Salvia: A street legal, mind altering substance — a bad choice for AIrmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tong Duong
  • Thunderbolt staff writer
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Sold in baggies and readily available over the Internet and some local smoke shops, the usage or possession of Salvia, a psychoactive hallucinogenic plant, is restricted for Luke Air Force Base Airmen. 

Brig. Gen. Kurt Neubauer, 56th Fighter Wing commander, recently signed into effect an official wing policy on Salvia and similar spices. 

"All military members permanently or temporarily assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing are further ordered not to distribute, possess, or introduce Salvia, Salvinorin A, Spice, or Gold Spice onto this installation in any manner in any form," he said. 

According to the policy, failure to comply with this directive may result in one or more actions, including, without limitation: adverse administrative action; permanent decertification from Personal Reliability Program; revocation of security clearance; loss of rated status; disciplinary action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice; and/or discharge from the Air Force for drug abuse. This order applies to affected military members at all times and locations. 

While leadership has been aware of the substance Salvia and similar spices for more than a year, there has been no official Air Force policy, leaving each individual base to address the problem of Salvia in its own light, said Raymond Matthew, 56th Fighter Wing Drug Demand Reduction Program manager. 

The intoxification effects of Salvia and similar spices include a strong psychedelic effect lasting five to 15 minutes, closed and open eye visualizations, time distortion, social dissociation, altered thought patterns, altered behavior, dream or childlike state, and senses of fear or panic. 

Very little research has been done relative to the potential health threats for this substance. 

According to the policy, the ingredients in Spice and Gold Spice are a mixture of legal herbs with psychoactive effects, said to be similar to those of cannabis. Salvia's and Spice's effects directly contradict the nature of servicemembers and are inconsistent with various Defense Department and Air Force instructions. 

"The use of Salvia and Spice by a member of my command has the potential to adversely impact good order and discipline and endanger the physical and mental well-being of that individual as well as the well-being of other military members," General Neubauer said. "The use of Salvia and Spice can seriously undermine our mission and negatively impact our nation's security." 

One thing of note, primarily for military family members, Salvia appears to be targeted at younger groups, Mr. Matthews said. 

"It's coming in flavors like bubble gum, green apple, and grape," he said. "It's obvious those are not adult age flavors and it is targeted at adolescents with the caveat that it's something they can do that's legal. It is made in flavors that appeal to young folks and that is probably the most troubling aspect right now. I think that Salvia and similar spices have a potential to becoming a gateway drug." 

Having conducted a survey recently, Mr. Matthews has encountered at least 10 different locations within a 20-mile radius of Luke that sell the substance in plain view. 

While Salvia is currently not listed in the Federal Controlled Substance Act, several states have placed controls on Salvia and Salvinorin A. Some businesses and Internet sites have advertised these substances as a "legal" alternative to other plant hallucinogens, such as cannabis. This representation is misleading and does not reflect the 56th Fighter Wing's policy with respect to Salvia, Salvinorin A, Spice, and Gold Spice use, according to the general's policy letter.