kratom

“Lawmakers Have to Google It”: Inside the Struggle to Regulate Kratom

Dozens of legislatures across the United States are currently weighing how to regulate or ban kratom, a plant with mild…

March 28, 2023

People’s Reasons for Using Kratom Are Rapidly Diversifying

Since kratom began growing in popularity in North America, researchers have tried to understand how and why people are using…

July 11, 2022

Quitting Kratom Reminded Me How Little Drugs Have to Do With Addiction

“I admitted I was powerless over my addiction” is a phrase I only uttered under extreme duress, monitored by a…

June 23, 2022

Kratom Helps Me Cope With Life, So What’s the Problem?

A kilo is surprisingly heavy, I thought as I dropped the package onto my mattress with a thud. I never…

March 10, 2022

World Health Organization Decides Not to Call for Global Kratom Ban

Kratom advocates are cheering a new decision from the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) not to recommend that the…

December 8, 2021

FDA’s Suspected Push for Global Kratom Ban Rattles Advocates

Despite Thailand’s recent legalization of kratom—swiftly following the country’s decriminalization earlier this year—international kratom advocacy’s momentum is facing stern resistance…

September 1, 2021

“An Unprecedented Achievement Anywhere”—Thailand’s Decriminalization of Kratom

Native to Southeast Asia, kratom is a plant and herbal medicine with mild opioid and stimulant-like properties. It was held…

July 21, 2021

Ex-FDA Head Falsely Claims Kratom Is “Fueling” the Overdose Crisis

Drug warriors have long deployed disinformation to justify panics and crackdowns. Kratom, an unregulated plant-based product used by many to…

June 2, 2021

My Daughter’s Birth Exposed the Medical Community’s Anti-Drug Stigma

In January, a few weeks after my 49th birthday, my partner, Carolyn, gave me a most unexpected gift. She emerged…

October 28, 2020

FDA Cracks Down on Marketing of Kratom to People With Opioid Use Disorder

In the past year, a debate has intensified over how kratom—a plant with mild opioid-like and stimulant properties—should be regulated…

June 26, 2019