Dangerous new drug creeps into state

By Mary Joseph, NEWS 9

A weed inducing a quick and dangerous high has caught the attention of teenagers and lawmakers in Oklahoma.

The drug is commonly known as Salvia-D and can be easily purchased online.
Salvia-D isn't a new drug; it's been around for ages. Recently, the weed has crept from the southern states of Mexico through Texas, and into Oklahoma.

"It has been showing up online and advertised as legal Cannabis or legal Ecstasy," Mark Woodward of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said.

With a simple keystroke, Salvia-D is readily available to anyone.

Not only is the drug for sale, but there are numerous videos posted online of teens using Salvia-D.

"These kids become incapacitated," Woodward said. "They are unable to speak to people who are talking to them to see if they are okay."

OBN has seen some reports of the drug surfacing in Oklahoma, and with the help of lawmakers, agents want to put a stop to the use of Salvia-D.

"Seems to be the focus group," Rep. David Derby (R-Owasso) said. "They are targeting 14, 15, 16-year-olds with this stuff."

There is a bill at the capitol that would classify Salvia-D as a drug similar to LSD or Heroin. The classification would make it easier to rid Oklahoma of a substance that could leave a user temporarily vulnerable.

OBN said there is a state law that makes Salvia-D illegal if it has been altered or enhanced, but the new bill would clear up any grey area in the law.

One of the authors of the bill hopes to add an emergency clause, which, if the bill were passed, would put the law into effect as early as July.