Why are we like this, America? Why do we take ancient natural things like cannabis, Kratom, coca, Khat, salvia and opium and make deadly weapons-grade commercial versions like the JWH series ("Spice/K2"), MGM-15 and 16, cocaine & crack, synthetic cathinones ("bath salts"), salvia divinorum extracts up to 80x potency and synthetic/semi-synthetic opioids as potent as carfentanil and the nitazenes? I know part of it is due to the drug war itself, but that's not the whole story because we do it even with legalized/decriminalized drugs. Kratom, for instance, and salvia when it was widely legal.
To be clear: a substance's "natural" vs. "synthetic" status tells us precisely nothing about its safety. It's important to remember that plants like datura, comfrey, henbane and amanita muscaria can be as deadly or MORE deadly than many synthetic/man-made substances.
But naturally occurring plant-based drugs are more likely to have a longer history of human use as well as a variety of complex alkaloids, some of which have a "ceiling" effect or negative effects that discourage overdose. When you take the active alkaloids and isolate them, such as cocaine/coca or morphine/Opium, you start to see heightened addiction and overdose risk. Ditto when you go the fully synthetic route, creating potent molecules that resemble the plant alkaloids but don't exist in nature. Keep this in mind as you read the next few paragraphs.
The Kratom Konundrum
This is Kratom... Kratom leaf contains the active alkaloids mitragynine and trace amounts of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OHM) but also a variety of other lesser known alkaloids like paynantheine and speciogynine as well as some opioid blockers. These are responsible for the fact that kratom doesn't cause respiratory depression even in high doses and isn't quite as euphoric or addictive as single-molecule opioids like oxycodone. That's not to say Kratom can't be addictive or cause overdose in high doses. It absolutely can be and has, it just does so by a different mechanism. But the risk is lower than with traditional opioids when safe dosing and moderation are observed.
Read this until you understand because it's important: it's possible to overdose on ANYTHING, at least in theory: oxygen, salt, water, exercise, sunlight. We need all these things to remain alive, but you can also overdo it to the point that they kill you. Likewise, ANY mind-altering drug can kill you in high enough doses, though some are more potent & easier to overdose on than others. While synthetic kratom-like drugs such as MGM-15 & 16 and 7-OHM have caused a rash of deaths in a short time, exceedingly few healthy adults have died from plain kratom leaf alone; nearly all had pre-existing health conditions and/or multiple drugs in their system at the time of death (or excessive amounts of kratom extracts/alkaloids in their system that could not have come from plain leaf).

This is not.
Where we're at now with the current "Kratom" death trend is due to the super-potent synthetic products sold in gas stations, head shops and herbal supplement shops. These products are not Kratom but ultra-potent knockoffs, some of them containing multiple ingredients. This is EXACTLY what transpired with bath salts, Spice and tianeptine in years past. While media headlines warn about a spate of "Kratom deaths," the truth is right before our eyes in the photos and captions of said stories, contradicting them at every turn. Packets of branded "SMAX Pseudo" tablets and "7Tabs" are posted under stories with titles fingering KRATOM as the offending agent, which is like blaming a Maltese for mauling a woman to death in the headline above a photo of a pack of pit bulls. THEY'RE BOTH DOGS, BUT THAT'S WHERE THE SIMILARITIES END.
Sorry for the yelling, but it's so damned frustrating watching the media spew dangerous disinformation in the middle of the deadliest drug epidemic this nation has ever known. In fact, the opioid crisis is the 2nd deadliest disaster of any kind this nation has ever experienced, yet here you are, dutifully slandering another fucking plant so pharma can patent its individual components and sell it back to us at a premium, undoubtedly less safe and 100x more expensive than it is now. Just like they did with Marinol, Nabilone, Epidiolex and cannabis. Or khat and Bupropion/Wellbutrin. Or Ephedra/Rx amphetamines. You get the picture. They want a total monopoly on our health, and they'll get it thanks to this neverending campaign of drug scapegoating and baseless fear if we don't push back hard, fast and consistently.
Even with potent "bath salt" stimulants and cannabinoids, very few users died when using the pure, properly labeled single substance purchased directly from the source during the height of the research chemical craze. The problem is, was, and will always be these branded multi-ingredient concoctions like "White Rush" and "Benzo Fury". Why? Because you can't even determine a relatively safe dose if you don't know wtf you're taking! MDPV is not the same as 4-MMC which is not the same as 4-FA. Likewise, "cat's claw" does not have the same effect as MGM-15 which is different than 7-OHM. And some substances are simply too potent to take safely at all, as is probably the case with some of these Kratom knockoffs. I wouldn't know because I never have and never will take something sold at a head shop, gas station or other store of ill repute. π₯΄
Respect yourself enough to choose sobriety if your only choice is "SMAX Pseudoindoxyl" or sobriety. No high is worth dying over.
