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THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2007
ENVIRONMENT
Eco-friendly holiday gifts can help save energy this season
Students should think green this holiday season as they participate in a time of increased consumerism and energy consumption.
Brian Rock, associate professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, said that it was difficult to remember to be environmentally friendly during the season but that there were little ways to include it in holiday festivities. Rock suggested using LEDs rather than incandescent holiday lights, regifting and using other materials, such as magazines, in place of wrapping paper.
Megan Vaniman, Kensal, N.D., senior, said she and her friends tried to do a one-person gift exchange, where they drew a name from a hat and only gave a gift to that person.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FULL STORY PAGE 3A
GUNMAN KILLS EIGHT IN OMAHA
Nebraska man opened fire in shopping mall Wednesday
weather
FULL AP STORY PAGE 7A
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Wintry mix to rain
41 26 PM Showers
index
41 26 Licht Rain/frezing Ra
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© 2007 The University Daily Kansan
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VOLUME 118 ISSUE 76
WWW.KANSAN.COM
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HIGH TIMES
LEGALLY TRIPPING
Some say salvia is a medicinal herb, yet seven states have outlawed it
BY MATT LINDBERG
mlindberg@kansan.com
Aurora Barker was looking for a quick high when her friend placed the olive-green dried leaves in the bottom of her funnel-shaped bong. She wasn't prepared for the ensuing high, which was unlike any other constant sweating, forgetting how to turn a doorknob and even forgetting how to speak English.
Barker, Overland Park freshman, thought
Barker, Overland Park she was smoking hashish, the top leaves of marijuana, which is illegal. But she was smoking salvia, a psychedelic herb that produces an intense but short high and is legal in most states, including Kansas.
Salvia is sold by at least one Lawrence store and has
CAMERON CARRUTHERS KU graduate
"It's like 10 hits of acid. You lose sense of reality, don't know where you are and forget everything. It's bad."
become the experimental drug of choice among some KU students looking for a new high. The herb has potential medical uses, including easing pain during medical operations, but students have used salvia for its quick-hitting hallucinogenic side effects, which include uncontrollable laughter, an inability to perform simple, everyday actions and continuous sweating. As a result, eight states, including Missouri, have made the herb illegal. Despite its ability to impair users, Lawrence Police can't prevent its use because salvia is legal in Kansas.
Topeka resident Cameron Carruthers, who graduated from the University in May 2006, said he had smoked salvia twice. The first time was at the Schwagstock music festival in southern Missouri, and the other was in his apartment. Carruthers, who was with his younger brother and a friend at the time, said he smoked the dried leaves of salvia in his two-foot bong. He had purchased one of the strongest types of the herb, and he said its side effects were a unique experience.
"It just hit instantly, I began profusely sweating, and I began rolling on the
ground." Carruthers said. "After five minutes, I began feeling really drained. It was a weird and intense feeling."
Prisinzano, an associate professor of medicinal chemistry who has been studying salvia for several years, said the herb could be best described as a hallucinogenic drug. He said it was not similar to marijuana. Unlike marijuana, the side effects of salvia typically last no longer than 15 minutes. Prisinzano said that although
definite side effects have not been documented, users report laughter and a sensation of motion — the sense of being pulled back by forces. He said the high could be a good or a bad experience.
"It's a mixed bag from what I've been told by people," Prisinzano said. "Some people say it's great, and they enjoy it, while others will say it was the worst experience in their entire lives." Carruthers said his experience was too insane to be
Carruthers said his experience was too insane to be fun.
SEE SALVIA ON PAGE 4A
CAMPUS
COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
Bailey Hall has rich historical significance
In the basement of New Chemistry Hall. 102 years ago Friday, two KU chemistry professors discovered helium in natural gas. Edgar Henry Summerfield Bailey, former professor of chemistry, helped oversee the historic discovery.
In 1938, Chemistry Hall was renamed Bailey Hall in honor of the popular teacher. Through the years, the hall has been home to many academic departments, including the School of Education.
Helium was discovered in the basement of New Chemistry Hall, shown here under construction in 1899. The building was later renamed Bailey Hall, in honor of a noted KU chemistry professor.
In 2000, it was designated a National Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society, and in 2001, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In the coming years, more than a million dollars' worth of repairs are planned to modernize the hall.
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