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A case in defense of Salvia divinorum
(EROCx1, August 3, 2008)
[Please Note: EROCx1 is a friend of mine, and I highly respect his opinions and judgment. ... Lorenzo]
I was recently approached by some journalists who are currently performing research for a report they are producing on Salvia divinorum, with a focus on its legal status. . . . I asked the journalist interviewing me if he had tried Salvia divinorum? Unfortunately he replied with a no. I recommended that any professional investigator preparing a national story on an ineffable experience should at least invest 15 minutes and try the herb already. It's like someone reporting on a religion and the person being interviewed said, "Do you want to meet god?" And the interviewer says, "No." Why wouldn't you? It’s safe and legal. I don't believe anyone could possibly comprehend the Salvia experience without direct experience with it. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. That’s his personal and private choice, but I hope he does. He had all the scientific literature so there was really no point in repeating what he already knew. I made it clear the Salvia divinorum is NOT like any other psychedelic. . . . This includes Marijuana, LSD, Magic Mushrooms or any other of the known psychedelics. This analogy is all too commonly used by the media and is more inaccurate then claiming all food tastes the same and has the same nutritional properties or that all medicine is the same. These analogies are absurd. . . . Most legislators argue Salvia is similar to illegal substances therefore it too should be illegal. The Federal government all ready has a law that makes any substance similar to illegal substances also illegal. It’s called the Analog Act. This only further proves (as previously mentioned) that Salvia is special and is not like the other classic psychedelics. . . . Please keep in mind when these things are made illegal, they are not only restricted for use by ordinary people. They are restricted from scientific study. . . . I must make it clear for the record. I do not use or posses any illegal substances. At this phase in my life, Salvia and psychedelic thinking are more then enough to satisfy my entheogenic needs. Mostly I enjoy the philosophy and theory of it all. I like to read, participate on forums and listen to podcasts like my friend Lorenzo’s Psychedelic Salon. By doing so I am able to benefit simply by taking in other peoples reflections on their experiences. . . . The effects of Salvia range from mild to profound and last about 15 minutes. A little of the history of Salvia from the Mazatecan shamans, re-dicovery by Wasson & Hoffman. All the way up to making her emergence onto the Internet and probably on her path to extinction. But we won’t let her go with out our best effort to keep her legal. She is an intelligent plant spirit. Evading the Inquisition and all attempts to stomp out the use of Shamanic plants. We talked about the communities’ attempts to keep Salvia legal. Being that this is not currently a Federal matter. Its tuff to organize state by state, now we must even watch county and city ordinances. Just knowing the law of the Country is difficult enough, let alone fight all the smaller battles. There is presently no national organization of Salvia users taking political action. Maybe there should be, or are we too late?

Thank you for reading this. Please feel free to share this with others. I would appreciate a link back to my blog

Peace and Blessings,
EROCx1

[NOTE: This is only a very short excerpt from a long and well-written essay that you will find by clicking the link above.]

posted by Lorenzo 7:32 PM