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.
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