A teenager from San Diego, California, ran through a window and plunged 60 feet after smoking salvia, a legal hallucinogenic plant, and survived, NBC San Diego reported Tuesday.
Sam Taylor, 19, said he wanted to experience something “otherworldly” when he decided to smoke salvia, a plant that is sold in many smoke shops, and is reportedly native to southern Mexico.
When the incident occurred, Taylor had a 15 percent chance of survival. He also had broken feet, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, broken wrist, and broken sternum. Now, thanks to over 60 pieces of hardware inside his body, he is able to get around.
Per the Nemours Children’s Health website, “As a drug, salvia usually comes as fresh green plant leaves or dried shredded green leaves. Salvia can also be a liquid extract. Traditionally, users chewed the fresh salvia leaves or drank the extract, but now people also smoke the dried leaves.”
The drug’s effects hit a person fast, but “usually disappear about 30 minutes to an hour later. Salvia’s effects on the mind can range from mild to intense. They may be frightening, depending on how strong a dose of the drug someone takes,” the site read.
Taylor said he remembers the room turning black and his friend’s face appeared to be melting in front of him. Those memories are all he can recall.
According to security footage recorded inside the Salt Lake City hotel where the incident happened, Taylor ran from a room while his “trip sitter” who had been watching him, followed.
They ran down a hallway and Taylor blasted through a window.
An image shows the moment before his fall, while another shows him in recovery:
San Diego teen high on salvia survives 60-foot fall https://t.co/6PYnr0oBwh pic.twitter.com/n7uoeDVAh3
— New York Post (@nypost) March 9, 2023
There has reportedly been a resurgence in salvia’s popularity, and emergency room psychologist, Dr. Willough Jenkins, sees such cases on a daily basis, noting salvia can be mistaken for a cannabis strain because it is legal and grows in California.
“It creates such intense dissociation, meaning losing touch with reality. This is not safe. Because it is not as regulated does not mean it is safe and the actual experience is incredibly unpleasant,” she explained.
Video footage from 2011 shows individuals reportedly tripping on salvia:
“The plant, which has been used for centuries by shamans in Mexico for spiritual healing, is the target of increased nationwide legal efforts to restrict its availability and use,” a Johns Hopkins Medicine study, published in 2010, said.
The study continued:
Though little is known about the compound’s effects in humans, some legislators have been spurred to action after watching one of thousands of online videos chronicling the uncontrolled behavior that sometimes follows its use. However, because animal studies show that salvia has unique effects in the brain, some scientists believe that the drug or a modified version of it may lead to medical advances in the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pain and drug addiction.
Meanwhile, Taylor revealed he had been doing psychedelics for quite a while, and “I’ve tripped over 100 times in my life. Salvia is my last trip ever.”
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