Harm Redux 102
Only abstinence is 100%, but harm reduction methods can greatly reduce risks. If your usual dose of Kratom or opioids aren't doing it for you anymore, the solution is to take a tolerance break... NOT to increase the dose or try something stronger. That's a one-way ticket to Hell. Just quit for 3-5 days and you'll be as good as new and can probably lower your dose when you resume your usage. Nobody said it's fun or easy but it can be done with the right meds on hand for withdrawal symptoms (Imodium, NSAIDs/Tylenol, antihistamines and/or Zofran for nausea, doxylamine for sleep, etc).
That's if you're a daily user of Kratom or other opioid drugs. If you're not, do everything in your power to not get to that point. This is called being a responsible adult/drug user. Pencil your T-breaks into your month (or every other month at the least) and try to schedule them for times you don't have much to do. Make it a "spa weekend and chill" vibe.
Bulk kratom leaf powder direct from Indonesia
Only buy plain kratom leaf from trusted vendors online or in vetted local Kratom shops and avoid anything labeled "extract," "enhanced blend" or kratom that's pressed into a pill. (Capsules are generally fine, but make sure it's plain leaf inside and not "enhanced" leaf or one of the dangerous synthetics). To reduce possible pathogens, boil your Kratom before consuming as a tea. Do not use Kratom if you have heart or liver disease or are under 18, and never drive a car under the influence. Avoid combining Kratom with other recreational or Rx drugs/substances, as it can cause dangerous interactions via multiple pathways (serotonin syndrome and liver enzyme inhibition).
If Kratom is So Powerful...
Kratom: a SIP, a PARTY, a TRAGEDY!
...why the huge market for more potent alternatives? Kratom comes in a wide variety of colors and forms, each with its own subtle flavor & effects. There's Thai kratom, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Papua New Guinea. If it was really so powerful, euphoric and addictive, users would be spending their last dime buying out every gas station in a 20 mile radius. Instead, addicts are opting for the actual drug-like options: mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15/16, 7-OHM... Multi-ingredient concoctions and mislabeled products that could contain some brand new nitazene or other opioid for all we know. You don't see meth addicts converting meth into a more powerful drug for a reason. Ditto fentanyl. Kratom is clearly not on that level.
By all means, regulators should put federal age requirements on plain kratom leaf and ban the branded synthetics that are killing people. But if I read one more news headline containing the word "kratom" when the substance in question has nothing whatsoever to do with kratom and actually helps prove how benign kratom is, I'm going to scream. Facts never matter more than when discussing matters of health & safety. Every station that releases a factually inaccurate, sloppy fearmongering story for the sake of ratings is going to hear from me. That's one thing I do control. And I urge all my readers to send their respectful but strongly worded letters to every media outlet guilty of this too. Your voice truly does matter on this, and that's coming from a skeptical nihilistic pessimist.
Ironically, this recent flood of super-potent mimic drugs proves that plain kratom leaf really ISN'T the demon drug it's been made out to be. If it was, there wouldn't be such a market for stronger options. All these extracts, enhanced blends, synthetic MGM pills, pseudoindoxyl tablets and 7-OHM potions are filling a niche in the legal/grey area drug market. Even with all the colors and strains of Kratom leaf: crushed, finely ground, red/green/white/yellow and beyond, it's still not enough. And that's a good thing because it means plain kratom just isn't that addictive or potent on its own. No, you absolutely shouldn't experiment with it if you're not already a regular opioid user or pain patient, but if you are, it's unlikely to be all that euphoric or mind-blowing compared to other options. This is what makes it a good maintenance drug.
As I've said emphatically before, I'd enthusiastically support minimum age requirements on all Kratom products including plain leaf, as it's not appropriate for children under any circumstances. Kids can't buy tobacco, nicotine products, alcohol or weed, so they shouldn't be able to buy a partial opioid agonist OTC either. Same goes for tianeptine and any other remaining "legal highs". But the real problem are these branded and mislabeled concoctions. It's past time the FDA steps in and puts a stop to this greedy gold rush instead of merely scaring the public in the hopes of gaining support for dangerous, ineffective bans that make the whole situation worse by ensuring that every last gram of the drug supply is tainted.
"And now for our feature presentation: "Reefer Madness 2.0: Kratom Kalamity!" See what happens when this Assassin of Youth is unleashed on the gas-buying public. They just wanted to fill up their tanks but got a whole lot more than they bargained for. Now they're hooked, hopped up, keen, zooted, zonked out, fiending, pwned by the pwder. And all from an innocent looking cup of tea. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "tempest in a teapot." If you thought Reefer Madness was scary, just wait until you see...
"Reefer Madness 2.0: Kratom Kalamity!" (Available on Hulu, Netflix and wherever drug war propaganda is sold).
^^^^^^^ How our media sounds.