Vancouver salvia sales soar post-Miley video

Miley smoking saliva

When Miley Cyrus smoked the hallucinogen salvia out of a bong, the 18-year-old pop princess probably didn't anticipate the chain of negative side effects the drug would cause.

In the wake of the viral YouTube video showing her taking a hit from the bong, Cyrus has become the inadvertent poster child for the drug and businesses are capitalizing on the publicity.

California-based website The Salvia Society advertises Cyrus as "Salvia's biggest fan" saying "Buy salvia divinorum extract! Same one Miley Cyrus got!" with a link to purchase the drug. The website also claims that salvia can cure drug addictions and AIDS.

In Vancouver, whether salvia can be sold and ingested is a legal grey area. While Health Canada has not approved the sale of the herb -- making it illegal to sell -- it has not been classified as a banned substance either.

According to the Criminal Code the drug is still legal in Canada, which means that police do not have jurisdiction to enforce Health Canada regulations against it.

Local businesses that sell the plant and its extract have mixed information on its legality.

Vancouver Seed Bank owner Rebecca Ambrose told ctvbc.ca that salvia is legal to sell as long as it's labelled as not for human consumption.

"Head shops probably sell smoke-able extract that is still pseudo-legal in Canada if you put a label on it saying it's for research purposes only," she said.

In Vancouver, salvia extract is readily available for purchase from head shops. Planet Rock sells the extract and told ctvbc.ca that sales have increased since the release of the Cyrus video.

"Since the video we've had more people coming in wanting to buy it," an employee said. "It's perfectly legal. We wouldn't sell it if it wasn't."

Urban Shaman specializes in selling "magical and sacred plants" and sells salvia extract online and in its downtown Vancouver store for $20-$40 a gram depending on its strength.

How dangerous is salvia?

The safety of the drug has come under scrutiny recently. Health Canada does not recommend the use of salvia or any products containing it.

"Very little is known about these substances and their potential effects on the brain and body and their impact on physical and mental functions," Health Canada spokesperson Stephanie Shank told ctvbc.ca.

Burnaby B.C. resident Cassie Walde also strongly cautions against the drug after she severely injured herself when she jumped out of a third storey window while high.

"I had a high. It was really intense -- really confusing -- and I woke up outside on the pavement three stories down screaming," she said.

But head shops in Vancouver say that salvia is safe if used properly.

"We always tell people not to smoke it anywhere outside. It has to be smoked indoors because it's a hallucinogen," an employee from Planet Rock said. "It's only dangerous if you don't know how to use it."

Ambrose said that salvia isn't more dangerous than alcohol and cautions against driving while on the drug.

"But it's one of those things where you wouldn't even want to drive while on salvia," she said.

This video from CollegeHumor Media called "Driving on Salvia" explains why.

Walde strongly disagrees with those who call the drug harmless and has the scars to prove it.

She shattered her jawbone, lost many of her teeth and has a scar on her neck where a breathing tube had to be inserted.

"I'm lucky to be alive," she said.