02/11/2009 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

        SB  52-SALVIA DIVINORUM AS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:51:19 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS announced consideration of SB 52.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
DAVE  STANCLIFF, Staff  to Senator  Therriault, read  the sponsor                                                               
statement  FOR  SB  52,  an Act  relating  to  scheduling  Salvia                                                               
Divinorum and  Salvinorin A as  controlled substances.  This bill                                                               
would place the natural plant  and the substance within the plant                                                               
on the  same schedule  in our  statutes that  contains mescaline,                                                               
LSD,  peyote  and  other similar  hallucinogenic  substances.  He                                                               
recommended that,  if any of the  members wish to learn  more "up                                                               
close and personal,"  there are over 1000 sites  on YouTube where                                                               
they  can actually  watch  persons under  the  influence of  this                                                               
particular  hallucinogenic  substance,   which  is  available  to                                                               
children through  the internet  or down the  street at  the local                                                               
smoke  shop. It  is legal  in Alaska,  which is  telling Alaska's                                                               
kids it's OK.  States and countries around the  globe are finding                                                               
that they need to control this substance because it is a danger.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:53:04 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS called for brief public testimony.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:53:17 PM                                                                                                                    
JACK DEGENSTEIN,  Anchorage, AK,  asked if the  committee intends                                                               
to move this bill today.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS answered  that she does not intend to  move the bill;                                                               
the committee is simply taking testimony at this time.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. DEGENSTEIN said he represents a  group of people who are part                                                               
of a community  that is involved with this plant.  He stated that                                                               
in the three years since this  bill first came up, they have seen                                                               
no problems related to its use,  which he feels proves that it is                                                               
not creating a  health or social crisis. Passing  this bill would                                                               
serve  only to  impose  upon citizens'  individual liberties;  so                                                               
while he  does support  regulation of the  drug, he  opposes this                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
BRETT PATTISON, representing himself,  also opposes this bill. He                                                               
said he has never taken  any illicit substances, not even tobacco                                                               
or alcohol. He had  a psychotic episode in 1998 at  the age of 17                                                               
and was  moved out-of-state  to a medical  facility where  he was                                                               
diagnosed   as  bi-polar.   While   there,   he  was   prescribed                                                               
medications like  Paxil and Depakote,  which caused  him terrible                                                               
headaches,  and  during one  episode  was  injected with  Haldol,                                                               
which caused  serious side-effects.  He has used  salvia numerous                                                               
times  during the  past five  years without  any lasting  affects                                                               
either mentally or  physically and it has not  impacted his daily                                                               
life  at  all.  He  sees   potential  for  the  drug  in  medical                                                               
applications  and  is in  favor  of  regulation while  conducting                                                               
further research into its use.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SCOTT KOHLHAAS,  State Chairman,  Alaska Libertarian  Party, said                                                               
he is  representing his party's  6600 registered voters  today on                                                               
in opposition to SB 52.  Libertarians believe in a strict respect                                                               
for civil liberties  and he thinks this bill  would violate those                                                               
civil  liberties,  not  only religious  liberties,  but  people's                                                               
right  to live  in  whatever  manner they  choose  and engage  in                                                               
whatever practices  they wish as  long as they are  peaceful. The                                                               
libertarians  also take  a principled  stand  on the  free-market                                                               
economy;  if this  is driven  underground, certainly  the pushers                                                               
will  make money  and  if it  is  prohibited, the  pharmaceutical                                                               
companies will make a ton of  dough as well. The libertarians are                                                               
opposed  to  prohibition;  they think  the  committee  should  be                                                               
taking items off  the scheduled substance list and  not adding to                                                               
it. He asked the committee to let this bill die.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS held SB 52 in committee.