For Hundreds of years the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico have used Salvia Divinorum, or as they call it, Ska Maria Pastora, for both it’s medicinal and mind expanding, psychoactive properties (Siebert 1). In 1962 two scientists by the names of Gordon Wasson and Albert Hofmann went to Oaxaca in search of the plant and introduced Salvia Divinorum to the western world. Since Salvia Divinorum reproduces mostly asexually there are not many genetic differences between most plants. Each set of plants with the same genetics is known as a strain. The strain they introduced came to be known as the Wasson and Hofmann strain and is one of the more popularly used in the western world (Ethnobotany 2). Despite Salvia Divinorum’s relative safety, low cost, and legality it has yet to become very popular and used widely enough as a recreational drug to cause any problems in the United States (Beifuss 5-6). Most people who do use Salvia Divinorum regularly use it either medicinally or......
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