Introduction & Brief History of Kratom-
Kratom (mitragyna speciosa) is a tree indigenous to Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and New Guinea. Traditionally dried or fresh kratom leaves have been consumed by workers and citizens to combat fatigue, be more productive, during socio-religious ceremonies to achieve transcendence, and to treat various medical conditions like diarrhea, depression, pain, and even high blood sugar. Today, kratom is growing in popularity in the United States for many of the same reasons it has been consumed in Southeast Asia for centuries. (1)
Kratom is found in the United States as a dried and crushed leaf, a dried powder, or extract made from the dried leaves and powder. The country began the war against opiates due to growing heroin and fentanyl addictions. As the death toll rose, the government stepped in and the war spilled over onto pain patients. Patients with chronic pain couldn’t continue treatment to relieve their pain or their access to pain relieving medicine was greatly reduced and no longer enough to touch the suffering they were enduring. With some desperate to free themselves from addiction and others desperate for any relief from their chronic pain, kratom found a road to popularity in the US. Consumers of kratom often speak to many other benefits they have found while consuming this ancient tree.
Word of mouth began to grow and the kratom industry boomed. With opiate and opioid panic going strong, and the loss of revenue on prescription pain medicine being experienced by pharmaceutical companies, the general public and pharmaceutical companies began to take note. In 2014 a Florida mom found kratom in their teenager’s possessions after he sadly ended his life. In her grief, she found solace in blaming kratom and fighting to make it illegal in her state. Though that legislation was never successful, it brought national attention to kratom and was the first reason kratom hit the mainstream media. As pharmaceutical companies took on the task of making kratom illegal by lobbying politicians to sponsor bills on the federal and state levels, they quietly began testing and studying kratom. They decided to make synthetic versions of some of the alkaloids unique to kratom in order to begin testing on new drugs. For instance, Purdue University is in the process of setting up clinical trials right now on a synthetic version of kratom to treat alcoholism. (2) In 2018, the University of Florida’s College of Pharmacy received a $3.5 million grant to study kratom and the effects of the 40 plus alkaloids found in the plant in order to “develop treatment strategies to help addicts quit opioids.” (3)
The pharmaceutical companies have now found a vested interest in keeping kratom out of the hands of the public. At first, consumers believed it was because people were able to quit taking prescription medicines like suboxone and they were losing money. Then, the reports of synthetic versions of kratom being created and studied began to circulate, and the situation began to make more sense.
During the many legislative battles to keep kratom legal both federally and in individual states, propaganda-style news stories began to circulate throughout the country. False claims of deaths from kratom, and fear mongering stories of addiction and horror were on every news station and in every newspaper. Activist groups like the American Kratom Association (AKA) were battling kratom on multiple fronts with most of their volunteers being kratom consumers. The FDA petitioned the DEA to schedule kratom as federally illegal, but the pushback from many American citizens and success stories stopped the federal ban from moving forward until more research could be done. With the federal ban stopped, or at least paused, the battles in the individual states went into overdrive. Although a few states have lost access to kratom, the country as a whole has refused to schedule the plant.
The number of kratom consumers in the United States continues to grow, but with all of the negative news stories out there, it has become increasingly hard for consumers to discuss their personal consumption of kratom with their family and friends. When their loved ones go to search for kratom, all of the negative propaganda pops up first. Search engine optimization set up by the rehab and pharmaceutical industries have made it hard to find the truth when kratom is typed into the search bar. Rehabs have an interest in keeping kratom demonized because it helps scared family members demand their loved ones go into treatment for kratom.
Many desperate kratom consumers need a resource to find official information on the truth about kratom. They need a list of information they can hand to their loved ones to help them understand. Some of those consumers need that information to help keep their own intrusive thoughts from popping in and making them feel as if they are doing something wrong. Austin Organic Village has put together this resource for consumers to help when and if they need.
