape Girardeau legally.

The herb salvia divinorum is a distant relative to the sage mint plant and is a powerful natural hallucinogen. It is native to Mexico and has been used by Mazatec Indians for centuries to heal patients and perform spiritual ceremonies. Due to the drug's anonymity in the United States, no federal laws to regulate the drug exist, said Shirley Armstead, public information officer for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Hempies, a head shop located at 110 Themis St. in Cape Girardeau, has been selling the drug since last December and sales of the drug are good, said Christie Wibbenmeyer, partial owner of the store. Also, the drug is easily accessible on the Internet and the herb can be grown indoors and outdoors with little maintenance.

"We sell between 10 and 20 grams a week," Wibbenmeyer said.

The drug's clientele at Hempies ranges in age from about 19 to 50 years old, but Wibbenmeyer said the drug is most popular with young Southeast Missourians.

Despite the drug being legal for all ages in the United States, Hempies requires salvia customers to be at least 18 years old, she said.

Although the herb can be chewed or smoked, Wibbenmeyer said the majority of people she caters to smoke the drug.

The drug produces a wide range of effects.

Love it or hate it

"You either love it or you hate it," Wibbenmeyer said, who has used the drug in the past. She compared the herb to a strong blend of tobacco, which is supposed to stimulate the inner mind and allow meditation. Wibbenmeyer said the user's reactions to the drug can range from a state of relaxation to intense hallucinations.

"I didn't have any problems when I did it," Wibbenmeyer said. But she still recommends that a sober sitter be present when people are first introduced to the drug.

Hallucinations that stem from the use of salvia may include out of body experiences, the feeling of traveling through space, merging with inanimate objects and levels of confusion such as hearing colors or smelling sounds, said Sgt. Kevin Glaser, coordinator of the SEMO Drug Task Force.

"Basically it has the same effect of LSD," he said.

The DEA has begun researching the drug on a nationwide level, Armstead said.

"Salvia has been listed on our Web site under the latest drugs and chemicals of concern," she said. "We know it is catching on and we're looking into it."

However, because the drug is legal it has not been included in most, if any, national drug surveys, so to try and ascertain what degree it is abused is very difficult, Glaser said.

Local authorities have also been alerted about the drug, but little is currently being done to promote regulation in Southeast Missouri.

"Up to this point, I haven't heard that it is a major problem here," Glaser said.

Because the drug remains legal, along with the young age group attracted to the drug, any successful effort to curb the use of salvia in Southeast Missouri appears unlikely.

"If it were to be banned it would be very hard to infiltrate that type of crowd from an undercover standpoint," Glaser said. "We are much older than the age group that is attracted to it."

St. Peters, Mo., a suburb west of St. Louis, voted in January to restrict anyone under the age of 18 from being able to purchase the drug. It was one of the first cities in the nation to place a restriction on salvia.

Soon after St. Peters limited the sale of salvia users from that area began calling Hempies to find out if restrictions would limit their ability to purchase the drug in Cape Girardeau, Wibbenmeyer said.

"We had several phone calls from people living in St. Peters wondering if they could buy it from us," she said. "I think it would be silly to even think about making it illegal. It's a natural herb."

bchapman@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127