To see a video on what students think of legal herbs, click here.
Students are often looking for ways to relax and unwind after a hard day of class and studying. Some students drink, but many are not of legal age. Others chose to do drugs, but there’s always a chance of getting caught.But a recent trend among college students decreases the chances of legal complications.A new craze among students looking for a way to relax or get a buzz is smoking legal herbs. Many of the herbs produce the same effects as marijuana, but since they are legal, students can participate without any worries.  Lane Link, manager of The Ra Shop on Highland Road, said the most common misconception about legal herbs is not including tobacco in this group of substances. “A lot of people don’t understand that tobacco is actually an herb,” he said.  And he said though many people don’t realize it, tobacco is the most popular legal herb the store sells. The Ra Shop carries more than 100 different types of legal herbs that can be used for smoking, getting a buzz or as incense.   “People will try to smoke anything,” he said. “It’s just in human nature to try to fire breathe.” Link said the most popular non-tobacco legal herb is Wizard Smoke, a bag of herbs that resembles marijuana. “[It] is what it is,” he said. “It is actually grown to be smoked … and it will give you a buzz.”Link said The Ra Shop sells legal herbs to anyone over the age of 18, and many different types of people come in to buy them. “You have students … just getting into it, to folks that are just curious, to older people that have been smoking it for years,” he said. Some people come to The Ra Shop and try a different herb each time, but Link said many people find one they like and stick to it. “There are certain people that come in and get the same herb every time because it’s just the one they really enjoy imbibing,” he said.But just because these herbs are legal doesn’t mean they can’t possibly cause side effects.Brandi Ducote, advanced social work intern at the University Student Health Center, said these legal herbs can have harmful effects on users’ bodies.  “Herbs other than marijuana, legal or illegal, also have health consequences,” she said. “Research suggests that smoking any substance raises the risk of lung infections … smoking anything can impair this part of the body’s ability to defend itself, thus weakening the immune system.” Ducote said students experimenting with any type of drug, whether legal or not, must understand the personal responsibility that comes along with it. “Potential health consequences exist for any substance that enters the body … [and] it is important for users to acquire information on such health consequences from credible sources prior to using these substances,” she said. “No individual’s herb-induced experience is identical to another’s experience. Thus, it is important for users to know their bodies and do their homework before experimenting with herbs.”The Ra Shop also carries herbs like henna for tattoos and hops to make home-made beer.”The herbs we sell aren’t just to get high on … although some do give you a buzz if you imbibe them.” Although the herbs that give users a buzz may be legal to smoke, there can be legal consequences when the user goes into public under the influence. “Some of them do have the same rules as alcohol,” he said. “If you get high on one of them and you go out in public and act a fool, you will get the same charges you would with alcohol.” Link also said users pulled over while driving under the influence of any of the mind-altering legal herbs can be charged with a DUI, just like they would for driving under the influence of marijuana or any other controlled substance.  Link said he isn’t sure why certain herbs that give users a buzz similar to marijuana are legal, but marijuana itself is not. “There are certain powers that be in our country that help govern how we are expected to live our lives, and they’re the ones that make the rules,” he said. “Why they make the choices they make, I don’t know.” Jon Ellis, University alumnus, smokes legal herbs regularly to help unwind at the end of a busy day. Ellis smokes Spice Gold and Spice Diamond, two legal herbs that give users a buzz as marijuana would.”I used to smoke marijuana and I liked it, but I got a job working offshore that includes random drug tests, so I had to stop,” he said. “Legal herbs are the closest thing to it, and they can’t drug test me for it.”  Ellis said that although he prefers smoking marijuana, legal herbs are a good substitute for students worried about the consequences of smoking marijuana or for people who have to take drug tests for work. Kayla Lynch, biology freshman, said she has never smoked any type of herbs before, but she would be willing to try them. “I’ve never tried it before, but I probably would since it’s legal,” she said. – – – -Contact Victoria Toups at [email protected]