Kratom or as referred to as “ gas station drug” has become one of the most popular drugs in the country, and it is posing a threat to the public and affecting many people’s lives because of its addictiveness. This supplement that sells in gas stations is used as a mood lifter, energy booster, and pain reliever.
Kratom is an herbal extract of leaves from a tree called ‘Mitragyna speciosa’ that grows in Southeast Asia. According to Mayo Clinic, when this supplement is taken by individuals is affects their upper stimulant, which means they become more alert and energetic. Also some people take Kratom to ease their opioid withdrawal.
However, Kratom is an addictive substance that poses a risk to the overall public health, and there are many other safety issues that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned people not to use it.
The use of Kratom causes severe damage in human beings as according to (FDA), it can cause liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder (SUD). The rare cases of Neonatal abstinence syndrome have been observed and (FDA) are aware of it. In such cases, newborns experience withdrawal signs such as irritability, muscle stiffness, and jitteriness because of exposure to Kratom prior to birth.
Moreover, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Kratom can produce stimulants similar to the opioid effects, and such harmful effects can be mild or severe. The effect of Kratom can cause dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, and constipation, or mental and neurological symptoms, including seizures, confusion, and tremors, or heart and lung problems.
The medical experts are agreeing on Kratom being a harmful substance and they are continuously notifying the public of its side effects. Mayo Clinic further warned people about Kratom’s side effects, which are liver damage, high blood pressure, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting, delusions, depression, trouble breathing, and confusion.
Kratom should not be defined merely as a natural plant without revealing its risk to the public; a harmful substance that is legally sold in gas stations and vape shops hurt the communities, from adults to teenagers.
However, warnings about the risk of Kratom are not limited to a single health expert, it is not an opinion held by clinicians, but a scientific fact that this substance is dangerous and should not be available for the public.
Dr. Gary Kirkilas, a general pediatrician at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Chris Buresh, a general pediatrician and emergency medicine doctor at the University of Washington and the Children’s Hospital in Seattle and has also been involved in education and drug user health for many years, pointed at the risk and the side effects of Kratom on teenagers.
As teenagers are more susceptible to be influenced and try new products in the market, they are indeed in more danger to be addicted to Kratom
According to Dr. Kirkilas and Dr. Buresh, after only a few weeks of using Kratom can lead to addiction. The signs of withdrawal from Kratom are hot and cold flashes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, muscle and joint aches, feeling restless, runny nose, depression, anger, sadness, nervousness, according to Dr. Kirkilas and Dr. Buresh.
After all, Kratom is dangerous, and there is no safe way to use it. Now, to protect people from Kratom, prevent addiction, and stop the harm that is caused by this substance, it is time for Virginia legislators to pass a law prohibiting it.
