A House bill would attempt to curb sales of drug paraphernalia.

The bill would require anyone buying a short glass vial often used to smoke crack to provide a name, address, signature and photo ID.

"You walk in these stores, and it kind of slaps you in the face," said Rep. Mark Hilton, a Catawba County Republican who sponsored the bill. "It's obvious what they're used for." 

So-called "glass roses" are often sold next to plastic tubes equipped with a blade for slicing open small cigars, which are then refilled with marijuana.

The bill would also require pipes of a certain length be kept behind the counter, which is already the custom in most stores. But Hilton hopes the register will be a deterrent and help probation officers. (N&O)

Here's another good title:

Harm Reduction Program Funds: Fund needle exchange programs.

Salvia divinorum is not banned outright in California.

Dome previously reported that the hallucinogenic herb is a Schedule I drug in that state.

Several readers pointed out that is incorrect. Although that was proposed in a 2007 bill, it was amended in the state legislature.

Since Jan. 1, it has been a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000 and no more than six months in jail, to sell Salvia to someone under the age of 18.

Dome regrets the error.

North Carolina's drug schedules generally mimic the federal rules.

However, there are some differences.

The federal government has five classifications, ranging from heroin and LSD in Schedule I to over-the-counter cough syrup in Schedule V. North Carolina has an additional class, Schedule VI, which includes marijuana and some prescription drugs.

The use and effects of the drug are supposed to determine which schedule it goes into.

At the federal level, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration determine which substances are in the different schedules.

In North Carolina, the make-up of each schedule is written into state law or determined by the Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, whose members are appointed.

Only a handful of drugs have been added administratively, however. (See Schedules I, II, III, IV, V and VI.) Most are listed in state law. (See Schedules I, II, III, IV, V and VI.)

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated cocaine's classification. It is a Schedule II drug.

Previously: Bill would add Salvia divinorum to Schedule I.

After the jump, a list of the schedules.

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At least 14 states have regulated Salvia.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 11 states have made Salvia divinorum a Schedule I drug, typically reserved for hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

They are: Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia.

In addition, Louisiana and Tennessee have banned the ingestion of salvia for hallucinogenic purposes, but still allow the plant to be grown. California has made it a misdemeanor to sell it to someone under 18.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration lists Salvia as a "drug of concern" and is conducting an analysis of its risks, but there are currently no federal laws restricting it.

Matthew Gever, an NCSL policy associate, said the state laws have been boosted by concerns over YouTube videos posted by teen-agers and college students showing them using the drug.

"It's been under the radar until the last few years," he said.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the California law.

Previously: N.C. bill would outlaw salvia 

An anti-drug group is in a bit of a bind over Salvia.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free N.C., a Winston-Salem-based group that works to reduce the effects of drug abuse, is concerned about the use of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum.

But spokeswoman Robin Lindner said they're also leery of publicizing the fact that the Mexican herb is sold legally over the Internet and at some state nurseries.

"People don't know too much about it, so they're not going to use it," she said. "The more we talk about it, the more they want to use it."

Lindner said the partnership does not think that salvia is widely used in North Carolina right now, but it hopes the state will enact some regulations on it before it becomes more popular.

"It's really difficult to track because there are no laws," she said.

Previously: Bill would outlaw salvia; professor says ban would hurt drug research; survey shows herb popular among some college students.

VACATION LOCATION: Less than a month into her term as governor, Gov. Beverly Perdue went on a weeklong vacation with her husband at an "undisclosed location" out of state. It's not all fun though. Instead of, say, a John Grisham page-turner, she's apparently reading state budget books on the beach. A Time to .. Cut Spending?

FILING FILL: The bills keep coming. Legislation introduced at the General Assembly this week would outlaw a hallucinogenic herb, make high schoolers take art, let the governor appoint the schools superintendent, deny bail to illegal immigrants, and end a subsidy for out-of-state athletes. More than 335 bills have been filed so far.

THROWING LONG: U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, a Democrat from Waynesville, did some pretty public trash talking about the stimulus bill, criticizing Democratic leaders for not getting more GOP buy-in. They hit back with criticism of his record on the Washington Redskins. But Shuler, who is mulling a run for Senate in 2010, may be thinking of other opponents.

IN OTHER NEWS: A Fayetteville Observer reporter joins the growing ranks of blogger-reporters. No bathrobes spotted in the press room at the legislature, yet. ... President Obama chatted about the Duke-Carolina game at a White House roundtable, but he studiously avoided taking sides. There's your bipartisanship. ... The legislature is considering a resolution to honor former lobbyist Roger Bone. It's one bill he wouldn't have had to lobby on.

Salvia has been tried by a significant number of college students.

According to a 2007 study published in the scientific journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 4.4 percent of 1,516 college students surveyed in the Southwest had used Salvia divinorum at least once in the previous year.

That was comparable to the number of students who reported using ecstasy (5 percent) and cocaine (7.1 percent), but more than heroin (less than 1 percent) and methamphetamine (1.2 percent). Nearly 35 percent reported using marijuana.

Those most likely to have tried it were students most at risk for drug use, including "whites, males, fraternity members, (and) heavy episodic drinkers," the study found. More than 10 percent of drug users surveyed had tried the herb.

The article also says that there have been no large-scale studies of the use of Salvia, which is also known as Magic Mint, Sally D and Diviners Sage.

It also notes that the herb is still legal in the state where the study took place.

The study did not address whether students used the herb or other drugs more than once in the previous year.

Previously: Bill would outlaw Salvia use; professor says ban would hurt research.

A medical researcher says banning Salvia would hinder research.

Bryan Roth, a professor of pharmacology at UNC-Chapel Hill, is studying Salvia divinorum and its chemical derivatives to see if they can be of use for anti-psychotic medication.

He said that the herb, traditionally used in indigenous religious ceremonies in Mexico, acts on a different receptor in the brain than other hallucinogens such as LSD. By studying how it works, he hopes to find ways to treat Alzheimer's disease, depression and schizophrenia.

"Outlawing it basically brings research to a halt," he said.

Roth runs a psychoactive drug screening program for the National Institute of Mental Health at UNC. He said he's aware of at least four drug patents from Salvia-derived chemical compounds that have already been submitted, including his own.

Based on his research and other studies, Roth said the herb's active ingredient, Salvinorin A, is not addictive and leads to a dream-like state. Although a few cases have been reported of people becoming violent while using it, he said its effects only last about 15 minutes and typically do not lead to aggression.

Roth said many regular users of hallucinogens have said they do not enjoy the herb's effects and typically use it only once.

"Most people don't like it," he said. "It's just too intense."

A bill would ban a hallucinogenic plant native to Mexico.

The legislation filed by Democratic Sen. Bill Purcell of Laurinburg today would add Salvia divinorum to the list of Schedule I drugs, the toughest standard in North Carolina.

Under state law, those drugs must have "a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use" or a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision. The list currently includes heroin, LSD and barbiturates, among other hard drugs.

At least six states, including Ohio and California, currently ban Salvia divinorum. Sometimes known as "Sally D" or as "diviner's sage," it is a psychedelic member of the mint family which has been used for centuries in Mexico for healing and divination.

The herb is cheap and does not show up in most drug tests.

Purcell is a retired pediatrician.

Update: Purcell said he became concerned after hearing about people using the herb who became violent or suicidal. He said it appears to be more commonly used in the western part of the state.

"Methamphetamine got out of control before we did anything about that," he said. "I'm hoping we can do something sooner this time."