The Drug in Your Garden

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http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5031896

Volunteer TV

June 16, 2006

Gatlinburg, Sevier County (WVLT) - A popular flower that produces a very powerful drug will soon be banned in the state of Tennessee.

The flower is "salvia", and many of you just might be growing it in your garden.

As Volunteer TV's Stephen McLamb explains, the soon-to-be law is blossoming a lot of controversy.

For years, Cupids Pedals in Gatlinburg has sold Salvia, a popular plant used in flower gardens.

"To add color and background and so forth and that's generally what we've always sold this plant for," Rick Joyce was surprised a couple months ago when he saw a national news story about the plant used a drug.

"We found it kind of humorous because we think about other flowers that could probably have the same effect as a hallucinogenic," Joyce says.

Tennessee has passed a bill making the drug illegal, but just how many people know about it?

"Most people haven't. I think the Wall Street Journal quoted me as saying we're closing the barn door before the cows get out and that's really what we're doing," says state Senator Tim Burchett.

While internet websites show the leaves can be smoked, Burchett says it's also available over the counter in health food stores and the internet.

"Twelve year old kids could walk in and buy it and that's a dangerous situation too with small children. If they, it sorta gets in their culture and I think it's time to stop it right now and that's what I did," Sen. Burchett says.

Here's the confusion, while the law makes it an offense to knowingly produce, or possess salvia with the intent to distribute. It does not apply to those who will use salvia for landscaping or decorative purposes.

And that's leaving some who sell the flower worried and concerned.

"We don't want to get tabbed as someone that's got it here for distribution and obviously if someone's going to buy it for that reason, how are we going to prevent that?" Joyce questions.

Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation say it's not a problem now, but have found a few cases of its use at one of their drug labs.

The law goes into effect July 1st.

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