And the media item today most likely to both help generate interest in a drug previously not too popular and to also most likely speed up changes in its legal status is the front page article in Wednesday June 27th's San Francisco Chronicle about the Mexican "sacred weed" Salvia Divinorum with a bold heading about the LEGAL, INTENSE, HALLUCINOGEN that reportedly "when chewed or smoked causes intense hallucinations comparable to LSD or "magic mushrooms"" and "is available all over the Bay Area, mostly in smoke shops and herbal stores.

 It's also sold over the Internet. For $15 to $50 a hit users get high that sends them into a dreamlike state for anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or two. The article appears online under the heading "The Legal Hallucinogen" at sfgate. My guess is that it will all sound most appealing to those looking for a new high (except for the $50 a hit part !!!!) especially the fact it is still legal. Just like LSD was up until 40 years ago - up until the end of the Summer of Love.

The Chronicle article goes on to mention how many videos of folks gettin' twisted on this short but intense high drug are being posted on YouTube. This fact will no doubt send the curious (like myself) to search on YouTube where my quick SEARCH this morning on YouTube search under "Salvia divinorum"  netted a total of 173 video postings including "Her Salvia Divinorum Trip 20 X First Time" -  a homemade video of a girl getting wasted and being filmed by her male friend.

Grabbing up Billy on the quick, and taking you on the wayback machine: there was a place called Leopold where all folks came together for the MUSIC, and no one played any gang bullshit in them walls. Why not? Not totally sure. Could it happen today? Prolly not. Ten years change a world, ten years can erase a street.

The fun and the cameos from old school Leopold Records employees:

Point is, man they had a lot to say about life. Really pure. So, I wish I could embed Kiss Me and I'll Kiss You Back, cause that also had some wonderful staff in it, but whatcha gonna do. Anyway, a shout out to Daria who brought in Hammer when it was tapes in his trunk for comission, and even more so on the long term Yeh Yeah: bringing in the Digital Underground and help blowing them up as well.

Good times, friends. Good times. For those new to the Bay, the scene, whatever you want to call it? Coolest thing was, when Amoeba Berkeley opened up a few blocks from Leopold? It was all love, baby. No sense of competition or us vs. them. How rare is that?? Now, chunklets of us work at Amoeba (woot, wooooooot!) and maybe even own a piece. (Not me, baby!) Kisses to the joynts that do it all for the right reason, including a little shout out to a store in Austin Texas!