The Texas House has approved a bill that would outlaw Salvia divinorum, a decorative plant with hallucinogenic qualities commonly known as Diviner's Sage.
The measure passed Tuesday would place the plant, its derivatives and extracts under Penalty Group 3 along with peyote, codeine and steroids. Possession of the drug would be punishable as a state jail felony.
The plant is native to Mexico, where people have used it for religious and medical reasons. Extracts are sold in some shops and over the Internet.
State Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson, the author of the bill, has introduced similar legislation in 2007 and 2009, but the measures failed. The bill faces a final procedural hurdle before moving to the Senate.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
