What Is Kratom? Why Is It Being Used For Opiate Self-Detox?

Currently, traditional opioid treatments include a range of behavioral psychotherapies, medication-assisted treatment (MAT using methadone, buprenorphine, and the likes) and a range of specialty care facilities that serve patients in outpatient or residential settings. If you’re looking for an alternative to these traditional options, you’d be hard pressed to find much, at least in the U.S.

At the end of 2018, Thailand, like many other countries around the world, legalized medical marijuana. But it’s the legalization of Kratom for medicinal purposes that has really got people talking.

While these organic compounds are not true opioids, human and animal studies have demonstrated their effectiveness in pain relief.

A survey of 6,150 Kratom users, found that 51% reportedly used it for pain, 14% for anxiety, and 9% for opiate withdrawal. According to the American Kratom Association (AKA), a pro-Kratom lobbyist group, five million people use kratom regularly.

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