Five days after her 18th birthday, superstar Miley Cyrus was caught on video taking a hit from a bong. But she says she was smoking salvia and not marijuana.
That's a hallucinogenic drug made from a plant in the mint family and it's legal in many states, including California where the video was taken of Cyrus.
The video, reported by TMZ, shows her giggling.
I'm working on a story about salvia (stay tuned for that) because some Johns Hopkins scientists are trying to understand how the unique drug works in hopes that eventually it can be used as a non-addictive pain killer, or used to treat addiction or brain diseases.
They say in the lab it appears not to be harmful to humans, but they are not recommending its use. it can get you into trouble.
Users say it's kind of an anti-marijuana and won't get you high. It can make you lose touch with reality for up to 20 minutes and become deeply introspective. It's been used by Mexican shaman for centuries for spiritual healing.
One Hopkins scientist said the Cyrus' response looked more like salvia than cannabis to him, from the effects, reactions and expectations of onlookers to the manner of smoking ("instigation to take one very large hit and experiencing effects rather than more casual ongoing smoking typical of cannabis.")
Any users out there want to weigh in on salvia's effects?
Reuters photo