Why Kratom Is At The Heart Of A Big Public Health Debate
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Hey, everyone. Emily Kwong here. Just a word before today's episode. 2025 is almost over, and at NPR and our local stations, we are excited to begin a new year. This year was tough. The loss of federal funding for public media, attacks on the free press. But despite it all, we are not shying away from our jobs, from exercising the critical right to editorial independence guaranteed by the First Amendment. With your support, we will continue our work without fear or favor.
What is kratom and where does it come from?
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Hey, Rachel. Hey, Emily. So I am here today to talk to you about something becoming more popular. It's called kratom or kratom. People pronounce it both ways, but a lot of the sources I talked to said kratom. So I think that's what we'll stick with for this episode.
Well, where does kratom come from exactly?
Kratom is derived from tree leaves. It's been used for centuries in Southeast Asia, mostly Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. for energy and to treat pain. But in the U.S., it's sort of an umbrella term that includes a bunch of different products like teas, pills, extracts, synthetic goods that all vary in strength depending on how they're made. It's kind of like when someone says cannabis products, that could mean whole leaf or extracts from the leaves or synthetic products. Okay, so the term kratom could actually mean a bunch of different things? Yeah, I've heard it referred to as a drug, as a supplement, as an ingredient. So I asked the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, and they told me in an email statement, it depends on the specific product.
Okay, complicated.
And on top of that, there's one compound in the kratom plant in particular that's been in the headlines recently. People call it 7-OH, which stands for 7-hydroxymetragynine. Some people also pronounce it mitragynine, but mostly people just say 7-OH. 7-OH. Okay. Where do people buy 7-OH? You can pretty much buy it anywhere. So it's sold in smoke shops, gas stations, convenience stores.
Wow.
It's possible you've actually seen it advertised on those neon signs that say weed, but instead it'll say Kratom or 70H in those bright letters.
70H is not just like an opioid. It is an opioid.
That was FDA Commissioner Marty McCary during a press conference in July. And that's when the FDA said they were recommending certain 70H products be scheduled alongside opioids.
Our focus is not on kratom. Our focus is on 7-OH, which, according to the Journal of Medical Chemistry, is 13 times more potent than morphine.
But not every researcher I talked to was ready to sound those alarm bells. They told me Kratom and 7-OH are at the heart of a big public health debate right now. Past estimates for how many people use Kratom every year run anywhere from 2 million to more than 10 million. But there's not that much recent data. And those numbers include people who use Kratom or 7-OH to wean themselves off opioids like heroin or as a way to manage chronic pain without prescription drugs.
Oh, okay. I can see why people are so drawn to it. Because, of course, opioids are known for being really addictive.
Yeah, I mean, according to the CDC, 76% of drug overdose deaths in 2023 involved opioids. I can imagine having an alternative, a way out of using opioids, would be really appealing. For some people, it is. And some researchers say further restricting access to these products could affect those who've benefited.
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