Drugs

Salvia: The More You Know...

Filed under: Drugs

Ever since our story on the legal psychedelic Salvia divinorum went to print three weeks ago, my inbox has been inundated with emails asking where I bought the stuff, what situations to do it in, etc.

“I was wondering where I can get the Purple Sticky or maybe just buy what is left of yours,” reads the most recent one. “Roger Waters is in Dallas next week and I am flying home for the show, might just be the thing for the show… With gas the price it is I cannot afford to drive to every head shop around and some are not even on the net."

Instead of replying to these emails individually, I’ll just come out with it: 1) no, you cannot buy what's left of mine, and 2) I got it at Maharaja’s near downtown St. Paul. A little birdie tells me they hawk it at Hideaway in Dinkytown, as well. (Note: neither Hideaway nor Maharaja’s paid me to plug them. Not because I possess any journalistic integrity, but because they are cheap, cheap bastards.) So have at ‘er.

Which brings us to 3)...

Salvia is not “just the thing” for a Roger Waters show in Dallas. For one thing, no primate should ingest hallucinogens of any sort within a 30-mile radius of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Dallas is to bad vibes as Los Angeles is to superficiality. Refuse my warning, and you’ll find this out the hard way when the rotting corpse of John F. Kennedy explains it to you in lurid, existentially gut-wrenching detail.

Then there’s the activity itself to consider. Roger Waters shows, I assume, attract sizable crowds. And crowds are usually comprised almost entirely of strangers. Like pot or shrooms, Salvia can elicit nauseating social unease, even ferocious anxiety. But unlike pot or shrooms, Salvia does little to enhance external stimuli. It’s not worth doing in concert settings. There’s no trade-off to be made. You’re not going to swim in the music or ponder his giant pig balloon on a more visceral level. Rather, you will fall to the ground and clasp your temples, trying in vain to remember your name while stoners laugh at you.

Say it with me: Salvia is to be smoked in a quiet, private setting.

But what do I know? My experience with Salvia is rather limited. Sound off in the comments below about your own experience with Salvia (or whatever else). Ask advice. Provide advice. Just don’t smoke Salvia at a Roger Waters show in Dallas.

Safe travels.

Posted by Matt Snyders at April 29, 2008 6:02 PM | Comments (7)

 

U of Wisconsin study: Smoking ban = More DUI Deaths

Filed under: Drugs

A report on a connection between smoking bans and an increase in DUI deaths should give pause to Minnesotans.

The paper, "Drunk driving after the passage of smoking bans in bars," was written by Scott Adams and Chad Cotti of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and published in the Journal of Public Economics. The authors estimate that smoking bands increase the number of DUI deaths by about 13 percent. Summary (emphasis added):

Using geographic variation in local and state smoke-free bar laws in the US, we observe an increase in fatal accidents involving alcohol following bans on smoking in bars that is not observed in places without bans. Although an increased accident risk might seem surprising at first, two strands of literature on consumer behavior suggest potential explanations — smokers driving longer distances to a bordering jurisdiction that allows smoking in bars and smokers driving longer distances within their jurisdiction to bars that still allow smoking, perhaps through non-compliance or outdoor seating. We find evidence consistent with both explanations. The increased miles driven by drivers wishing to smoke and drink offsets any reduction in driving from smokers choosing to stay home following a ban, resulting in increased alcohol-related accidents. This result proves durable, as we subject it to an extensive battery of robustness checks.

Deaths from DUI in Minnesota reached their lowest level in 2006, with 175 people dying at the hands of of drunk drivers (see a chart of alcohol-related traffic fatalities going back to 1982 here). So if the research holds true, we could expect an additional 22 or 23 people to die as an unintended consequence of the smoking ban that went into effect October 1. Then again, some lives will undoubtedly be saved that would otherwise have been lost to diseases caused by secondhand smoke.

UPDATE: This is particularly troubling considering this report released today that found that the North has the worst rates of DUI already. Wisconsin has the highest incidence, and Minnesota checks in at No. 3.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at April 23, 2008 12:00 PM | Comments (13)

 

Herbal Calamity

Filed under: Drugs

Earlier this week, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department vowed to continue their valiant struggle to rid the west metro area of an organic herb and called for citizens to help in the effort.

