Salvia plant yields trendy new drug

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Myrtle Beach, S.C., officials are seeking a statewide ban on a type of salvia plant whose leaf extract gives users a psychotropic high.

Native to Mexico, the Salvia divinorum plant has been used for centuries by the Mazatec tribe to spur visions to help them deal with health problems. But it is now available in herbal shops in forms designed for chewing or smoking, the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier reported.

Last month, Myrtle Beach City Council voted unanimously to ask for a statewide ban of the plant, saying teenagers were buying it at shops in the heart of the tourist beach strip.

However, a Myrtle Beach police spokesman said there had been no arrests or reports of trouble.

On its Web site, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration characterizes it as a "chemical of concern," but it's not listed as a controlled substance.

One Web site for the extract sells a gram of "20 times" potency for $40, a gram of "15 times" potency for $30, the newspaper reported.