Wonderland Treatment Center Leads the Fight Agai...( New Bill Would Make Sale or Distribut...),Health

New Bill Would Make Sale or Distribution of Drug to Minors a Misdemeanor in

California

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Howard C. Samuels PsyD, Executive Director and co-founder of Wonderland Treatment Center in Los Angeles, has won a major victory in his crusade against the hallucinogenic plant "Salvia Divinorum." On a 7-0 vote cast just yesterday, the California Assembly Committee on Public Safety passed Assembly Bill 259, introduced by Assemblyman Anthony Adams (R-Hesperia), which would make the sale or distribution of Salvia to any person under the age of 18 a misdemeanor in the State of California. Samuels had recently petitioned the Assemblyman on the cause, which found widespread support on behalf of state, county, and local law enforcement agencies among many others.

"Young people are dying from this drug," said Samuels. "Making a substance illegal may not always succeed in making it impossible to get, but it makes it much, much harder to get, especially for kids and teenagers. This is a vitally important first step for our kids and our community."

Salvia is a naturally grown, mint-like leaf which has been equated to providing users with experiences similar to that of the mind-altering drug LSD. Side effects include uncontrollable hysteria, an out of body experience, and a feeling of total confusion or near-madness.

Assembly Bill 259 will be heard next in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

*Wonderland Center is a multidimensional treatment center based in the Hollywood Hills, offering diverse and cutting edge programs tailored to each client's specific needs. Wonderland has specialized therapy programs for trauma, anger management, grief and loss, love addiction, gambling, codependency, eating disorders, and relapse prevention. The length of stay varies depending on the severity of addiction, the type of substance used, any secondary or co-occurring disorders, medical history an
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