Madison NORML

Source: The Daily Cardinal click here
Pubdate: December 12, 2007
Author: Matt Jividen

SALVIA BILL DEMONIZES HARMLESS HALLUCINOGEN

Lawmakers fail to recognize that banning Salvia does not mean preventing its trade or usage

A new bill in the state Legislature aims to ban Salvia

There is a danger growing around Madison. And no, it isn’t the sexual assaults, kidnappings, bank robberies, murders or violence. According to state lawmakers (and probably Lou Dobbs), it is imports from Mexico that may be here illegally to destroy American culture and American youth.

I’m talking, of course about Salvia Divinorum—a non habit-forming herb that has historically been used in the Mazatec region of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Oaxaca, Mexico as part of ritualistic healing and prophecy rituals. Since the early 1990s, it has increased in popularity in the United States (although, to call (although, to call it popular is somewhat misleading.) State Representatives Sheldon Wasserman and David Cullen authored a bill that would prohibit the sale and manufacturing of Salvia Divinorum. The Assembly Criminal Justice Committee held a public hearing on the measure last Wednesday.

Currently, there is no Federal regulation on the herb. According to Bertha Madras, deputy director of demand reduction for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, “Salvia Divinorum is so far down the list, it’s a tiny fraction of 1 percent.” Although Wasserman doesn’t seem to understand much about the herb, he feels it is dangerous. He says, “[Salvia] affects the way we think, the way we act. It impairs our judgment.” I will not dispute these facts, but I emphatically disagree that this is any reason for the government to mandate what citizens can and cannot consume.

While people might not be willing to get on board to defend the marginal Salvia herb, this struggle is symbolic of something far greater. The astute reader will no doubt remember that these same arguments were put forth nearly a century ago to prohibit Americans from imbibing Alcohol. However, the short-lived prohibition was left by the wayside because Americans believe it to be their constitutional right not only to enjoy delicious alcoholic libations, but also to choose what they would consume without governmental interference—on one condition: that it doesn’t present a clear danger to others. This sentiment is reflected in the imposed strict drunken-driving laws. In effect, this stance punishes the people who have proven incapable of moderate usage instead of punishing the majority who are capable of responsible and moderate use. But is that enough?

Does anyone else find it somewhat ironic that Wasserman would be so concerned with an herb that only a handful of people in Wisconsin use while a much more damaging drug actually effects Wisconsin on a grand scale? Right now, Wisconsin ranks No. 1 in the nation for adult binge drinking, and the percentage of high school students who drink is also well above the national average. Furthermore, MADD has ranked Wisconsin as the worst state in the nation as far as DUI deaths are concerned. By Wasserman’s logic as presented in this bill, alcohol should also be illegal in Wisconsin. But, don’t worry. I doubt they will ever prohibit booze… again. After all, “what made Milwaukee famous” sounds a lot better than “what made Milwaukee infamous.”

Just like prohibition in the 1920s, I doubt this legislation would stop the small contingent of Wisconsinites who enjoy Salvia responsibly. First of all, can police officers distinguish the plant from hundreds of different species in the genus Salvia? The plants are not typically grown in the same fashion as the easily recognized marijuana—Salvia grows well as a houseplant without expensive high intensity lights. This is just one of several logistical problems. The legislation is problematic on the grander scale as well. Making a drug illegal does not generally curb usage (especially if said drug is readily available in many adjacent states). With similar legislation, marijuana use has steadily increased since 1937—along with driving an estimated $6.2 billion industry underground in the United States.

This legislation will also hurt a handful of businesses in Madison and across the state, which begs the bigger question—who does this bill really help? I’m not equipped to answer that question, but perhaps this is just a manifestation of a government that has become half mother and half pusher-man.

It demonizes certain substances by making them illegal while condoning others. Most lawmakers turn a blind eye to state condoned drug dealing—alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs. And, if I didn’t know they were honorable men, I might assume it has something to do with the massive alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical lobbies in the United States.

Matt Jividen is a senior majoring in history. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.