Ohio (OH)

[Paradoxic]

Current Status: Bill passed (Jan 7, 2009)
Classification: Schedule I
Bill Reference: HB215
Contact State Representatives:
   - House of Representatives
   - Senate
External Links: Wikipedia | Erowid
Action Leader: JaigerMonster


Details
In May 2007 Representative Thom Collier (R) proposed House Bill 215 seeking to make Salvia divinorum a Schedule I drug in the state of Ohio. The bill passed and will go into effect April 1, 2009.

Take Action
Send letters to state representatives

• Modified version of Daniel Siebert's letter: View template or Download it in RTF format
• If you sent a letter to a representative in this state post it and it will be added here.

Attend public hearing
This is the most effective way to take action against a ban. If you know about an upcoming date for a hearing please post it and it will be added here. You can search the state web sites to look for public hearing dates.
*Please post any public hearing dates you know of

Suggested key points:

• Salvia is not a problem: No emergency room admittances, no drug counseling or addiction services admittances, no salvia related crime being reported by LEO, no superintendents speaking out against it. No deaths, and poison control rates it as a very low priority. Salvia has been around for a couple decades, or at least as long as the current meth plague--if salvia was going to be a widespread problem, it would have been by now.
• Medicinal and/or scientific potential
• Salvia is NOT a recreational substance and cannot be grouped with LSD, mushrooms, ecstasy, marijuana, etc. (ex: not addictive, short-acting, non-toxic, unappealing/unpleasant as a recreational substance)
• Religious use. History dating back thousands of years of indigenous use and decades of contemporary spiritual use. Without apparent harm or addictive tendencies.
• Arguments against rest almost exclusively on hearsay: unsubstantiated internet videos (search on alcohol and compare the number of videos), and the marketing claims of unscrupulous sellers.
• Suggest age restriction instead of an outright ban (give examples of this being done in Maine and California)

*Please suggest other tips/links

Public hearing tips:

• Good resource: http://www.ctkidslink.org/action_howtestify.html#anchor368848
• Do research in your own state. Go the your state DEA or Office of Substance Abuse website and dig around a bit. Find out how much it costs to arrest, prosecute, and jail per person for drugs crimes and include that figure in your arguments against a ban. The ME financial report associated with a ban indicated minimal fiscal impact, but using their own reported figures, it turns out that it costs near $60,000 for each successful drug crime prosecution.

*Please suggest other tips/links

Discourage irresponsible sale
Visit your local smoke shops or send them letters to encourage them not to sell Salvia divinorum to minors and include safety information about using Salvia divinorum. You can print out a User Guide (or part of it) to give to them.

Spread the word: Send this page to a friend


*Please post a reply if you have any additions or updates for this page.
*Please post about any action you are taking in this state.

[Arcygenical]

I might be able to fill this position. I'm Canadian though, and don't have any real jurisdiction here.

[Paradoxic]

I might be able to fill this position. I'm Canadian though, and don't have any real jurisdiction here.

If you have valuable information to add, I will definitely give you the position.

[JaigerMonster]

I would very happily fill this position. I have written a few letters and mailed them off already. I really think this is all very unfair and contradictory to what the US is supposed to stand for. They have absolutely no reason to ban salvia. This is just taking the freedom we are supposed to have, away. That makes me upset the most.

[Sea Mac]

I would very happily fill this position. I have written a few letters and mailed them off already. I really think this is all very unfair and contradictory to what the US is supposed to stand for. They have absolutely no reason to ban salvia. This is just taking the freedom we are supposed to have, away. That makes me upset the most.

Welcome to the Forum!

I totally Agree with you.

By writ of Law we declare the sun will not rise tomorrow. Yeah, the retards are trying to ban Nature with their "Laws".

[Paradoxic]

I would very happily fill this position. I have written a few letters and mailed them off already. I really think this is all very unfair and contradictory to what the US is supposed to stand for. They have absolutely no reason to ban salvia. This is just taking the freedom we are supposed to have, away. That makes me upset the most.

Ok, you've got the position. I appreciate it.

Please post some of the letters you have sent as templates. Also if you ever need email addresses of people living in OH for emailing people about public hearings, let me know.

[Yossaria]

Looks like the bill has passed in the state senate...

http://www.wtte28.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.oh/2f1956dc-www.wtte28.com.shtml

[Yossaria]

Ok.  So it has passed in the Senate, and now goes to the House...

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/12/17/copy/Leg17.ART_ART_12-17-08_A1_D6C8PTF.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

Time's running out...

[Paradoxic]

The House actually already passed it, its now going to House for concurrence, and I am not sure exactly what that means.

So now is our last chance, we need to send all the letters we can and keep a very keen eye out for a public hearing. Does anyone know where we might be able to find info on a public hearing?

[Yossaria]

Not sure about the public hearing, but I'm sending an e-mail letter to the governor.  I'll probably use a slightly modified version of the template letter.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/dec/17/formerly-legal-drug-now-illegal-in-ohio/?newswatch

[Arcygenical]

Ugh, I have absolutely no pull in this state. 

[Yossaria]

It's official - Salvia is now banned in Ohio...

http://www.thepost.ohiou.edu/Articles/News/2009/01/07/26649/

Hopefully this won't spur other states into proposing their own bills.

[spindrifter]

Hey...Ho...Way to go, Ohio!

[JustAnotherRegularGuy]

Damn  It's too bad that we couldn't get enough Ohio people to go against the bill. I know you did what you could Arcy.....maybe it is time to choose a school in Michigan?

JARG

[Marcion]

According to this article,
http://www.oxfordpress.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2009/03/25/ws032609salvia.html
using salvia in Ohio can cause "a loss of bowel control".   

I almost pooped when I read that.