Salvia is a plant that grows in Central and South America that produces a hallucinogenic trip when smoked or chewed. Coming primarily from southern Mexico, the herb is tied to the mint family. Used for ritual divination, the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico have been using salvia for years. Salvia is legal under federal law in both Mexico and the United States, but each state his its own laws concerning the drug. The DEA has listed the drug under a category of substances that pose risks to people that indulge in their brief but intense hallucinations. Other hallucinogenic drugs include LSD, peyote, ketamine, and DMT. The active ingredient found in the drug is salvinorin A, that when smoked, chewed, or drunk, alters the chemistry of the brain. Since the drug is relatively new to the market, scientists and researchers are still studying the effects salvia has on the brain. It is common that when people use the drug they lose touch with reality, see elaborate visions, and experience polarized moods and feelings of detachment. Much of the long-term issues are not known, but it has been reported that it causes memory loss. Neither is it clear if ingesting the herb is addictive. Once adequate research comes out about salvia, we will know if people who use it can become physically dependent. Until then there is no way to know for sure. The immediacy and short-lived trip would prove to be…