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Dangerous Drug To Stay Legal

POSTED: 9:55 pm MST February 27, 2009
UPDATED: 8:02 am MST February 28, 2009

Some kids call it the best legal high there is, and it looks like it will stay that way in Arizona.

Salvia divinorum, or salvia "D" provides a short, intense and hallucinogenic trip. The drug has become more popular with teenagers and young adults in recent years, and there’s video on YouTube to prove it.

"I hit it from a glass pipe and felt like I was getting sucked into the couch," said Henry Aometer.

Henry tried it once when he was 17. He said it was easy to buy.

"I just went into a smoke shop and picked it up," he said. "There weren’t any restrictions; they didn't ID me -- nothing."

Arizona State Rep. Eric Meyer is trying to make it illegal to buy Salvia "D" for those under 21. Dozens of other states already have similar laws.

"If they're driving or have a gun around this drug is potentially dangerous," Meyer said. "This is a simple bill that would address that problem."

But Meyer's not going to get his wish. Today the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Adam Driggs, said he won't hear the bill.

"I think it would be difficult to regulate because salvia is a common plant. It could be growing in someone's yard," said Driggs.

Nevertheless, the director of outpatient services at the Calvary Addiction Recovery Centery, Sean Walsh, disagrees.

"We could say that about any drug, marijuana is common but we know that it's dangerous so we regulate it," he said. "I think that's just side-stepping an issue."

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