Salvia, Spice, Not Always so Nice

September 1st, 2010 | Add a Comment

Control is a powerful ability that many have. What happens when a person loses their ability to control? In reality we can only control ourselves: the places we chose to be, the things we say, and the things we do. Morals and opinions often lead to misuse or loss of control.

Let’s take the instance of person A. that does not like smoking and while at the bus stop is standing next to another person B. that is smoking. A cannot control whether B smokes, but A can control being around B. Instead of causing a scene because person A does not have control, they can change where they are standing to a further distance so the smoke doesn’t bother them as much. There are times though, when a person such as A does have control over the other person such as law enforcers.

In the United States we have freedom, correct? So many people think “who are these people saying “don’t do that”, “you can’t do that”, or “you can’t say that,” when this is a free country? Indeed it is a free country and you can do and or say whatever you want, but there are amendments and laws that say those who do or say something that is politically incorrect will most likely suffer consequences.

Today’s society is growing rapidly with new ideas and innovations; so rapidly that we can hardly keep up with it. There are so many advances and findings that are a negative influence to society, but Congress has not yet passed a law to make these certain things illegal.

Salvia Divinorum is popping up more and more in Santa Cruz, California. Salvia, “spice,” is an herbal and chemical drug that produces effects similar to smoking marijuana and also causes hallucinations. Many medical calls were being made reporting heroin overdoses, but when officers investigated they found salvia packaging and realized it was not heroin.

Just like synthetic cannabis, “spice” is legal. Unlike marijuana it does not show up in drug tests. This is one example of advances that the law has not caught up with. This spice has the same effects as illegal drugs, yet it is legal. It is an intoxicating substance that affects the brain and causes people to lose control. It can be a fatal drug; when people ingest too much they may become catatonic causing their heads to drop back and drool. The drool can cause a person to choke or stop breathing resulting in death.

“Spice,” the product, is sold as incense but sold at prices that are equivalent to marijuana prices. It is an easy way for people to feel high legally. Many people who need to drug test for their jobs are using this drug as a way to escape a positive drug test in the workplace.

Police cannot confiscate the substance because it is legal. Police are pushing for lawmakers to attend to this matter and it has been said that they are going over the facts to see if it is worth making it illegal. Until it is deemed illegal, the law has no control over the use of the drug. The law enforcers have lost control due to instances such as this and are powerless over keeping substances of this nature off the streets.

Just because it is legal does not necessarily make it okay. This drug is dangerous and should be looked at as if it were illegal. If someone does take this drug they should do so with the awareness of its risks.