Update on the Kenneth Rau Salvia divinorum arrest

ND Justice: Guns and explosives are OK

A drunken Fargo man fired around 50 shots from a second-floor balcony and through the hallway walls in standoff that lasted more than six hours. The SWAT team saw the bullets rip through the walls, as the gunman tried to aim at the officers on the other side. One of the first patrol crouched for more than six hours behind a small pile of bricks, unable to move safely. The man also had C4 plastic explosives in his arsenal.

David Tofte, 27, a former Army Ranger, was sentenced Wednesday to four years of supervised probation and 218 days in jail, time he has already served.

[link]

Wow. I'm shocked.

What a waste of money for the court system indeed.

I suppose if you're aware it's illegal in your state (and there are 13 states in which salvia is illegal referenced here:is salvia legal) then you do have responsibility in the matter, but sheesh, this is quite ridiculous.

damn dude. salvia is cheap here. gotta do me some bud runnin to north dakota.

Injustice abounds. What a waste of money for the court system. They want to put a man not guilty of anything more then a trivial law put in place by clueless legislators in prison for 5 years. They want to ruin his life over nothing. Not only is that sad but its so scary.

This is a very nice site really well put together i like it. I also found this other site it has some great info as well [link]

I recently bought some salvia and tried it, because it's still legal in the state where I live (for the time being, anyway)... and I have to say that it is quite the mind bender. I remember watching my arm trail, then a bus appear and shatter into a million fragments. Do what you want, but I'll never try it again. Of course, there's no way anyone could function while on a salvia trip, so I don't think it should be illegal. I have about half of what I ordered left and don't intend on sampling it again.

I say give him the chair. Stupid hippy.

What!!!!!???? You can buy salvia in ANY plant store! What is going on in America?

dervishmadwhirler -- You are an idiot.

That is outrageous. How could anyone be so ignorant?
I feel bad for the buy ):

Reason number 429380 the rest of the world thinks we are retarded.

Tsss, they want to fill the prisons; the prison industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the US.
Dont forget, folks; America is a fascist dictatorship which HAS NEVER BEEN the land of the free. It was the home of the brave, until the white folks came and eradicated the holy tribes of Shamanic living Natives.
Now it is the home of the slaves, Land of the Corporations.
Welcome to the new-world-order which is in your face for real now!
Anyway, havent you guys heard all the prophesies that elaborate on the state of things to come? Guess you have eh?
It will get worse; and large scale psychedelic intuition confirms this notion.
LAW is slavery. Government is slavery.
Modern society is destroying the holy religion of the planet; Shamanism. Cant have all the 'expendable containers' know about the truth now, can we? What would become of the elite that thrives on our ignorance??

Je suis un des plus gros vendeur de salvia divinorum en France, je fais cela en toute légalité.

Je suis outré par cette loi américaine, comment quelqu'un peut-il aller en prison pour posséder cette plante !?

je défie l'Amérique de m'expliquer en quoi la loi a le droit d'interdir les plantes sacrées du monde ?

La loi va à l'encontre de notre nature.

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I am one of the largest salesman of salvia divinorum in France, I do that in all legality.

I am outraged by this American law, how somebody can go in prison for possess this plant!?

does I defy America to explain me in what the law have the permission to prohibit the crowned plants of the world?

Art-ethnobotanique administrator

Just wanted to add:

I hope things change after the political "old guard" has died off --thank you mortality! It may be foolish, but part of me likes to believe that, during my lifetime, younger generations (including mine) will fill the seats and offices vacated by intolerant narrow-minded cold war politicians who live consumed by dynamism, and finally usher in America's overdue transition, as a nation, from adolescence into adulthood.

Peace fellow freedom lovers.

This sort of zealous unjust persecution is startling evident of the fact that the U.S. is ultimately not the special place it is purported to be. I am ashamed at how the government of this country, which I was raised to love and admire, can be capable of such arbitrary aggression towards its own citizenry. This man may have his life legally shattered for frivolous reasons, perhaps because some ambitious reptilian prosecutor wants a feather in his/her political cap, or maybe because the letter of law supersedes any kind of fair human decency and consideration. Is this the America we are supposed to sing so proudly about, and soldier for? What is more disturbing: that the majority of the American public is unaware of, and could care less about, what is happening to this fellow? or that sleazy politicians, and ambitious adjudicators, who often turn out to be legitimate criminals themselves, are granted the ability to legally condemn an essentially harmless man --a supposedly free American adult!-- for experimenting with a divine gift?

welcome to the land of the free

I stand here ready to support this man ...for all the good i can do on my own....we need to stand together as a race...against these A Holes!
Freedom of spirit and mind is the one sacred gift of life...how dare people make it illegal to posess the very fruits of this sacred earth....

We need to complain and complain loudly to the idiot politicos in North Dakoda. I think this is current info:

The Senators are: Conrad, Kent- (D - ND) Class I
530 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2043
Web Form: conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm

Dorgan, Byron L.- (D - ND) Class III
322 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2551
E-mail: senator@dorgan.senate.gov

I hate to say it, but I bet the inquisition will do their best to make an example out of Ken. Especially since its going to be a precedent setting case. Its a real shame as he seems like a decent working American who now must fight for his freedom all because he was interested in ethnobotanicals. Filling prisons with good people who commit "victimless crimes" should be a crime.

Our ADDICTI0N in not an AFFLICTI0N!B-)

yea i mean wats next oregano being illegal because it looks like marijuana or nutmeg illgeal because someone smoked it and got a buzz whatever this is ridiculous. dont be stupid stay wise LEGALIZE!

"Hundreds of doses? in eight ounces of leaf?"

Sure, there are hundreds of doses in eight ounces of leaf. When smoked, 1/3 gram can be a pretty strong experience, so 8 ounces could be something over 600 doses. Of course, so much depends upon the person and the leaf...

Even if one were making a tincture (which isn't as effective), you could probably get close to 100 servings from eight ounces.

I thought salvia was legal, I saw it in a smoke shop but my friend told me not to smoke it because it makes you have a terrible acid trip and for 5 minutes then it goes away.

Hundreds of doses? in eight ounces of leaf? I guess if you just wanna make up whatever numbers you want, you can put anyone away for any amount of time you want. FIve years for 32 bucks worth of drugs is absurd.

ALso, if there was resin in the pipe, then it is illegal, which may have been the case.

You need to get Mexican on your DEA / whatevers asses. Fortunately there are good cops who know they are being used to fight things that are not actually a problem, things that are claimed to be a problem by - surprise! - the same people that don't want cops noticing all their actual crimes.

is there anyway we can show support for this man?

it seems ridiculous how they say "marijuana pipe" even though none was found, and its likely not what he was using it for.

Another victory for the drug war.We can't have people buying plants on E bay and getting away with it.I wonder what they'll ban next?I hear there's a plant in B.C. called knicknic.It's supposed to give a buzz if smoked.Better get the dea on it right away because it grows everywhere.We need a major spraying campaign before this takes off.

What a horrific level of stupidity. Truly saddening.