A blog I posted last month noted that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is considering a proposal to reschedule certain kratom-derived opioids. Kratom is produced from the dried leaves of a Southeast Asian tree, and is being sold at gas stations and convenience stores. To shed further light on this disturbing development,  I encourage you to read this essay, “It’s an Opioid: My Patients Are Becoming Addict to This Supplement,” written by Andrew Kolodny, Medical Director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management. We at PDFNJ have been fortunate to collaborate with Dr. Kolodny in addressing the opioid crisis.

Unfortunately, he is seeing an increasing number of patients who are developing an opioid use disorder, not as a result of prescribed opioids, but rather by consuming kratom. The same patterns of behavior experienced with prescription opioids that resulted in so many opioid overdoses are now occurring again with kratom. Therefore, Dr. Kolodny sees the DEA’s rescheduling as only a first step in reducing the harm caused by the easy availability of these compounds.

He advocates for an outright ban of kratom, as some states have already done, making the possession and distribution of kratom a criminal offense.  He notes that, “states that have outright prohibited kratom, such as Vermont, Indiana and Alabama, have seen far fewer kratom-related poisonings and deaths than states where it remains available.” I am in full agreement with Dr. Kolodny on this issue and support these recommendations to address this specific aspect of the opioid crisis.