Join Daniel Pinchbeck, bestselling author of 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl and Breaking Open the Head, on a 4 - part journey of discovery and illumination, exploring a deeply controversial and myst

Join Daniel Pinchbeck, bestselling author of 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl and Breaking Open the Head, on a 4 - part journey of discovery and illumination, exploring a deeply controversial and myst

In the last eight days, the decriminalization of drug possession has gone into effect for 150 million Latin Americans. Last Thursday, as part of a broader bill, Mexico (pop.

A bill that decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use in Mexico is now the law of the land, although it will not go into effect for one year to give states time to ad

The Tarheel State is about to become the latest to ban salvia divinorum, the potent but fast-acting hallucinogen that has become increasingly popular among young drug experimenters in recent years.

Bismarck, North Dakota, resident Kenneth Rau, the first person arrested in the US on salvia divino

An Ohio law criminalizing the possession of salvia divinorum went into effect Tuesday, but that didn't stop an over-eager Butler County sheriff's deputy from arresting a man for it Monday or Butler

South Dakota has become the latest state to ban salvia divinorum, the hallucinogenic plant used for centuries by Mexican shamans whose recreational use has become noticeable in the US in recent yea

Save Our Shrooms ( www.saveourshrooms.org) website launched!

This week international non-profit organization "Save Our Shrooms" has opened it's gates to relegalize the Magic Mushroom in the Netherlands, which were banned last december.

The organization is a spin-off of the Dutch Smartshop Organization ( www.VLOS.nl). They will not rest until the VLOS wins the courtcase against the state, through higher appeals. That will happen sooner or later; it started in the Dutch court and will not stop untill it reaches the European Court. The mission to protect the Dutch psychedelic liberty is widely respected over the globe. They count on you too!

How do they reach their goal?

1) Raising money to help the VLOS in their legal battle to fight the recent ban on shrooms. In fact, all donations will be send to the VLOS directly (no matter if you pay via Paypal, Bank and/or Cheque). A lawyer is very expensive. In contradiction to the VLOS, the government has unlimited funds.

2) Broadcasting the latest news and backgrounds on Magic Mushrooms and the legal battle. Important documents (such as courtcases and news articles) have been translated from Dutch to English by specialized agencies, and research will be funded. This way they can present you with a deep insight of the battle.

3) Getting people involved through social networking and remixing ideas on the website, to broaden horizons and strengthening our power.

How can you help?

1) Make the network grow by forwarding the mission via email and other ways you can think of.

2) Volunteer; though brain- and/or muscle power.
...discuss with eachother and us, and read all about the options on the website.

Saveourshrooms.org will save the Dutch Magic Mushrooms. Get informed, get involved!

After more than five years of examination, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has yet to find that salvia divinorum is dangerous or addictive enough to merit placement as a scheduled drug un

The 2010 South Dakota medical marijuana bill, HB 1127, died a newborn as a House committee voted to table it

Please join us for this exciting forum! Complete schedule here: http://www.neu.edu/ssdp/ibogaine/.

A jury in Lincoln, Nebraska, found a local man not guilty of selling salvia divinorum Monday.

MEDIA ADVISORY: January 27, 2009
Contact: Naomi Long (202) 669-6071

Maryland Legislature to Consider Criminalizing Salvia Divinorum

Both Senate and House to Hold Hearings on Bills to Outlaw the Currently Legal, Psychoactive Plant

What: Hearings for bills to criminalize salvia - House Bill 8 and Senate Bill 9

When: Tuesday, January 27, 1 p.m.

Where: HB 8 – House Judiciary Committee room 101; SB 9 – Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee room, Ste. 2E

Maryland state legislators are seeking to make salvia divinorum a Schedule I drug which would make the substance illegal and out of the realm of research. Opponents say the bill will have the consequence of making it easier for minors to obtain salvia by putting an outright ban on the drug and driving it underground rather than seeking to bring the sale and use of the drug under state regulation and control. Schedule I designations are reserved for substances with the highest potential for abuse and the lowest medicinal value.

“We are very concerned about youth drug use, including the use of Salvia, but by outlawing and prohibiting it legislators will make the problem even worse,” said Naomi Long, Director, of the Drug Policy Alliance, D.C. and Maryland Project. “We can curb youth access to Salvia by enacting age controls and placement restrictions similar to our strategies to reduce teenage smoking. We didn’t have to criminalize tobacco or create prison sentences to achieve success. Criminalizing drugs makes it easier for young people to obtain them because the underground market doesn’t check an ID to see if someone’s an adult.”

Neither the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) nor Congress have taken any action on Salvia Divinorum. Studies have shown that Salvia has no known potential for abuse and may be a candidate for treating addiction, eating disorders, and even HIV infections.

The bills, House Bill 8 and Senate Bill 9 are scheduled for hearings in the Judiciary Committee room 101 and Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee room Suite 2E on January 27 at 1 p.m.

The bills to criminalize salvia, a psychoactive herb, have been introduced by Delegates Addie Eckardt (R) Jeannie Haddaway(R) and Senator Richard Colburn (R).

The Drug Policy Alliance opposes both bills.

Salvia divinorum will become a Schedule I controlled substance in Ohio 90 days from Wednesday. That's the day Gov.

With 2008 now rapidly receding in the rear-view mirror, it's time to reflect on the year that was in drug policy.

Both the Ohio House and Senate voted this week for a bill, HB 215, which will, among other things, make salvi

Jacob Sullum pokes numerous holes in the drug czar’s recent claims of dramatic drug war progress. This in particular jumped out at me:

…if Walters wants to take credit for every drop in drug use that occurs on his watch, he'll have to take the blame for the enormous increases in past-month LSD use among high school seniors and  past-month methamphetamine use among sophomores, both of which nearly doubled between 2007 and 2008 (hitting a whopping 1.1 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively).

Be careful out there, kids! Thanks to the total failure of the war on drugs, you are up to your asses in acid and meth, but seriously, do not mix them. It will suck. You’ll get arrested (and probably tasered, too).

See, contrary to the drug czar’s wild accusations, those of us who want to end the drug war have no interest in seeing young people make poor choices. And the fact that America’s high schools are overflowing with acid and speed ought to help illustrate why closing the black market is actually a perfectly rational approach to keeping powerful drugs away from our kids.

As of Monday, it is no longer legal to sell or cultivate hallucinogenic mushrooms in the Netherlands.

Monday was the first day to file bills for the next session of the Texas legislature, and by day's end, two different bills addressing salvia divinorum had been filed.