Miley Cyrus, Salvia, and the Bong Video

Recently, TMZ uploaded a video of an 18-year old Miley Cyrus smoking Salvia out of a bong.  Salvia is a hallucinogenic herb that is currently legal in California.  Unsurprisingly, the video has created a bit of outrage, not only from parents who see Miley as an influence on their children, but also those who want to ban Salvia. Here is the video from TMZ: What Makes A Drug Illegal?

There has been a push to classify Salvia as a class I drug, the same as LSD or Marijuana. However, Salvia is a perfectly legal drug for those over the age of 18 in California. However, 15 states have banned the herb because of it’s effects on people. This was notably a focus of “Brett’s law” in which a 17 year old Delaware student committed suicide after carbon monoxide poisoning. His parents blamed the death on a salvia-induced depression. It has since been classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in Delaware.
The controlled substances are placed in certain schedules based on their potential for abuse.

Is Miley Wrong?
The video posted by TMZ was shot during a party at Miley’s L.A. area home 5 days after her 18th birthday. She was videotaped smoking Salvia from a bong. This alone is not illegal or wrong. However, the effects of Miley’s videos are already being felt. TMZ is again reporting that the sales of Salvia have tripled in some cases. People are not only asking for Salvia, but for “the stuff Miley was smoking.”

So is Miley Wrong? She didn’t do anything illegal, as far as we know (if she had gotten behind the wheel of a car in an altered state, then yes she would be guilty of a DUI), but she is probably not setting a good example. Should an herb that creates strong hallucinogenic effects be legal?