Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton's office confirmed yesterday that action on salvia divinorum is planned for later this year, but no further details were available.
Otago National MP Jacqui Dean, who last year expressed concern about the drug's availability, said she was pleased some action was proposed, but was not hopeful it would be fast, given that it had taken the Government two and a-half years to move on BZP.
Yesterday, the Misuse of Drugs (Classification of BZP) Amendment Bill passed its third reading in Parliament by 109 votes to 11, with only the Green, Maori and Act parties opposed.
Pills containing BZP will have a C classification, the same as cannabis.
There would be an amnesty for people who had the pills for personal use, which would last six months.
Green MP Metiria Turei said providers were not being given time to comply with the law considering they had to reconfigure businesses and in some cases fire staff.
Mrs Dean said that, given Mr Anderton had already signalled a review of the Misuse of Drugs Act, she was surprised he was not considering the salvia in conjunction with that.
There were a whole range of drugs waiting to fill the gap left by BZP and there was a need to look at the bigger picture rather than deal with each drug as it reared its head.
Her concern about salvia was that people were self-medicating with it and combining it with other drugs including alcohol.
‘‘I don't think we understand the long-term effects of salvia divinorum.''
If it was a classed as a medicine, there would be tight controls around it, she said.
Various forms of salvia that are not hallucinogenic are well-known to the flower gardener and come in a variety of hues. Cuttings of salvia divinorum sell for about $45 each, but are not available through garden shops. In leaf form, it sells for $10-$16 for 10g.
A seller was unwilling to talk to the Otago Daily Times yesterday, saying the only things the Government did not want to ban were cigarettes and alcohol, which did far more damage than BZP or salvia divinorum.
He criticised the media's attitude to the issue, before terminating the conversation.
The plant, variously known as Mexican tripping weed, Sally-D, Magic Mint and Diviner's Sage, is causing controversy in the United States, where eight states have already placed restrictions on it and 16 others, including Florida, are considering a ban or have previously.
Australia is among the countries that exercise some control over the drug. Others include Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Spain and Sweden.
The drug's effects, which give users an out-of-body experience, are short lived, lasting only up to an hour.
No known deaths have been attributed to its use, but it was suspected as a factor in one Delaware teen's suicide two years ago. Some say legislators are over-reacting to a minor problem, although there seems to be consensus the plant impairs judgement and the ability to drive.
