Labels

Some labels come easy, some come a little harder. For example, I struggled with what to call this post because everything that sorted through my mind seemed either inappropriate or a bad conglomeration like our trip to the German buffet on Sunday. Truth be told, this post is about Marijuana and Salvia, the old and the new, the legal and illegal, and how a class discussion about omega 3 fatty acids earned me a label by accident - one that you hope not to get during your time in grad school - as the pot kid.

So I'm taking this nutrition class and as we reach the end of the quarter and all the main topics have been discussed, we've had the opportunity to talk to the boom in omega enhanced food products which even extends to the pet industry. As we ran down a list of sources of omega 3 fatty acids, I was shocked to see salvia pop up on the list. For those of you who've forgotten about salvia's "recent" publicity appearance, I've included the link.

Coming from Michigan, I'm pretty sure there's not a drug or substance that goes undiscussed, so I was pretty familiar with this one to the point that I knew people who wouldn't touch this stuff no matter what, even though it's legal, because it supposedly really messes you up like a bad trip. Of course, not all herbs are bad for you, but this is one really potent herbal supplement with some polar opposite effects on the body.

Of course, I raised my hand without stopping to consider the social consequences and asked the professor if that was the stuff that you could get high off of, "like pot"? His response to a shocked and silent class, "Well, it wasn't around in the 60's". He then went on a diversion into a guy named Jim Stafford, recommending we need to watch his song "Wildwood Weed". So I Googled it and include the embed here for you. Based on the clip, I'm pretty sure there was one person in class who appreciated the reality of my comment.