Deceptive drug kratom leaves Alabama users battling severe addiction, withdrawal

Kratom, a natural supplement derived from a tree native to Southeast Asia, is getting a lot of attention in the U.S. because it’s highly addictive. (WVTM via CNN Newsource)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) - Kratom, a natural supplement derived from a tree native to Southeast Asia, is getting a lot of attention in the U.S. because it’s highly addictive, and many people who think it’s perfectly safe are finding themselves unable to stop using it. Alabama is one of only a few states where it’s illegal, but it is still a problem here.

Angela Edwards is living and working at the Lovelady Center in Birmingham. She’s dealing with addiction, and most recently, her drug of choice was kratom.

“Every day. I was taking it every day. All day,” she said.

Experts call it a deceptive drug, because it’s plant-based and all natural, there’s the belief it must be safe. It’s even marketed as an alternative to alcohol.

Frank Long, with the Lovelady Center said, “It’s an opioid-like effect. You know, some people describe it like a warm hug. You know, it’s kind of that feeling of peacefulness and that everything’s OK. Or maybe you just don’t care about anything. So, it kind of makes you forget your worries.”

Long said it’s highly addictive and users quickly develop a tolerance to it, so they’re compelled to use more and more to get the same effect. And when they try to quit, withdrawal symptoms are reportedly worse than those associated with coming off heroin.

“I was on kratom for about two years, if not longer,” Edwards said. “And at the time when I was on kratom, you know, it was good when I was on it, but when I was coming off kratom, I thought I was going to die, you know, the withdrawals were worse than any kind of withdrawals that I’ve ever had.”

An estimated 1.7 million Americans 12 and older used kratom in 2021, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

In July, the Food and Drug Administration recommended a scheduling action to control certain 7-hydroxymitragynine (also known as 7-OH) products under the Controlled Substances Act.

Kratom is illegal in Alabama, but Long said manufacturers have created synthetic versions, and by changing just one molecule, they can skirt the law and sell the products here.

Edwards has been sober for a while now, but she’s not out of the woods. “It took me months to feel even normal. I still don’t have my full energy back,” she said.

Her advice to anyone thinking this might be a good idea? “Don’t do it. It’s not, it’s not worth it, it’s not worth it.”