Tennessee’s recent ban to outlaw the drug kratom will protect residents according to an Upper Cumberland substance abuse expert.
Next Step for Life Director Jennifer Willis said kratom is a mind-altering narcotic that feeds off the same brain receptors as opiates to produce a similar high. Willis said the drug is often sold in gas stations and head shops as a leaf, powder, or liquid that is not regulated by the FDA.
“It’s a new thing that’s going on,” Willis said. “We even have to have a test for it now. It’s something that can get people before and after recovery because, you know, people that are coming out of recovery, we have to be careful with them as well because it was marketed like a vitamin almost. And people would just take it like a supplement and then find themselves very addicted.”
Willis said the drug is often referred to as “gas station heroin” because it is physically addictive and causes a sedative effect identical to opiates. Willis said the lack of regulation has led to severe health complications for users, including stomach infections, parasites, and intestinal issues.
“And what I have seen, you know, from what I have seen with people coming in who are having withdrawal, and from testimonies I have staff that can testify to this, that the withdrawal is actually worse,” Willis said. “And a lot of them have had stomach issues from it, like H-Pylori and parasites and other things because it’s just not regulated.”
Willis said the detox process for kratom typically lasts about two weeks. Willis said the substance is particularly dangerous for those in recovery who may turn to it without fully understanding the risks of the product.
“It is- it’s literally the same as- as opiates and I’ve had staff and I’ve had interns, a couple of interns that have fallen because of kratom and they have told me that just as soon as, I mean, they did it, they went and got it and took it for a week or so and they were hooked, physically hooked,” Willis said.
Willis said the ban in Tennessee likely resulted from officials realizing that users were suffering from serious withdrawal symptoms. Willis said the substance is often packaged in bottles that look like vitamins, making it difficult for the public to distinguish it from safe supplements.
“I think that people caught on to the fact that people are really seriously withdrawing off of this stuff and it’s- it’s a problem, you know, it’s a major addiction epidemic just like any street drug,” Willis said.
Willis said the recovery center, which operates as an 18-month discipleship program for those suffering from addiction, has seen a high volume of patients struggling specifically with kratom use. Willis said the ban removes a significant hurdle for those trying to maintain sobriety.
“I’m glad it’s over because it’s another fight that we’ve been fighting, another fight we’ve had to fight and, you know, it was just another thing, another tricky thing, another thing we had to look for, another thing that we had to test for and something that was completely legal,” Willis said.
The state of Tennessee banned kratom on July 1.