How to Approach a Kratom Discussion With Loved Ones
Approaching loved ones to discuss kratom can be uncomfortable at best and terrifying at worst. There are a few things that can be done to make the conversation less intimidating. Having a pre-conversation checklist in order to make sure there is nothing overlooked or forgotten can really help boost confidence and make things flow more smoothly. Preparing ahead and having a game plan is the best course of action.
Here is a checklist that Austin Organic Village has put together to help customers when the time comes:
Conversation Checklist
-Examples: I saw that stuff on the news and it’s just as bad if not worse than heroin or fentanyl. How do you know that what you’re getting is unadulterated? I heard that the government (state) is trying to make it illegal. It’s already illegal in some states. Is it addictive?
-Example: Addiction is when a person will lie, cheat, steal, and destroy their lives. Dependence is what happens when the body and mind get used to a substance like coffee or sugar and the body rebels when the person doesn’t consume it anymore. People don’t generally don’t blow up their lives and the lives of those they love if they don’t get their coffee, but they can have withdrawal symptoms like headaches, low energy, weakness, and feel miserable.
The best and most important resources to bring with you into any discussion about kratom are listed in the section “Kratom Guides for Public and Medical Professionals.” Those two resources, if used with care, will give a huge advantage to consumers approaching this subject with not only loved ones, but medical professionals as well.
Kratom Guides for Public and Medical Professionals
Understanding Kratom: A Guide for Health Care Providers
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.801855/full
Updated 8 Factor Analysis
Studies and Analysis Are Priceless
As much as the powers that be have tried to prove that kratom is harmful, each study or analysis reveals more information to the contrary. The following list of resources will give official scientific studies and analysis of those studies. The information strongly backs kratom as being safe and even helpful when it comes to certain ailments.
Kratom Studies and Analysis
2018 Kratom Study
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871617305586
2020 Kratom study
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-76119-w
Study on Abuse Potential
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871620304002
Study of Abuse Potential in Rats
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30039246/
Study Balancing Public Safety with Therapeutic Potential
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395919301252
Kratom Survey Kratom Use Patterns and Health Impacts
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28521200/
Peer Reviewed Articles and Various Professional Kratom Presentations
Peer reviewed articles are articles concerning a specific subject that are published in medical journals and reviewed by other professionals in the field. They often come from reviews of studies performed or data collected. The following list of resources are peer reviewed studies, articles, and presentations made by professionals. The presentations are generally aimed at the medical community, but also are created for awareness regarding kratom, and to give politicians a place where they can gather information quickly without having to search for reliable peer reviewed articles and journals. These resources can truly help give loved ones information that comes from professionals who have either dedicated a huge part of their lives and careers to understanding kratom for the medical community, or spreading factual information about kratom to those who need to make a judgment regarding the safety of kratom in regards to political policy.
Study Reviews, Articles, and Presentations
Johns Hopkins Study Review
Review
Review of 2020 Study
Review of Therapeutic Potential of Kratom
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.14371
Review on Kratom Rat Study
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871620304002
Kratom Death Risks vs. Opiate Death Risks
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31647958/
Letter
Article
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/study-pokes-holes-in-kratoms-bad-rap
Kratom Treatment for Opiate Abuse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdOwLt29lwU
Conclusion
There is no easy way to have this conversation with loved ones. Kratom was given a bad name before any research could be performed because of the propaganda that was spread through the mainstream media. It becomes even harder to have these discussions if the consumer is somebody who has struggled with addiction in the past. Even though American kratom consumers won against the DEA and FDA, the general public only knows what they’ve been told. Now, consumers and activists alike are in the unfortunate position of fighting through the lies to get the truth to the people. The good news is that cannabis advocates and consumers managed to turn the public opinion, so it can be done. It’s going to take a lot of patience, consistency, and love.
For those who have struggled with addiction and found a path to freedom with a bit of assistance from consuming kratom as part of a wellness plan, don’t give up. Be consistent and be patient. Family and loved ones will see the change. As the years pass by and they see how much progress has been made, they will come around. There’s a lot of damage done when somebody is lost in addiction and it takes time to build a new relationship based on trust. For what it’s worth, AOV is proud of you and you should be proud of yourself.