Having chewed sedative, goes off on a tangent (8)
I believe the answer is:
deviates
'off on a tangent' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'having chewed sedative' is the wordplay.
'sedative' anagrams to 'DEVIATES'.
But, I am not sure how this is indicated.
'goes' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for deviates that I've seen before include "Turns aside from usual course" , "Wanders off for sedative" , "Diverges from a standard" , "Departs from an established course" .)