Recently, I had a fun time laughing at the film “Reefer Madness;” this well-noted movie (circa 1936) has some ideas on the subject of marijuana that many modern day viewers would find amusing. Some sentiments expressed by the characters in this film attest to the limited knowledge of a drug that was relatively new to the general public at this point it time. According to the film, a 15-year-old can become a marijuana addict and, under its influence, can be led to kill his or her entire family with an axe. While this fear showed by Americans toward a new up and coming drug may seem ridiculous to us now, we are currently in a similar situation.

Miley Cyrus has recently had a video surface on the celebrity gossip blog TMZ depicting her smoking the drug Salvia. While the drug is currently legal in most states, many people wonder how long it will stay that way. TMZ further reported that sales of the drug had tripled directly following the posting of the video of Miley. This recent notoriety has many people wondering what the facts are. Salvia is a plant that is mainly found in certain regions of Mexico and South America. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that 5.7 percent of high school students currently use the drug, which is a greater percentage than those who take Ecstasy. It also reports that users of the drug Salvia experience a quick and intense high during which it is common to hallucinate. Due to this, many people wish to change the status of Salvia to a schedule I drug with the likes of LSD and Marijuana. The drug is not habit forming, however, and cannot deliver a fatal overdose.

Even the website sagewisdom.org or “The Salvia divinorum User’s Guide,” states that Salvia is not a “fun” or party drug and attempting to do so under its influence will more than likely result in a poor experience. It also states that many who try it never wish to do so again, that it is an impairing drug and, like alcohol, one should never drive under its influence. Furthermore, the website advises that if too much of the drug is consumed it can cause blackouts and thrashing coupled with an inability to feel pain. This is obviously dangerous for several reasons. With all of these facts and opinions surfacing about Salvia, it is important that before anyone attempts to try the drug they do their research and make their own judgments as to whether or not they wish to use it.

Overall, it seems that this new Salvia movement is mainly being bolstered by a young celebrity making a relatively new drug look fun. However, it seems that the reality of the drug is that it may not live up to its new reputation. As with any legal yet impairing substance it should be approached with information and caution, not because it looked like fun when Miley tried it.