An Innocent-Seeming Booze-Free Wellness Drink Has Been Labeled By The DEA As a ‘Drug Of Concern’ — Here’s What You Need to Know
Kratom leaves at a stall in Bangkok, Thailand. The leaves are turned into a tea or consumed in capsule form, giving users a pleasant buzz. (Photo: Vachira Vachira/NurPhoto via AP)
On Friday, Bloomberg reported about the rise of a new booze-free wellness drink that has been growing in popularity amongst the sober curious. The drink, known as kratom, is derived from a tree native to Southeast Asia and has been used in traditional medicine for hundreds of years.
Yet, despite its seemingly innocent nature, kratom has been marked by the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration as a Drug and Chemical of Concern.
At lower doses, kratom is described by the DEA as providing users “increased alertness, physical energy and talkativeness.” Those who ingest the substance at a higher dose are likely to experience “sedative effects.” Yet perhaps the most important thing is that regular consumption of kratom can lead to addiction, according to the DEA.
Bloomberg claims that kratom leaves contain approximately 2% of what the DEA refers to as “psychoactive ingredients,” mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. These chemicals bind to opioid receptors and are often ingested in the form of tablet, capsule or tonic.
The outlet chronicled the experiences of Krista Marquick, a woman who quit alcohol and discovered the substance at a specialized kava bar. Marquick wanted to live a healthier lifestyle and thought kratom was risk-free.
Bloomberg claims that after a few months, Marquick was left feeling “out of control.” She was spending $80 on kratom some days, experiencing insomnia from withdrawal and was drinking the substance during her lunch breaks at work.
“You’re constantly spending more and more money, and you’re having to use more and more kratom,” Marquick told Bloomberg.
Kava Bars — a Potential Gateway to Kratom Use?
Kratom can be found at smoke shops and online but is also popping up at kava bars. Kava bars are alcohol-free bars that specialize in teas often made from kratom that are popular in Southeast Asian cultures.
These alcohol-free bars have become a bit of a phenomenon in the U.S., and many people enjoy frequenting them to get a booze-free buzz.
Kava bars typically serve teas derived from the kava plant, which grows in the South Pacific Islands. Kava is said to have a relaxing effect when consumed within the South Pacific. In addition to kava, some bars serve tonics derived from the kratom plant, which generates feelings of euphoria.
Bloomberg spoke with Jeff Bowman, a kava distributor who opened one of the initial kava bars in the U.S..
“Kava is a kratom-dominated industry,” Bowman claimed according to Bloomberg. “None of the kava bars in the United States sell enough kava to survive.”
Kratom’s addictive qualities make it a lucrative option for repeat business.
In July, the family of Krystal Talavera, a 39-year-old mom of four who died after ingesting kratom, was awarded $11 million during a wrongful death lawsuit, according to NBC News.
Talavera reportedly died in her kitchen next to a container of kratom with the word “Space Dust” written on the label. The coroner attributed her death to “acute mitragynine intoxication.”
NPR claimed in that same month that the Talavera family suit was just one amongst several wrongful death lawsuits after people fatally overdosed on kratom.
According to American Addiction Centers, between 2011 and 2017, 1,800 calls involving ingestion of the substance were made to poison centers in the U.S.
Yet, this innocent-seeming substance for the sober curious still remains wildly popular, despite the fact that states have attempted to crack down on it. This polarizing drug has attracted the attention of the FDA, though it seems no ban is in sight at the moment.
The American Kratom Association, a lobbying organization for kratom, claims the drug is perfectly safe. In spite of the deaths that have occurred following kratom use, lobbyists like Mac Haddow insist the deaths are unrelated. In an interview with Courthouse News Service, Haddow defended his stance.
“The FDA lies. They flat-out lied,” Haddow said. “So that’s focusing and tilting and putting your foot on the scale and not a thumb … and even with that they got 91 [deaths]. That’s a minuscule statistic. Even if it were true, and it’s not.”
Haddow claimed that 15 million people used kratom fairly regularly in 2021, and cited that with such a small number of deaths, the substance is still fairly safe.
Yet according to Courthouse News Service, Haddow’s data conflicts with a larger drug-use survey. According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the number of kratom users was significantly lower, suggesting that only 2.3 million Americans over the age of 12 had used the substance within the year.
That would make kratom six times more dangerous.
Yet still, kratom is widely available for those interested in trying the substance. A simple Yelp search for the word “kratom” yields a cornucopia of vape and tobacco shops in Los Angeles alone for those who need to get their “fix.”
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