I was very pleased to read this article
http://trailblazersblog....lawmaker-blocks-sal.html , in which the recent bill to ban Salvia divinorum has been shot down by an intelligent person who seems to understand religious freedom, personal freedom, and personal responsibility.
from the article,
Quote: Simpson said his reasons were parliamentary and religious: He didn't think the bill belonged on local and consent and he didn't want to see the state ban a plant he said was created by God and that is used in some Indian religions.
"Our country was built on religious freedom," he said, adding that he didn't want to one day see his own religion undermined because it uses "symbols of the body and blood of Christ."
What Texas really needs when it comes to the use of salvia, he said, is for parents to take responsibility for their children.
It is good to see at least some Texans actually understand the freedom the American freedoms, which they claim to support.... while others in the past have touted freedom, and then foam at the mouth to send people to prison for years at a time for using certain herbs, many of which are spiritual or religious in nature. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all. Unfortunately, the bill is not dead permanently, it just got re-introduced in another form.... and was approved by an insultingly large margin of 142-2. But, at least this one person gives some hope. I am most hopeful that this person who killed the bill doesn't even seem to be an entheogen user. He is a Christian who actually understands that people of other religions or religious practices want and deserve the same rights that Christians, and do not deserve to be persecuted for their practice.
And hopefully, people will understand the same logic applies to other entheogens, including our most sacred ones, should they try to ban our spiced plants. The Brazilian plants are even more well known for their place in religions and spirituality.