A common garden herb that packs a powerful psychedelic punch has some federal health officials recommending strict controls.
But Health Canada says it can't regulate the use of salvia divinorum until there's more evidence of its dangers.
Department documents obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information law say salvia is being used by adolescents and young adults for its hallucinogenic properties.
A December 2005 report by the marketed health products directorate, an arm of Health Canada, recommends that salvia be placed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Department spokesman Jason Bouzanis said salvia has been known to cause hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, unconsciousness and short-term memory loss. But that's not enough to declare it illegal.
"We can't make any recommendations to place salvia under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act schedules until we have sufficient scientific and empirical data that concludes it has the potential for misuse and abuse,'' Bouzanis said.
Australia is one of few countries that has made it illegal to possess, distribute and consume salvia, also known as Sally D, the diviner's sage, or the sage of seers. It is a species of sage, which belongs to the mint family, and is most commonly found in Mexico, where indigenous Mazatec shamans have used it for centuries for spiritual journeys.
Salvia leaves are most commonly dried and smoked. Extracts of salvinorin-A, salvia's active ingredient, are available in tablet form. Pill prices can range anywhere from $30 to $80 in Canada depending on the potency desired. Most online sellers of salvia advertise the herb as a natural health product.
An October 2006 report by the natural health products directorate of Health Canada, which is responsible for assessing safety among all marketed health products, highlights four cases of adverse reactions to salvia.
One case involves a 16-year-old Canadian boy who reportedly became incoherent, suicidal, and threatened to kill police officers after taking a single tablet of salvia in March 2005.
Despite being aware of salvia's potentially harmful effects, the RCMP can't crack down on the herb because it's legal.
"As far as including salvia included under the Controlled Substances Act, that's Health Canada's responsibility,'' said Sgt. Nathalie Deschenes.
"The RCMP is always concerned about any substance or product that may put the safety and security of Canadians at risk.''
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration lists salvia as a "drug of concern'' but it has not been banned by the U.S. federal government.
Missouri and Louisiana have criminalized the herb and there are proposals to make it illegal in Alaska, Illinois, Oregon and Wyoming.
Dr. Bryan Roth, a professor of pharmacology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is very concerned about the availability of the herb.
"Salvia is the world's most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen,'' he said.
"You wouldn't want to be driving a car, or you wouldn't want to be on a balcony in a high building so the concern is that if individuals were to take a sufficient dose, they might get themselves or others into trouble.
"The distribution is totally unregulated so unsuspecting teens or even children younger than teenage years might chance upon it and that's a recipe for disaster.''
But for one salvia user, such concerns are unnecessary.
"Salvia is so intense, most people only try it once or twice,'' said Ryan (Big P) Poelzer, who works at the Urban Shaman, a popular botanical store in downtown Vancouver.
He says the store sells at least fifty pills every week, mainly to people between the ages of 19 and 25.
Poelzer, 20, describes his experiences using salvia as "mind blowing'' and "out of this world.''
"You don't think you're in this world and you don't think you're coming back. It's like going into outer space. Time being ripped in half is a good way of describing it.''
"It's definitely the most powerful psychedelic out there.''
