-WJLA Script-

Anchor:

NOW AN EXCLUSIVE I-TEAM INVESTIGATION OF A HALLUCINOGENIC DRUG THAT HAS BEGUN TO SWEEP THE NATION. WHAT MIGHT AMAZE YOU IS THAT RIGHT NOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DOING NOTHING TO STOP IT.  THE I-TEAM'S ROBERTA BASKIN IS HERE WITH THE DETAILS.

Roberta Baskin:

THE DRUG IS CALLED SALVIA DIVINORUM. WHILE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S WAR ON DRUGS TARGETS MARIJUANA AND OTHERS..., SALVIA IS ACTUALLY MUCH EASIER TO OBTAIN. A WARNING... SOME OF THE PICTURE CONTAINED IN THIS PACKAGE ARE DISTURBING.

Story: 

This is what it looks like to hallucinate on Salvia.

NAT SOT: "Oh My God!"…"It's all right man…Oh F-!"

Dating back centuries to ancient Mexican tribes…the Salvia plant was smoked in sacred rituals for healing and spiritual enlightenment.

And then several years ago…it took off in America…juiced by the Internet…boasting an active ingredient as potent as LSD.

Dr. Bertha Madras is the President's deputy drug czar. Dr. Bertha Madras: "All the caveats and harms that we learned about LSD and other hallucinogens over the past 40 years apply to this drug, and in some cases, even more so."

AND YET, IT'S LEGAL.

You can easily buy Salvia online under names like Magic Mint…and Diviner's Sage. NAT SOT: "How in the f- is this s- legal? Holy f-!"

And the I-Team found dozens of users posting homemade videos showcasing their intense trips. "I am rocking the world right now! I just feel like…I am rocking the world!"

But some of those trips are filled with fear…

NAT SOT: Clip 1: "I'm on drugs"; Clip 2: "You're good aren't ya? You're all right mate."

Or can turn tragic. Kathy Chidester: "He was the model child. Until the time that he started salvia."

Kathy Chidester of Wilmington, Delaware, believes salvia drove her 17-year old son, Brett, to commit suicide. He left behind an essay describing his experiences.

"Salvia" (he wrote) "allows us to give up our senses and wander in the inter-dimensional time and space."

"...our existence in general is pointless..."

"US earthly humans are nothing."

Kathy Chidester: "That's definitely not the attitude that Brett had at all. That isn't even like him."

The coroner listed "Salvia Divinorum" as contributing to Brett Chidester's death. And the Delaware legislature outlawed Salvia…calling it "Brett's Law."

But after five years of study…the federal Drug Enforcement Administration…will only go as far as to list Salvia as a "Drug of Concern."

We showed Dr. Bertha Madras…the bizarre behavior we found on the Internet. Dr. Bertha Madras: "If this person showed up in an emergency department there would be a psychiatric consult immediately saying this person is psychotic."

NAT SOT: "Salvia…Do you like Salvia 10X? Take a look."

Brazen salvia users continue to flaunt their drug experiences, reassured that it IS legal. Which is not the case in some other countries… where it's been banned from Australia to Spain to Sweden. A handful of states have also outlawed salvia. But at the federal level, Dr. Madras insists more study is needed. Dr. Bertha Madras: "There are discussions about it. No decisions have been made."

Why not? asks Kathy Chidester. She recalls confronting her son about his salvia use. Kathy Chidester: "And he said it's legal mom, it's an herb. It's not a drug, it's an herb. And you can get it anywhere. It's not illegal and there's no reason why I shouldn't use it."

In fact…some Salvia web sites urge people to buy it NOW…LEGALLY…while they can. (Starting at around $15 a trip.) This 16-year old had no trouble purchasing her salvia on the Internet. On a Web site inviting users to send in their videos in exchange for the drug. It's how Brett bought his salvia…before taking his life. Kathy Chidester: "And you know there are some days I look back and I feel like he was murdered. Almost like it wasn't suicide. I almost feel like he was murdered."

Roberta Baskin:WE DECIDED TO DO THIS REPORT BECAUSE SALVIA IS ALREADY WIDELY AVAILABLE, AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE REPORTS IT'S GAINING POPULARITY AS A RECREATIONAL DRUG.

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT WHETHER SALVIA SHOULD BE CONTROLLED.

AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS STORY.

Additional Links:

DEA’s "Drugs and Chemicals of Concern."