So, you're interested in kratom? Maybe you've heard of it but don't know much, maybe you've heard that it's evil and dangerous, maybe you know what it is and just want to hear my take on it! Wherever you're coming from, I hope you find this page interesting. (I'm only writing this because I find the subject interesting, I am not selling anything.)
What it is
Kratom is the common name for Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia. Its fame comes from its psychoactive alkaloids, mainly mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). It can be chewed, or more commonly in the West, mixed into water in its powdered form to be drunk as a tea. In small doses it has a mild stimulant effect, similar to caffeine, and in high doses it has a sedative effect that closely resembles that of opiates. It also has pain-killing properties, much like opiates. In fact, many people consider it to be in the opioid* family. Kratom has mostly been sold as a "grey market" drug in the U.S., meaning that it wasn't banned but also wasn't approved nor regulated. More recently some states have explicitly banned it while others have made it fully legal. (*opioids = drugs that act on the opioid receptors, opiates = opioids that specifically come from the opium poppy, or Papaver somniferum. (hey! that's the plant in the banner image!))
How does it compare to traditional opioids?
YOU CAN'T OVERDOSE ON KRATOM!
Traditional opioids (ex: oxycodone, morphine) are full opioid receptor agonists. This means that they fully activate the µ (primarily), δ, and κ opioid receptors. Kratom is a partial opioid receptor agonist, so it only partly activates the same receptors. This causes there to be a ceiling on kratom's effects. At a certain point the effects will plateau and no matter how much more you take you will not gain any effects (except maybe some nausea/itching). Clearly that is not the case for traditional opioid drugs, which can cause fatal overdose.
Mitragynine makes up most of the alkaloid content in kratom, with 7-OH appearing in very small amounts. However, 7-OH has sparked a lot of controversy, often being sold as an extract (usually in the form of tablets). 7-OH is significantly stronger and more addictive than mitragynine. Supposedly it's even more potent than morphine (Before you freak out, mitragynine is still less potent than morphine, and remember that there is a ceiling effect!). In rodents, 7-OH was found to be liable to abuse whereas mitragynine was not. Anecdotally, I've heard many more stories of lives ruined by 7-OH addiction* than kratom powder addiction, though both are very real. Kratom may be overall less addictive than things like oxycodone, but addiction is absolutely still a risk to be aware of. (*An important factor to consider is that the prices of 7-OH extracts tend to be much higher than kratom leaf powder, meaning it will drain your bank account much faster too.)
Combining mitragynine with morphine has been shown to have stronger pain-killing effects than morphine alone, while also preventing morphine tolerance from building. 7-OH does not work the same way, and in fact has cross-tolerance with morphine (meaning that building a 7-OH tolerance will also build a morphine tolerance).
It is potentially important to note that traditional opioids also activate* g proteins and β arrestin, but kratom is selective for g proteins and does not active β arrestin. This could play a role in kratom having a lower risk of addiction and other adverse effects, though it's unclear. (*I'm not an expert so I'm not sure if "activate" is the right word, but you get the idea.)
So, what is it like?
I would say a strong dose of kratom feels extremely similar to a recreational dose of oxycodone or similar opioids. It's maybe more prone to producing the side effect of nausea. It also produces the same "opioid itch" that one would get from classic opioids (caused by histamine release). If you want to understand the kratom high, you just have to understand the general opioid high. It IS an effective pain killer as well.
One major of drawback of kratom is that, well, it's really fucking gross. Some people like it, but most people find it repulsive. I would even say it gets worse the more you use it (maybe due to the mental association with nausea). Kratom powder is not particularly water soluble. It can be mixed into hot water relatively easily, but you will always be left with powder coating your mouth when you drink it. I recommend having a chaser (such as a big glass of juice or chocolate mik) close by. TO BE FAIR! it is much more tolerable when you're mixing, say, 1 or 2 tsps into a full mug of water rather than a full tbsp into the smallest amount of water possible (the advantage of the second being you can drink it in one or two shots, assuming you can get it down. plug your nose!!). The smell and arguably taste is very similar to green tea, just a bit off and more bitter. Some people recommend to mix it into chocolate milk or hot chocolate to mask the taste (it also may be more soluble in milk than water). You can also buy pre-filled capsules or fill capsules yourself to take as pills.
Nausea can be almost entirely alleviated by lying down or, possibly, walking. Just not sitting up or standing. Ginger chews can help a bit too. Anti-histamines may help itching? But don't count on it.
Should this be legal??
In my opinion, yes. To be clear, I am generally pro-legalization for most drugs because PROHIBITION DOES NOT WORK. Legalization and regulation is far more beneficial to the public than criminalization. People will take drugs regardless of legality. Getting drugs from unregulated sources means not knowing what's really in them, which leads to more death. Stigmatization and fear of legal consequences (Hooray for decriminalization and harm reduction!!) leads to people hiding their drug use, which also leads to more death. The war on drugs has never been for public safety and drugs will never lose.
That said, I especially support the legalization of kratom because, let's be honest, it's not a particularly dangerous drug. I would definitely say it's a safer and healthier drug than alcohol. By a lot, actually. While addiction is an important risk to consider, I personally think the legalization of kratom is an overall positive for society.