Slow Panic? The Regulation of Salvia Divinorum in Canada, 1991-2019
Jeff Yaremko, Kevin Walby
Deviant Behavior January 12, 2023 DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2022.2158144 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative content analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | News media accounts of salvia use in Canada |
| Duration | 1991–2019 |
| Topics | Salvia divinorum |
| Keywords | Law |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | The regulation of salvia in Canada followed a slow moral panic, with claims about its harm persisting for years before the substance was made illegal. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Smoking a potent concentration of salvia divinorum (hereafter salvia) has the capacity to dissolve one’s ego and sense of self. Due to the catatonic state a strong dose of salvia produces, the substance has been considered alarming by claims-makers including politicians, media officials, police, and citizen groups. This paper examines news media accounts of salvia use in Canada and salvia’s regulation by the Canadian federal government. Providing a qualitative content analysis of newspaper articles spanning 1991–2019 regarding claims made about salvia, we draw from literature on moral panics and drugs to conceptualize the police and political response to salvia in Canada. We trace the shifting claims made by an array of claims-makers, showing how the focus changed from curiosity to claims about risk. The banning of salvia in Canada displays the hallmarks of a moral panic, though in this case the claims-making about the harm and risk of salvia went on for years before the substance was made illegal. We apply the notions of slow panic and panic policy to salvia regulation in Canada and reflect on the implications for literatures regarding drug panics and the new psychedelic renaissance.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on salvia divinorum, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnopharmacology of ska María Pastora (Salvia divinorum, Epling and Játiva-M.). Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico | 1983 | Ethnographic and pharmacological review | |
| Legally tripping: a qualitative profile of Salvia divinorum use among young adults. Young adults who use Salvia divinorum | 2011 | Ethnographic study | |
| Regulating a novel drug: an evaluation of changes in use of Salvia divinorum in the first year of Florida's ban. Young adults in Florida and law enforcement personnel from the state's most populated... | 2012 | Mixed methods: three self-report surveys and qualitative interviews | |
| Novel use patterns of Salvia divinorum: unobtrusive observation using YouTube™. YouTube videos depicting Salvia divinorum use | 2011 | Qualitative and quantitative analysis of online videos | |
| Subjective effects of Salvia divinorum. Salvia users | 2007 | Qualitative study | n = 10 |
Citations in the library
Cites 14
- Hallucinogens of Plant Origin Science January 17, 1969
- College student use of Salvia divinorum. Drug and Alcohol Dependence April 1, 2008
- From local to global-fifty years of research on Salvia divinorum. Journal of Ethnopharmacology February 3, 2014
- moral panics and disproportionality: the case of LSD use in the sixties Deviant Behavior July 1, 2008
- Legally high? Legal considerations of Salvia divinorum. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs June 1, 2008
and 9 more in the library