JUST LIKE LOVE –
Dec. 14, 2024 – For Andy, kratom produces a similar effect to the opioids he was once addicted to, giving him enough energy to get through the day. Kratom, a plant from Southeast Asia with stimulant and opioid-like effects that is commercially available across most of the U.S., also helped him stop drinking and quit opioids. “It’s been kind of a blessing and a curse for me,” Andy, who requested using only his first name for privacy, told Salon in a phone interview. “I was able to quit alcohol and I don’t do opiates anymore, but I do take quite a bit of kratom now and I am addicted to kratom.”
The kratom tree (Mitragyna speciosa) is a member of the coffee family, but the similarities end there. Its leaves are dried up and ground to be sold in smoke shops, online or sometimes even cafes. Chemical compounds within the plant, especially mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, bind to the opioid receptors in the body, acting as a stimulant in lower doses and behaving more closely to an opioid at higher doses. Importantly, the alkaloids in kratom are considered “atypical opioids” so a one-to-one comparison to something like morphine isn’t entirely accurate.
