Last September, the state Department of Health added Kratom to the list of Schedule 1 narcotics, making it a crime to possess or sell. The ban went into effect Feb. 1. Several other states, including Alabama, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Vermont and Indiana, have banned Kratom as
At the federal level, kratom is uncontrolled. It is also on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of drugs for concern. In Indonesia, one of the countries where it is cultivated, processed, used prolifically by locals, and eventually exported around the world––it has been illegal to
In the state of Alabama, Senate Bill 226, which was created due to the dangerous effects involving the use of kratom, was signed by Bentley on May 10 and took effect immediately upon his signature. The law makes the sale and/or possession of kratom or any
The FDA makes vague disclosures about their lack of available resources to determine the level of safety with the plant Mitragyna speciosa (kratom). But it seems that some individual states are opting for a tougher guilty-until-proven-innocent approach. The most recent legislation came on May 5.
Kratom comes from a tropical tree in the coffee family, Mitragyna speciosa, which is indigenous to Southeast Asia. Low doses of it have cocaine-like stimulatory effects and are used to overcome fatigue. Higher doses have opium-like sedative effects used in traditional medicines as a substitute
People in Southeast Asia have used kratom for centuries as a natural remedy to boost energy, relieve stress and treat addiction. In the United States, kratom is increasingly being used as a pain reliever – a “safer” option than opioid pain medication. An increasing number of
This man, a convicted drug addict was recently apprehended after he robbed a local store of 760 fresh Kratom leaves, among other items. He was stopped because he fit the description of another crime involving the theft of $5,000, cigarettes and other products at knife point
