Tucson Massacre: Jared Loughner Was Known To Smoke Salvia

By Dennis Romero Thu., Jan. 13 2011 at 8:59 AM

Jared Loughner and Miley Cyrus have something in common.

While some speculated whether his onetime daily weed smoking could have had an affect on his psyche, a childhood friend of Tucson massacre suspect Jared Loughner said this week the 22-year-old was also known to use the legal, cannabis-like drug Salvia.

That substance was made famous by Miley Cyrus last month when she was captured on video taking a hit of what she said was Salvia from a bong. Know for its intense, quickly fading high (and, some say, headache-like effects), some states have moved to outlaw it.

Here's what Loughner's high school friend, Zach Osler, told ABC News:

"He would say he would be using it (Salvia) and talk about what it would do to him, and I would say, 'Dude, that's, that's screwed up.'"

Meanwhile the debate over the effects of Loughner's past pot use raged. It's a hot topic in L.A., the medical marijuana capital of the nation.

In 2007 Loughner was arrested on suspicion of drug and paraphernalia possession after an officer smelled marijuana in a car he was riding in.

Molecular biologist and co-discoverer of DNA James Watson told the website bigthink that it's possible daily bud use could throw someone off their rocker - but it's rare:

"It's clear that if you're pre-disposed to schizophrenia, smoking marijuana will tip you over. But marijuana won't tip over someone into schizophrenia that is probably not predisposed to it. So, you know, most people smoke it and do not end up in mental hospitals. But some do."

Tags:

Gabrielle Giffords, Jared Loughner, marijuana, salvia, Tucson massacre

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P M

It is definitely not at all like pot its a totally different high and not a good one in my opinion I tried some wicked x and after the first hit I could feel the buzz coming on by the 3rd hit I was blasted it was like a chemical buzz with some paranoia and made me feel sick I couldn't wait for the effect to wear off, and this happened each of the 3 times i tried it. as with pot I don't want it to wear off. i felt like i smoked some angel dust or took some bad acid, and was literally chemically sick.Not to mention the headache after ward. If you suffer from migraines do not smoke this stuff it will probably give you a 2 or 3 day headache. Some people may like that kind of high but not for me I will stick to the real thing when I want to get high. God only knows what kind of chemical is sprayed on it, might as well just sniff the draino bottle. I can see some bad side affects ahead for regular users and even some short time users. Stick to pot no one ever overdosed or died from smoking pot but i think you might be able to on this stuff. Time will tell its not worth it.

salvia trip

The New York Times reports today that Jared Loughner, the shooter in the Tucson massacre, was known to smoke salvia divinorum, as well as marijuana, according to his friends. There are several points of interest here. First ...

Patrick Burch

"...was also known to use the legal, cannabis-like drug Salvia." I believe this is misinformation. Salvia is nowhere close to being like Cannabis. Salvia is a *very* powerful psychoactive "diterpene hallucinogen" and is considered to be the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen. It's not something you can kick back and watch a movie with like marijuana. It's considered more of a shamanic tool for inducing visions than it is a recreational drug. The only thing I can think of that's similar between Salvia and Cannabis is the fact they are both green and can be smoked.

Generic Cynical Commenter

This is one of the most easily debunk-able attempts to demonize a substance since capitalist cotton growers moved against marijuana. It's not a coincidence that this is gaining so much attention so soon after Miley's video. Political violence is caused by a polarization of values that try to force citizens into one camp or another over controversial issues like abortion in order to generate campaign momentum. A three minute trip to fuzzy colors and relaxation didn't lead to shooting up a meet and greet. Salva's harmless in comparison to polarizing rhetoric for platform profit.