The herbs are available to clerics as well, so it's just as easy for them to resanc in combat as for a melee... And yes, the biggest detractor from playing melees was relying on vials for sanctuary. I like the staff the way it is, even though I mostly play communers anyway.
Warriors do not have the same access as mages to sanctuary. What exactly happened to drow battlemages? The iron/mithril vulns (amongst others) were probably put in place to restrict some of the best races from various pieces of equipment, this is just one case.
Difficulty to dispel is mostly based on mental saves, I'm not even sure the level of the spell has anything to do with it.
I do not think that a warrior should have the same access as a Mage to santuary.
And the Santuary staff is a Joke. Level 50 santuary... come on, that is hard to dispel. There is a reason Vials are L15, so they drop when you land Dispel.
Even other Santuary staves are bellow Level 15 spells.
And the Herbs... they dont even need to flee to smoke them. What would your (general player) Berserker think if my cleric did not need to flee to commune Santuary when you punch-drop it.
From your crusade against the forms of sanctuary over the last several months I'd take it you play almost exclusively classes that can cast it - probably clerics. I'd wager you don't play melee's a lot. As such, its sounds pretty self serving that you want it removed so you're chosen classes have an easier time.
Since you seem so apt to quote history let me clue you in: There use to be more sanc vials and they were easier to get. There were also pills you could BUY so as a melee you didn't run out. Ever. Lvl 45 or 47 sanc if I remember correctly. You didn't need to kill anything, you just got the gold (which was easier to get back them too) and went to the shop.
With these removed melee's had a VERY hard time. Low lvl sanc is harder to keep up and we all know sanc is a necessity in combat. With herbs and the staff melee's again have some decent sources of sanc. Its still not as easy as it was - not by a long shot. Herbs have disadvantages no matter how you setup your character. The staff takes up a rare slot.
Not fleeing to smoke herbs - well, that assumes you aren't blind and you aren't lagged. Just one or two rounds unsanc'd and it will turn the battle if you're against a good player. If you're not able to take advantage of a dispel then its YOUR fault for not being quite the superior player you need to be. I have stood waiting on dispel before as a melee (so I can get sanc up as they spam, and lo and behold it works) but it comes at the price of using skills in combat - which is a pretty hefty price to pay.
Its not where near as easy as you think as a melee vs those who can cast sanc. Just because there are ways of getting on an even footing doens't make to wrong - it makes it even. You still have to go out of your way to gather sanc sources.
L-A
As for sanc'ing during combat... very easy to do without herbs. Take those vials to someone who can make them tastier. I'm not sure if I can say how to do this here, but if I get the green light you will know.
I know, you can eat in combat without much of a lag (less than a round, I believe). What I'm not sure is if you can eat pills in combat the same way you can eat ducks/apples/beef/etc. I would check this out, but I'm out the door in a short second.
Good luck. And if Melee's shouldn't have "easy access" to sanc, then why the hell should they have to worry about eq more than a mage? If a mage can kill anyone with **** gear and have a bonus to getting, keeping, and dispelling sanc... well. Well, yeah. I won't start slinging any words that might come across as insults. It just isn't too bright of an idea.
a-g
Without in-battle consummables a certain psi path would be even more powerful than it is now. Though I believe you have a point in saying that the consummables probably shouldn't exist or should be weakened due to other cases. I'm starting to see that melees are growing too powerful compared to mages, though that could just be me. But a fight against a certain psi path is almost entirely dependant upon in-battle consumables once they get the drop on you which just angers me because it seems like the only difference between life and death is a leaf. Doesn't seem like theirs not much else to it and I still stand for rebalancing them, ninjas, and maybe monks. But what do I know, I suck at pk 
AG, consider yourself green-lighted.
Quick note; silver, iron, and mithril may be on their way to becoming a bit more of a 'real' vuln...
Santuary. Newbie players might find dificult to get a reliable Santuary form.
I just wanted them to be able to use the Ank, so more newbies played this great RP class.
Honestly... How many people grab that thing? Is it even rare?! I can remember carrying them in my backpack as Tarandil.... Hrmmm...?
Oh yeah and just to make sure we are talking about the same thing... Tainted valley right?
Belive it or not, the Santuary Staff was putted in play after people said that their biggest detractor from playing meeles was wasting hours getting consumables like the vials.
I do not think that a warrior should have the same access as a Mage to santuary.
That is what happens to Drow BMG's.
Granted Drows have almost no eq restriction compared to elves, but still...
And the Santuary staff is a Joke. Level 50 santuary... come on, that is hard to dispel. There is a reason Vials are L15, so they drop when you land Dispel.
Even other Santuary staves are bellow Level 15 spells.
And the Herbs... they dont even need to flee to smoke them. What would your (general player) Berserker think if my cleric did not need to flee to commune Santuary when you punch-drop it.
This is going to come as a shock Mya -
BUT YOU CAN ALSO USE THE LEAVES AND PILLS!!!!!
I know, I know. Its shocking... Its almost... Scary but you too... Can just pop a pill and put up sanc... Hell you can even smoke some leaves.
AND THE CRAZIEST THING IS YOU CAN BE A CLERIC WHILE DOING IT TO!
Oh and btw.... Any player worth their salt in PK can just use a staff/wand/other stave/vial IN COMBAT as soon as they get dispelled...
Hell I did it all the time.. Just ask Brendyn and if you're dual weilding then you just need to think ahead and prepare for that.
What I think would fix this would be if there existed an easy way for people to resanc in combat.
WC
What I think would fix this would be if there existed an easy way for people to resanc in combat.
WC
? Pills? Leaves?
how is...
dispell
smoke bla
not easy?
or...
Dispell
eat pill
or the way I do it...
Shea
wear glim
use staff
which btw fits very easily in between a round of combat.
I don't think you caught the joke Aulian. 
Dey
you can either smoke leaves in combat anytime with leaves in your inventory being the only requirement. only real way to fail is if you're blinded and cant see the leaves, or are lagged.
or you can convert your vials with Lanthar (sp) in Miruvhor for money. only way eating the pill in combat fails is if you're blinded or are on a full stomach already, or are lagged.
or you can convert your vials with Lanthar (sp) in Miruvhor for money.
Into pills? You're kidding me, right?
Why didn't I know about this?
Dey
I don't think you caught the joke Aulian.
Dey
Meh I got it now. Damnit... Sarcasim is not that easy to pick up over a forum lol
Into pills? You're kidding me, right?
Why didn't I know about this?
Dey
Honestly dude... You build yourself up and my respect for you grows and grows and then you pull a nub one..
Go master meditation of blades newb.
? Pills? Leaves?
how is...
dispell
smoke bla
not easy?
or...
Dispell
eat pill
or the way I do it...
Shea
wear glim
use staff
which btw fits very easily in between a round of combat.
At least Deykari isn't starting to make posts that are nearly as incomprehensible as Mya's.
Don't judge him, he's a druid that's been smoking alot of leaves and poppin alot of pills....