The state representative who spearheaded a recent vote to ban kratom sales in Michigan says the herbal supplement’s abuse potential is “unfortunately just so significant, we can’t ignore it.”
Rep. Cam Cavitt (R-Cheboygan County) sponsored a bill that would “prohibit a person from growing, synthesizing, selling, offering for sale, giving, importing, or distributing kratom or a synthetic variant of kratom.” It passed the Michigan House earlier this month, largely along party lines, with most Democrats opposing the bill.
Kratom is derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, which is indigenous to southeast Asia and has long been used for medicinal and recreational purposes there. While not technically an opioid, psychoactive elements present at varying levels in kratom extract do activate the brain’s opioid receptors. Because it mimics the effect of opioids and is currently widely sold in gas stations and convenience stores, kratom is often called “gas station heroin” by its detractors.
In an interview with Michigan Public’s Stateside this week, Cavitt pointed out that several other Great Lakes states have already banned kratom, and said that Michigan should follow suit. His bill would make selling the substance a criminal misdemeanor, and Cavitt said local law enforcement would be responsible “for making sure that [it’s not] sold in gas stations or smoke shops anymore.”
Kratom proponents say it’s an herbal supplement that’s a relatively benign alternative to opioids. They suggest banning it could cause more harm to people who use it for pain relief, or to come off of stronger drugs. And while there are currently no federally-approved medical uses for kratom, it’s the subject of ongoing scientific research in that regard.
Cavitt said his bill has an amendment that allows for that possibility. “If they do discover a medical usage, isolate a certain chemical or something in the kratom, then this would be null and void,” he said.
According to the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has reported an increase in calls to poison control centers involving kratom, while the Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers against taking it. However, researchers also say that overdoses or deaths attributed to kratom are typically confounded by people taking multiple drugs at once, and no state or federal agency currently tracks suspected kratom-related overdoses.
The lack of regulation surrounding kratom also makes it unclear how much of its psychoactive compounds users are ingesting. “Depending on the amount of active ingredient in the product and the health of the user, taking kratom can be harmful,” says a Mayo Clinic advisory. “There are too few studies to be able to rate the claims about the benefits of kratom.”
It’s unclear whether Cavitt’s bill has enough support to pass the Michigan Senate. Some Democrats say the state should focus on prohibiting sales to minors, and regulating more harmful synthetic forms of kratom.
