What the Hell is Kratom?
Kratom is a psychoactive drug that engenders a calming effect on the brain and body, much like an opiate. Unlike ibogaine, kratom doesn’t elicit mild hallucinations, but many people have used it as an alternative to pain pills and a means to kick opiate addiction, and even cocaine and meth. Those in this camp are understandably filled with pissitude that the government now plans to make kratom illegal.
The substance is scientifically known as mitragyna speciosa and is indigenous to southeast Asia. Users claim that kratom is far less addictive than prescription pain pills or opiates like Suboxone and OxyContin. Still, little evidence in the form of studies exists to prove whether or not kratom is less harmful than prescription medicines aimed at helping opiate addicts quit their addiction. But it’s not just the potential for the drug abuse that supposedly concerns the DEA.
In the agency’s report on the drug, they linked 15 deaths with kratom use between 2014 and 2016. However, these deaths couldn’t be proven to be caused by the drug, merely casually linked. According to clinical psychologist Marc Swogger of the University of Rochester Medical Center, there’s no evidence that shows kratom was solely responsible for the deaths—evidence suggests these fatalities resulted from combining kratom with other drugs. It’s important to add here that 78 Americans die from opiod overdose every single day, so if kratom can save more lives than it threatens, the death toll of 15 might not actually be that big of a deal.
What’s the Dealio DEA?
Just because kratom poses risks doesn’t necessarily mean it’s any more dangerous than other drugs on the market. Making it restricted as a Schedule I substance—meaning it has no medical value whatsoever—could preclude important research on how we might be able to use its psychoactive substances (mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine) for medicinal purposes, namely pain management and drug replacement therapy in treating addiction. Researchers agree.
“I think we need to take a step back and look at the therapeutic potential that kratom has with respect to it possibly serving as a replacement for more potent opioid medication as well as a way to manage pain,” said Grant Smith, Deputy Director of National Affairs with the Drug Policy Alliance in an interview for ATTN:. “There’s a lot of potential with kratom, but a lot of that potential could be snuffed out if this emergency scheduling goes through.”
Swogger believes that those who typically end up using kratom are either suffering from some kind of psychological pain or addiction to other substances. “Those are two groups that need options for improving their situations. Without those options, I’m not sure what they’re going to do,” he told the Washington Post. Will they begin to take heroin? Will they show up for treatment and get the appropriate treatment?”
All commonly prescribed drugs have inherent dangers. Simply taking an antidepressant comes with the warnings that you might commit suicide while on the drug. Not to mention the reality that anti-anxiety meds like Valium, Xanax and Ativan can all prove addictive and therefore become abused.
Yes, There are Many Roads to Recovery
So far, it appears through anecdote that the story of kratom is much like ibogaine, ayahuasca, Prozac and Ativan, even the nicotine patch—its efficacy, potential for abuse and side effects varies greatly from person to person. Allowing for idiosyncratic approaches to recovery seems to be something the medical community, addiction treatment industry and government aren’t too excited about. In the face of evidence that the legalization of drugs reduces harm and abuse potential, and the suggestion kratom help can ease people off dangerously hard drugs, I’m not sure why our government thinks banning the substance is doing addicts any favors.