Oh Miley. Salvia in the News

Oh Miley, Miley. Hannah Montana is in the news again, but not for racy pictures. This time it's a video that was leaked with Miley Cyrus smoking something that looks suspiciously like marijuana. That could be a problem since marijuana is illegal but then she is a celebrity and that tends not to matter much, but wait! What is this? Miley says it's not marijuana but Salvia. Oh well, than that's ok.

So what is Salvia? Salvia divinorum is a plant native to Oaxaca Mexico and used by Mezatac Shamans to facilitate shamanic visions. Traditionally the fresh leaves are chewed or used in a tincture and produce effects that appear to be somewhat of a cross between LSD and marijuana though shorter lasting and more mild than either. Interestingly the Mezatac people view Salvia as the Virgin Mary incarnate and begin the ritual with an invocation to Mary, St Peter and the Holy Trinity.

Obviously Miley was not trying for shamanic visions and I'm pretty sure there was no invocation involved which brings us to use in the US. In the US Salvia is sold dried in packets and is typically smoked. It's legal in all 50 states and although the media has waged campaigns against the herb, emergency rooms and medical professionals have not reported cases that suggest any health concerns and police have not been reporting it as a factor in public order offenses.

I would hazard a guess and say that the reason there really hasn't been any problem with the herb is that the effects are very short lasting. The peak effect is within 1 minute of smoking with a high last 5 minutes, the subject's return to baseline occurs within 15-20 minutes. The two most commonly reported effects are "Increased insight" and "Improved Mood" which may also play a factor. When compared to something like LSD where effects last 8-12 hours that is a huge difference.

So back to Miley. Is the illegal potential the problem or the fact that she's a Disney star getting high the problem? If the former than Salvia saves the day, if the latter than I don't see Miley making the situation any better for herself. I suppose it's a matter of perspective. Why is alcohol legal and marijuana not? Both are impairing yet one is legal and the other is not. Should Salvia be illegal just because it seems to have mood altering effects? I'm not convinced.

Fowl Forensics

In honor of the holidays that have just passed us by too quickly, here is an eye witness account of a suspicious death copied for the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute.

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While conducting fully uniformed patrol on Thursday, November 25^th, 2010, I was dispatched to a priority call for a suspicious death. I immediately activated my emergency lights and siren and proceeded to 123 Gobbler Lane.  Upon arrival at the scene, I swiftly and tactically made entry into the residence. I conducted a protective sweep of the entire premises, ensuring that no immediate threats were present. 

When I entered the final room to clear, the kitchen, my suspicion was immediately piqued when I observed that the door to the oven was left cracked open and heat was radiating from within.  When I opened the oven door, I could see the remains of the deceased victim, later identified as Tom T. Turkey. After visually inspecting the remains, I immediately suspected fowl play.

With the residence now a homicide crime scene, I immediately secured the perimeter and called in our forensic unit.  Forensic practitioners then began to arrive on scene to search, document, and analyze any existing evidence. Detective Mayflower, Registered Investigator® was among the first to arrive.  He began a slow and methodical search for evidence, utilizing other personnel in a grid search method, combing the exterior of the house (curtilage) for physical evidence.

On the anterior portion of the property, a housing structure constructed with "chicken wire" was located. Upon careful examination of this structure, not only was blood spatter found to be present, but a possible murder weapon was also located. The weapon was a standard kitchen cleaver, Oneida brand, serial number 54783. The weapon had blood visible on it with what appeared to be a feather stuck to the blade. After this evidence was marked by triangulation and photographed, it was collected and sealed to be sent to the laboratory for processing. 

With the exterior search concluded, the investigative team began a thorough search of the interior of the residence.  Culminating in the kitchen, we began to process the scene.  Although the apparent cause of death was decapitation, the body was also burned and appeared to be basted with a substance consistent with butter. The Medical Examiner and Certified Forensic Physician®, Dr. Bob Butterball, then arrived on scene. Due to the exigent circumstances present, he decided to conduct an immediate autopsy of the victim on scene.

After opening the body, Dr. Butterball concluded that the cavity seemed to be filled with a substance consistent with Stove Top stuffing and lacked the vital organs. After collecting samples of the white tissue and dark tissue, Dr. Butterball packaged the remains as evidence and sent them to the laboratory for processing. When the toxicology results returned, there were copious amounts of tryptophan present, along with traces of cranberry and sage. 

With no witnesses to be found and the scene lacking any latent fingerprints, this case remains open. If you have any information about the events of November 25^th on Gobbler lane, please contact me at the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute.