The recent footage of Miley Cyrus' epic bong rip has the mainstream media dredging up various doofi to tut-tut her actions. You can find those clips if inclined all over the web. According to various head shop owners, a lot of people are suddenly looking into Salvia divinorum as a possible recreational drug. As a public service announcement, I want to point out that Salvia, while currently legal and frequently fun, is no joke. It should only be done with an experienced trip sitter under safe and relaxed conditions. Various YouTube videos of morons screwing with people who are under the influence of Salvia make me cringe, because they are messing up a potentially transcendent moment for the taker, and possibly causing the person some significant trauma.
Here are the warnings inside one commercially-available brand sold in a lot of head shops.
Warning: Salvia Divinorum is a very, very powerful plant. Research the history of Salvia divinorum online before burning. Please burn responsibly!
Common sense guidelines
- • Always have someone there with you when burning.
- • Never burn in a public place.
- • Never burn on a balcony.
- • Never burn near dangerous objects such as glass, knives, guns, etc.
- • Do not burn when drinking alcohol.
- • Do not burn with any other substances.
- • Turn off your phone.
- • Lie down and relax.
Those are all good rules. I'd also recommend putting on a playlist of songs that make you relax and have personal significance for you. Make sure any pets are calm and not making noise. Find a place where sudden noises will be at a minimum (traffic, honking horns, other people's music, yelling or screaming). Ask your trip sitter to keep everything quiet and relaxed the first time you try it, then you can move on to experimenting. I have supported Erowid over the years as a member, and I encourage you to read their excellent salvia divinorum vault. Have a nice trip! (image: Andrea James for Boing Boing)