"Law enforcement relies on the involvement of all sectors of society to fight crime and enhance safety,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek in a Tuesday press release. “We need your help to stop these grows from multiplying.”

Cannabis sativa—or, as the kids call it, “marijuana”—is indigenous to central Asia and has been used by humans for centuries, often during religious ceremonies. When smoked, the plant is known to elicit feelings of euphoria and heighten senses of taste, sound, and color.

In modern times, however, the herb is better known for its tendency to attack unsuspecting victims unprovoked. Even worse, say officials, the insentient plant matter often targets families, leaving authorities no choice but to call for stepped-up warfare against the weed’s malevolent photosynthesis.

"We have to increase the war on these local marijuana grows to keep families safe,” said Stanek. “We are seeing large increases in the number of local marijuana grow operations and the violent crime that comes along with these drug crimes.”

Stanek neglected to specify whether the violence is attributable to the plant itself or to the underground nature of the illegal, unregulated drug trade. Whatever the case, cannabis plants recently seized by county officials are up to three times more potent than pot of yore. Highly sophisticated grow houses in affluent suburbs have allegedly been cultivating crazy-dank bud, some harvests containing THC levels of 18 percent.

To be fair, numerous studies over the years have concluded that the maligned foliage is neither physically addictive nor harmful when used in moderation. (Though experts say side effects may include temporary paranoia, lethargy, inexplicable cravings for peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches, and clumsy attempts at social satire.)

As a result, some states have passed legislation allowing the curative herb to be used for medicinal purposes. Some radicals have even gone so far to suggest that those who smoke marijuana recreationally should not be caged in prison like criminals.

Officials remain steadfast that they’re fighting the good fight.

“We’re talking about big-time dealers here,” said Kathryn Janicek, a public information officer within the department. “We’ve seized many dangerous weapons from these sites.”

As for the data (The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department compiled the following statistics from January 2006 to present):

- Value of Marijuana Seized: $28,944,000
- Processed Marijuana (ready for sale) Seized: 333 lbs
- Cash/Accounts Seized: $801,694
- Value of Property Seized: $1,376,600
- Siphoning taxes from the citizenry to fund a self-perpetuating prison state: Priceless

Posted by Matt Snyders at December 14, 2007 2:44 PM | Comments (5)

 

Speed kills (but not as often as you think)

Filed under: Drugs

As anyone who reads the Strib, watches the TV news or listens to the pronouncements of their local legislators knows by now, methamphetamine is the deadliest drug Minnesotans have ever encountered. At this very moment, it is racing across the state like a prairie fire, leaving its victims hopelessly addicted and making all previous drug scourges look like petty vice.

Or not.

This week, the Washington, D.C.-based non-profit the Sentencing Project issued a fascinating, 44-page report entitled The Next Big Thing? Methamphetamine in the United States. Aggregating data from a vast array of sources, the report paints a picture of the meth problem starkly at odds with conventional wisdom. It begins with a rather startling assertion: from an acturial perspective, there really isn't much of a meth epidemic. According to the report, there were more first time meth users in the early 70s than there are today and, more recently, there has been a pronounced decline in use among at least one key demographic, teenagers.

Anyone with serious interest in the issue ought to check out the full document, but here are a few of the major conclusions:

Methamphetamine is among the least commonly used drugs. Only .2 percent of Americans are regular users of methamphetamine. Four times as many Americans use cocaine on a regular basis and 30 times as many use marijuana.

Rates of methamphetamine use have remained stable since 1999. The proporition of Americans who use methamphetamine on a monthly basis has hovered in the range of .2 to .3 percent between 1999 and 2004.

Rates of methamphetamine use by high school students have declined since 1999. The proportion of high school students who have ever used methamphetamine (lifetime prevelance rates) declined by 45 percent between 1999 and 2005, from 8.2 percent to 4.5 percent.

Methamphetamine use remains a rare occurence in most of the United States but exhibits higher rates in selected areas. Only 5 percent of adult male arrestees tested positive for methamphetamine, compared with 30 percent for cocaine and 44 percent for marijuana.

Drug treatment has been demonstrated to be effective in combating methamphetamine addiction... Methamphetamine abuse has generally been shown to be as receptive to treatment as other addictive drugs.

Posted by Mike Mosedale at June 16, 2006 12:40 PM | Comments (3)