"That's peer pressure," said my son.
No, that's journalism, or at least one school of it.
And it took me a couple of hours to figure out what to do.
Agreeing to write a news story about salvia was a no-brainer. It's news. It's my job to report news. The fact it was designated a Page One story didn't hurt either.
The dilemma came when colleagues suggested I try the legal, but potentially hallucinogenic, substance.
I tried a few stores I thought might carry it in some form, and was pretty relieved when I couldn't find any. Problem solved? Well, no. I could try a little harder, drive a little farther or order it off the Internet.
After all, columnists are supposed to do this kind of thing.
I've taken the controls of a small plane, shot the civilian equivalent of an M-16, ridden around with undercover police officers, accompanied the Air National Guard on a mid-air refueling exercise, walked through downtown Framingham alone at night, all in the name of getting a firsthand experience to share with readers.
Why draw the line at trying salvia?
It's not as if I haven't polluted my body with cigarettes for the better part of 50-plus years. It's not as if I'm completely unfamiliar with the concept of self-medicating.
My drug of choice is white wine. When it comes to pharmaceuticals, my beliefs are about three steps short of Christian Science.
I'll take antibiotics if a doctor is convinced I have an infection. If I have a bad cold, I'll take medicine to make myself less offensive to others.
I have no desire to treat problems with pills pushed on peppy TV ads that include potential side effects like bleeding from the ears, driving while asleep and tuberculosis. I have no desire to alter my consciousness with drugs I can't control.
I also didn't want to explain to my 13-year-old how this was something I can do because it's my job, but he can't because it's wrong.
Justin was on my mind a lot while I was deciding what to include in a news story on salvia.
Does writing about a drug, particularly one that's still relatively obscure, put something in a young mind that wouldn't have been there otherwise?
What about naming the Web sites that sell salvia? Is that just drawing a map for a kid, or is it a piece of information a parent could use?
Up until a few days ago, I would have assumed salviadragon.com was some sort of computer game site. If a parent sees that name on the list of recent visits, or purplestickysalvia.com, there might be reason for concern.
Should I mention there are videos of kids taking salvia "trips" on YouTube? Or have preteens figured that out already?
Many of the people I talked to for the story had similar qualms.
At Framingham State College, about half of the dozen students I interviewed had never heard of the stuff. A few others only learned of its existence when it became the subject of news stories because legislators are looking to outlaw it.
Would I just add to the problem?
"To some extent, it seems the media tends to portray salvia as this huge threat to our youth," said Daniel Siebert, who runs a Web site dedicated to the plant, but it's media attention that "creates a desire to seek it out."
As a somewhat responsible parent, that's exactly what I don't want to do. I don't want any kid surfing the Web and ordering some hopped-up version of a plant even Siebert said can produce "strange and weird" feelings.
"I don't think (reporters) have given it a fair look," he said. "It's something that produces a deep state of inward awareness."
Would trying it for myself and reporting on the effects constitute a fair look?
Probably not, said Siebert, because the effects vary widely depending on the individual's state of mind and the potency of the drug.
I could get "a tool for meditation," or, thanks to salvia sellers who up the chemical content, I could get the product with "a danger of (users) hurting themselves in a highly altered state."
Not something I want to do.
Not something I'd want a child to do.
"It's a matter of raising awareness," said Ashland Police Sgt. Greg Fawkes, and parents need to be aware of what's out there.
That's my job.
Trying a drug, even a legal one, is not.
Even when a peer tells me I'm wrong.
(Julia Spitz can be reached at 508-626-3968 or jspitz@cnc.com. Check metrowestdailynews.com or milforddailynews.com for the Spitz Bitz blog.)
