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Potent natural herbs that produce hallucinations similar to recreational drugs are gaining popularity among young party-goers on both sides of the border.
But because plants such as Mexican salvia divinorum and peyote are not classified as drugs, the penalty for bringing them into Hong Kong is minimal. Demand is growing because salvia divinorum, sold at 150 yuan (HK$175) per gram, is about half the price of ketamine and is perceived as 'safe'.
Some shops in Hong Kong sell the plants openly. In October, police raided a flower shop in Mong Kok and seized 34 pots of Mexican peyote and took away two operators for questioning. Police acted because the shop openly claimed the plants were 'equivalent to ketamine'. 
With no laws directly banning the plants, the police are still consulting the judiciary on how to handle the case.
Legislator James To Kun-sun  said it was impossible for the government to list all plants with a psychedelic effect as there were too many. But if a trend emerged of these plants being abused, the Legislative Council could pass legislation in a matter of months listing them as dangerous drugs.
Mainland websites are exploiting loopholes in the law and openly touting for business. 
One even encourages people to set up their own 'happy farms' at home, and sells the plants, seeds and equipment to do so. 
Vendors of the two plants claim that unlike chemical drugs, such as ketamine or Ice, they have no long-term harmful effects. But researchers have found that regular consumption of salvia divinorum can cause depression and feelings of d?j? vu. Mexican peyote contains mescaline - a substance that can cause delusions.
The abuse of psychoactive herbs is popular in Europe and America but relatively new to Asia. Its growing popularity in the region is fuelled by legal ambiguities and the authorities' lack of knowledge.
While many jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and the mainland, ban the use of psychoactive plants such as opium, cannabis and marijuana, new ones like salvia divinorum and Mexican peyote are relatively unknown to law enforcement officers in Hong Kong and are not regulated here or on the mainland.
'Salvia divinorum and lophophora williamsii  [Mexican peyote] are not listed as dangerous drugs under the Dangerous Drug Ordinance, but we will monitor closely local and international drug trends and take appropriate measures whenever it's necessary,' said a spokeswoman for the narcotics division in Hong Kong.
Only a few kinds of salvia and peyote produce hallucinations. The native ones are harmless and traditional to Chinese medicine and gardening - a fact that may give cover to smugglers of psychotropic varieties.
Mexican salvia divinorum produces strong dissociative effects and hallucinatory visions. It is also known as Diviner's Sage or Salvia D.
The operator of the mainland website said South China had the ideal climate for growing them. 'With plenty of sunshine, you can harvest your plant after four or five months. It's convenient, safe and cheap. You don't even need fertiliser.'
The site has been operating for two years, with most clients from the mainland and Taiwan, although it also targets Hong Kong customers, the operator said. 'Our packages are well camouflaged and we don't have any problems with customs.'
The website also sells cannabis plants such as Purple Haze and White Widow. The operator said they accepted payment by credit card, PayPal or direct deposit at specific mainland bank accounts. 'If you are from Hong Kong, you can hire someone and plant it in Shenzhen ... or you can buy the stuff directly, if you don't want to wait six months.'
In an article posted online, a mainland user of salvia divinorum said: 'I felt I was like a cartoon and was being pushed around by others ... It gives you an out-of-body experience and a sense of travelling through time and space. You feel like you are merging with nearby objects.' He said the effect was not as strong as chemical drugs and lasted just a few minutes. 
Mexican peyote is listed as an endangered species in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.  
A spokeswoman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department in Hong Kong said the plants needed an import licence and a valid certificate issued by an authority from the place of origin. A Shenzhen customs official who refused to be named said he had never heard of either Salvia D or Mexican peyote. He also said the most likely punishment for smuggling unlicensed plants was confiscation. 
'Any seeds, plants, animals without a proper import licence would be confiscated,' he said.
Yu Zhong, a defence lawyer based in Shanghai who specialises in narcotic crimes, said the plants were new to China and not regulated by the law. 'I have been working on drug cases for many years, but I haven't heard about these herbs before. It's very new ... While it's illegal to produce hallucinogenic or psychoactive drugs without a permit in China, there is no rule or regulation banning the use of such herbs, or planting them. They're easy to use, easy to plant and the fact that there are no rules banning or regulating them will make them a big hit.'




Growth in new party drugs that evade law