HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House on Monday voted 197-3 to ban the sale of kratom to minors, after earlier legislative moves stripped from the bill safeguards for adults who use the substance taken from a tropical evergreen tree. Bill sponsor Rep. Tracy Pennycuick, a Montgomery County
Kratom is a relatively new drug to the US and Europe. It has been used for many years in Southeast Asia as an anti-diarrheal medicine, a painkiller and a recreational drug. Kratom is the popular name for a tree and the drug comes from its leaves. How much
Kratom was first scientifically described in the 19th century by the Dutch botanist Pieter Willem Korthals. Kratom, whose scientific name is Mitragyna speciosa, is a tree that is mainly found in South Asia, particularly Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. When Kratom reaches maturity, it has a maximum height of 25
A state House bill that was supposed to enhance consumer protections for kratom, an unregulated plant that has the properties of a stimulant when consumed at low levels and an opiate when consumed in high quantities, ended up looking very different when it came out
Anecdotal data suggests that different Kratom strains have distinct therapeutic benefits on human health. It may aid in stress relief and sleep improvement. Kratom pills can provide euphoria by increasing dopamine production. They are typically well accepted by the majority of people. Several Kratom merchants have
When the first kratom tea bars started popping up in the region about five years ago, Fort Myers couple Bryce Ivie and Claudya Aleman were working toward a healthier lifestyle and moving away from drinking alcohol. “A lot of people have been getting on the
With bills headed to their respective governors’ desks for approval, two states—Colorado and Missouri—are poised to become the seventh and eighth states to rein in and protect the largely unregulated market for kratom, a powerful botanical many drug addicts have turned to in their bid
