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THE SALVIA DIVINORUM OBSERVER

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Sunday, September 28, 2008 / volume 6 number 4

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The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center (SDRIC)

http://sagewisdom.org

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MISSISSIPPI IS THE LATEST STATE TO BAN SALVIA

On January 29, 2008, Senator Hob Bryan (D) introduced Senate Bill 2456 to the Mississippi State Legislature. This bill would make Salvia divinorum a Schedule I controlled substance in that state. The text only mentions Salvia divinorum; it does not mention salvinorin A. The Senate voted in favor of the bill on February 27, 2008 (ayes: 52, nays: 0). The House voted in favor of the bill on March 18, 2008 (ayes: 118, nays: 0). On April 15, 2008, Governor Haley Barbour (R) signed the bill into law. The new law went into effect July 1, 2008. Possession of Salvia divinorum is now a felony offense in the state of Mississippi.

CALIFORNIA BANS SALES OF SALVIA TO MINORS

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed the amended version of California Assembly Bill 259 into law on July 22, 2008. It goes into effect on January 1, 2009. The new law makes the sale or distribution of Salvia divinorum or salvinorin A, or any substance or material containing Salvia divinorum or salvinorin A, to any person under 18 years of age a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than 6 months, by a fine of no more than $1000, or both.

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