As state legislators in Massachusetts move toward a scheduled July 31 adjournment, sponsors of a bill that would outlaw the hallucinogenic herb salvia are hopeful that the measure will receive a floor vote before the session's end, the Boston Globe reported July 22.

Public health and judiciary committees of the legislature have recommended passage of the bill. Earlier this year, legislators in a hearing were shown YouTube videos depicting young users of salvia who appeared to be unable to communicate effectively or perform routine tasks.

A dozen states since 2005 have either outlawed or regulated the herb, which is from the sage family and has traditionally been used for spiritual purposes among members of the Mazatec Indian tribe in Mexico. Massachusetts is one of about a dozen more states currently considering imposing limits on salvia.

"Everyone that has seen this has been surprised," State Rep. and bill co-sponsor Vinny DeMacedo said of some of the evidence that has been presented. "It's a totally uncontrolled substance that has pretty profound impacts."

A 2005 study by the University of California San Francisco listed salvia as the second most common legal substance marketed on websites devoted to legal highs, behind ephedra. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) considers salvia a "drug of concern" and is working with federal regulators on the question of whether it should be classified as a controlled substance.