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The Kratom Debate: Helpful Herb Or Dangerous Drug?

By Lesley McClurg
Published March 2, 2020 at 6:11 AM EST
Kratom products are legal in most states and are widely available. But the federal Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration worry that kratom carries the risk of physical and psychological dependency and, in some people, addiction.
Catie Dull
/
NPR
Kratom products are legal in most states and are widely available. But the federal Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration worry that kratom carries the risk of physical and psychological dependency and, in some people, addiction.
Linda Kline owns Bumble Bee Botanicals, which sells kratom in five upscale shops throughout the West, including this one in San Francisco. All her products are lab tested to ensure purity, Kline says.
Lesley McClurg / KQED
/
KQED
Linda Kline owns Bumble Bee Botanicals, which sells kratom in five upscale shops throughout the West, including this one in San Francisco. All her products are lab tested to ensure purity, Kline says.
Gold Bali is a strain of kratom sold at Bumble Bee Botanicals in San Francisco. "It almost feels like you're having just a little glass of wine," Kline says of kratom. "It's really relaxing."
Lesley McClurg / KQED
/
KQED
Gold Bali is a strain of kratom sold at Bumble Bee Botanicals in San Francisco. "It almost feels like you're having just a little glass of wine," Kline says of kratom. "It's really relaxing."
Lesley McClurg