It's now legal in the US. There's a certain chemical compound found in wormwood (an ingredient in absinthe) that's known to be toxic. So long as the levels of that compound are below a certain limit, the stuff can be sold here. I've seen 'Lucid' all over the place, and I know there are a few others. Chances are jkorp will chime in here sooner or later with a better answer, he's done his homework on this stuff.
How did I mis this thread!
Looks like it's all been said already....
Yes, Thujone is the compound that will cause "some" mind altering effects, but at levels that would be toxic anyway. Reports of fairies and hallucinations are more likely form chronic alcohol abuse and poisoning and not Thujone.
Analysis of "Pre-Ban" Absinthe shows that Thujone levels were
lower than the current FDA reg allow for. So this means that authenic Absinthe is legal in the US.
I think it's more accurate to state that it's not all of a sudden legal now it always was, just the understanding and interpretation of the regs has changed. Now, you can't and won't be able to get Thujone Bombs(absinthe made to have higher levels of wormwood that traditional), but you can get good quality, real Absinthe in the US.
Thujone, in absinthe, comes from Grand Wormwood. A US bastard version of Absinthe called "Absinte" has been available for a long time. This product didn't not have Grand Wormwood in the mix, but some other wormwood variety.
You need to make a louche with Absinthe. DO NOT drink shots of it. DO NOT light sugar cubes on fire and drop them in a glass of Absinthe. IMO, you will only really enjoy, and I mean enjoy not a search to see the green fairy, by making a proper louche.
Get yourself a stemmed 6oz glass or buy an Absinthe glass. Pour 1oz of Absinthe in the glass. Put your Absinthe spoon of the glass and place a sugar cube on it.
Slowly drip ice cold water over the sugar cube. You will see the Absinthe start to get cloudy, and you will really smell the Absinthe start to open up. The amount of water is personal preference, but I shoot for about a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio. What you can do is add water until the edge of the louche isn't clear anymore, but milky like the rest of the louche. Give the louche a gentle stir to mix in the sugar a little more and enjoy.
A very good Absinthe to start with is Kubler 53. It is a Swiss Blanc Absinthe, meaning it's clear because of not going through a final coloring step. It is the least expensive US Absinthe offering right now but is most tastey.
Hope that helps.