Salvia divinorum is illegal to plant in some states because people are afraid kids will smoke it. Of course, the kids who do smoke it are usually smoking 20x concentrated extracts of it, not the plant itself, and 20x extracts of any herb is so concentrated that it's likely to be dangerous.

There are a lot of other salvias that are not illegal at all. If you got your seeds from a gardener instead of from someone who was smoking salvia, yours is probably just fine.

And yes - kids are insane. And so are the people who ban plants. Don't tell your daughter, but some types of pine were smoked by Native Americans. White pine was smoked by some tribes by people who we having difficulty dealing with the loss of a loved one or who were feeling that they were being visited by ghosts. I'm sure someone somewhere thinks that since it's used psycho-actively occasionally that it should be banned.

You will probably be far more likely to attract the police by planting okra, hibiscus or lupines - all perfectly legal, but people with vivid (or wishful) imaginations sometimes think their leaves resemble another banned plant. Some people even think that tomato leaves look like those illegal plants.

Hopefully your local cops have more important things to do than to visit your flower garden and see if they can mis-identify some ornamental salvia that only distantly related to some other salvia. To be perfectly honest, if they are doing that, they'd probably be freaking out over mint, bee balm, cat nip, oregano and a bunch of other plants in the same broad plant family.

Lynda

Thanks Linda,. My local police dept is great. They don't get into things like that and pretty much do a great job and leave law abiding people along. It would be more likely my neighbors calling them to complain that I was growing something disturbing. I do appreciate your help. Vicci

There are tons of "illegal" or "toxic" or "poison" plants grown by gardeners everywhere. Among some I grow
Poppy (Breadseed), the base for opium
Castor Bean, the base for deadly ricin
Foxglove (digitalis, the heart medicine), a lifesaver when used as intended, deadly plant if consumed in large quantity.
Many houseplants are poisonous, too.
How many people would even recognize these plants? My neighbors have no idea except that I grow pretty flowers. I imagine it's much the same for police, so don't sweat it, grow what you like.

However, my neighbors do keep warning me that the cops are going to come and investigate what I'm growing under these fluorescent lights inside the house ;-)

Karen

Vicci, it's not likely you have Salvia divinorum in your seed trades, there's nothing really ornamentally appealing about it, it looks like danged weed and the leaves aren't even as interesting as culinary sage.

I don't think our local police would recognize it in a flower bed any more than you or I would and they wouldn't be looking for it any more than they discourage the annual poppies. Now if I planted a field of nothing else, maybe it would attract some attention.

Besides that, anyone growing it and harvesting seeds would probably be selling them, not offering in trade ;)

Salvia divinorum seeds aren't available, if you want it you have to buy rooted cuttings. It sound to me like your daughter has had an anti-drug lecture in school, which is great! She will learn about some very bad practices, like illegal plants, but she won't have info on their propagation, which is why she told you to be wary of illegal salvia--she doesn't know that seeds aren't available and that's because the anti-drug school counselor doesn't know it either. Now, more importantly, you're not a dummy so please don't ever refer to yourself in such negative terms. Not knowing something doesn't mean low intelligence, as a matter of fact, that you wanted to learn more about it means high intelligence.

You are all so sweet. Each day I learn more from all of you on this board. You bless me with your knowledge and wisdom and many have blessed me with seeds. I will have a beautiful yard and have all of you to thank. Vicci