Op-Ed From Senator John Flanagan About Salvia Divinorum

With all the efforts by community groups and parents to rid our  neighborhoods and our schools of illegal drugs, it is essential that they know that the New York State government is on their side.  

That is why I have sponsored a statewide ban of salvia divinorum throughout New York State. While this legislation has passed the Senate numerous times since
it was first introduced in 2005, the Assembly has failed to act every year and it is time for them to join the fight to rid our communities of this legal hallucinogen.

Salvia divinorum is a substance that many of our residents will not recognize as quickly as LSD, but the unfortunate reality is that this legal herb has been known to have the same effects on the body, is in our community and is legally in some stores in our state.  

And this month it has been linked to the death of young man in Roosevelt Island who jumped to his death from a balcony after reportedly using this legally sold
hallucinogen.

Known by a number of names, it is a psychoactive plant from the mint family that is currently available on the Internet and in stores without age restrictions.  While the long-term effects are still being considered, the National Drug Intelligence Center has indicated that they may be similar to those produced by other hallucinogens such as LSD including depression and schizophrenia.

More worrisome is that some younger people in our community now know it as the legal “drug” allegedly used by Miley Cyrus as seen in a widely circulated video on the Internet.  Sadly, we may see an expansion in its use because of that video and that is something we need to prevent immediately.

I have always maintained in my six years of working to ban the sale of salvia that the goal was to make sure that we don’t lose even one New Yorker to its use and the reality is that the state has failed to accomplish that goal.  There can be no more excuses for delaying the ban of this dangerous hallucinogen.

Thankfully – through the efforts of Legislator Lynne Nowick – it is not legally available in Suffolk County any longer.  But it is time to ban its sale statewide before we have another death.  Perhaps the dynamics of the statewide discussion will change following the incident in New York City.

The simple truth is that inactivity by anyone involved should serve as a clear sign that they underestimate the power of this gateway substance.  It is also something our residents – especially those on the front lines in the war against drugs - should not accept.  We have seen how dangerous this substance can be and it is time for the Assembly to join with me in banning salvia divinorum this year.

Ed. Note: Since Flanagan wrote this op-ed, New York Senate passed his salvia divinorum ban. 

Senator Flanagan’s legislation, which would go into effect 60 days after becoming law, would subject violators to a civil penalty of up to $500 per violation.

After it passed, Flanagan said,  “Now that the Senate has passed the bill, I look forward to working with Assemblyman Rivera and Assemblyman Carl Heastie, who have been working with my office on this issue, to finally protect families and get this substance off our streets.”