The recent video of Disney star Miley Cyrus smoking what has been called salvia from a bong has posed the question of what exactly it is.
Many say that the effects of salvia are similar to what people experience when they smoke marijuana or take LSD. There are certain hallucinogenic properties that the drug has which produces the desired “high”.
The medical director of Willingway Hospital said that salvia is especially popular with minors who cannot legally smoke or drink alcohol; it is a legal alternative that produces a high without the risk of getting in trouble with authorities.
Although the drug is illegal in certain states, in many places throughout the U.S it is perfectly legal for minors to possess and smoke. Cyrus was caught smoking salvia in California; fortunately for her there is only a law against distributing the plant and not actually smoking it.
Cyrus will not be brought up on charges, but her father Billy Ray Cyrus has expressed his disappointment in his daughter’s behavior after viewing the video himself.
There is an estimated 1.8 million people across the country that are twelve years old and up that use salvia to get a high and over 700,000 did it last year alone.