The use of salvinorin A presents some extreme dangers which are not encountered on other psychedelics. After smoking salvinorin A, some users will stand up and begin walking or moving around, running into objects that are in their path. People in this state typically move in an agitated manner and seem to be struggling with the experience. Apparently they have no recognition of their surroundings when this is taking place. This response has been noted in only a few people, about 5% of the first 50 subjects.

A more common occurrence is for one who has just smoked salvinorin A to not recognize that they are heavily inebriated, and begin to walk around In these instances the user is able to perceive his or her surroundings, and moves around without bumping into objects. Several people in this situation have wanted to leave the premises where they were conducting their journey, desiring to either drive or walk to another location, and needed to be dissuaded from doing so. Often people who walk around during the journey do not recall doing so once the effects wear off. The presence of a sober person to act as sitter during the sessions has proven very important in dealing with situations such as those described above. Siebert has witnessed reactions of this type and stated:
 

"When the dose goes above 500 to 1000 mcg the effects can be very alarming. I have seen people get up and lunge around the room, falling over furniture, babbling incomprehensible nonsense and knocking their heads into walls. Several people have tried to wander out of the house. When the experience is over, they have no memory of any of this. In fact, they usually remember very different events. To an outside observer, people in this condition have a blank look in their eyes as if no one is present. It is also common for people to have a facial expression which is probably best described as being like that of a frightened animal."
 

The intensity of a salvinorin A journey is often experienced as being an order of magnitude more potent than smoked DMT, in much the same way that DMT seems an order of magnitude more potent than a typical LSD journey. A large percentage of salvinorin A users also report that the fear factor is much greater than with DMT, which is saying a lot. I feel that no person, no matter how experienced with other psychedelics or altered states of mind, can be prepared for the intensity of a full-strength salvinorin A journey. It is common for users to be shocked, amazed and frightened, at finding themselves in a state they could not possibly conceive of being induced by any psychedelic substance. Certainly the most cautious way for one to approach this substance is to work with the whole plant material before attempting to use its active principal.