WHO foregoes recommending ‘critical review’ of kratom

An expert committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended kratom not be subject to a “critical review,” potentially allaying fears that the botanical will be controlled internationally as a drug.

Following a pre-review of kratom and its constituents during an October meeting in Geneva, WHO’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) concluded there is inadequate evidence to recommend a critical review of kratom. With the exception of one member, the expert committee also reached the same conclusion about two constituents in kratom, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

The ECDD, an independent group of experts in the field of drugs and medicine, recommended kratom, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine be kept under surveillance by the WHO Secretariat.

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