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Treatment Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, 150 South Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
b
School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
c
Alkermes, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Received 26 October 2006; received in revised form 23 July 2007; accepted 24 July 2007
Abstract
This study determined the degree to which Salvia divinorum, a potent hallucinogenic drug that is legal in most U.S. jurisdictions, is being
proffered for sale over the Internet and how it is being characterized on popular Web sites. Search results revealed that between one half and
two thirds (58%) of the Web sites either offered to sell S. divinorum or linked to other Web sites offering to sell the drug and that more than
three quarters (78%) of the Web sites advocated for its use. Many of the statements issued on the Web sites were erroneous or falsely
interpreted the absence of scientific data on the possible side effects of S. divinorum as evidence that no side effect exists. The portrayal and
availability of S. divinorum on the Internet are similar to those of other illicit and prescription drugs of abuse. However, much less is known
about the short- and long-term effects of this novel drug. Consequently, there is little basis to contradict the many Web sites that encourage its
use. Implications for drug policy, prevention, and treatment are discussed. 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Keywords: Internet; Salvia divinorum; Web sites; S. divinorum
1. Introduction
1.1. Salvia divinorum
Salvia divinorum is a naturally occurring psychoactive
member of the Labiatae, or mint, family. Its pharmacological
mechanism of action has yet to be fully understood, and the
long-term effects of using this drug have not been well
studied or described. The main psychoactive component of
S. divinorum has been identified as the neoclerodane
diterpene salvinorin A (Bigham, Munro, Rizzacasa, &
Robins-Browne, 2003; Giroud et al., 2004; Valdes, 1994).
This novel compound is a potent and highly selective agonist
of the -opioid receptor, making it the first naturally
occurring nonnitrogenous opioid receptor subtype-selective
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 202 686 2210x378; fax: +1 202 686
0094.
E-mail address: vhoover@washingtonccr.org (V. Hoover).
0740-5472/08/$ see front matter 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc.
doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2007.07.011
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3. Results
3.1. Web sites offering to sell S. divinorum
Table 1 reports the percentage of retail, portal, and total
commercial (combined retail and portal) S. divinorum Web
sites for the searches conducted from June 2005 through
May 2006. Overall, between one half and two thirds (58%)
of the Web sites were in business at least in part to promote
the distribution of this drug. Across all five searches, the
average percentage of retail Web sites was 18%, ranging
from 5% to 30% of the sites returned. The average
percentage of portal Web sites was 40%, ranging from
20% to 60%. The average percentage of total commercial
Web sites was 58%, ranging from 50% to 75%.
June
2005
October
2005
November
2005
February
2006
May
2006
Retail
Portal
Total commercial
Other
30
20
50
50
5
60
65
35
30
45
75
25
10
40
50
50
15
35
50
50
18
40
58
42
Pro-use %
Anti-use/Treatment
information
Other
June
2005
October
2005
November
2005
February
2006
May
2006
75
5
85
0
90
0
70
5
70
0
78
2
20
15
10
25
30
20
Table 3
Comparison between Google and Yahoo! on the proportion of Web sites
offering to sell S. divinorum or advocating for or against its use
Google
Search category
25
Search category
Yahoo!
%
15
35
50
50
7
7
14
6
35
35
70
30
70
0
30
16
0
4
80
0
20
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4.3. Summary
S. divinorum is widely available on the Internet and
generally portrayed in a positive light. Although epidemiological data on the prevalence of S. divinorum are lacking,
the drug's availability and portrayal over the Internet, current
legal status in most U.S. jurisdictions, and lack of scientific
information regarding potential toxicity and side effects are a
cause for concern and require additional research. Efforts are
needed to provide regular online monitoring of drug sales as
well as scientifically accurate and responsible information to
consumers of the Internet.
Acknowledgments
Support for this research was provided by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse through Grant No. R21-DA019908. The views expressed are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institute
on Drug Abuse.
The authors gratefully thank Christen McDonald and
Ovgu Kaynak for their assistance in coding the Web sites.
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