…battle for kratom, an herbal substitute for narcotics the feds may ban
“I am a capitalist, not a conspiracy theorist,” (disabled Marine) Larson says. “But it doesn’t take a genius to see that if a cheap plant [like kratom] stands to diminish the need for billions of dollars in pharmaceutical sales [of opiates such as fentanyl, oxycodone, methadone, buprenorphine, suboxone, etc.), well, someone decided it was time to make it go away.”
Among those working to promote the plant’s goodness and educate users and vendors is Anthony Larson, a Dallas resident, disabled Marine, a University of California Berkley-educated herbalist and one of America’s staunchest, most outspoken and organized advocates for kratom’s legitimacy and continued legality. He is hell-bent on changing that “legal high” perception. Because of condition that caused constant back pain, Larson says he relied on morphine prescribed by doctors in order to function. He learned about kratom when traveling in Indonesia, after he ran out of pain pills and sought out a prescription. Instead of pharmaceuticals, the doctor gave him kratom. After kratom, he says, he dosed less morphine and quickly quit craving it. In the early ’00s in Seattle, he worked at a Veteran Affairs hospital, where, he says, he learned some of the more traumatized soldiers were using kratom. “They had heard of it — some of them — he says, but they were buying it at head shops at these insane markups, so I would give it to them,” he says. Larson says he could see their demeanor, confidence level and general wellbeing transform with a combination of kratom, other doctor-recommended treatment and counseling.
Original Article (Dallas Observer):
…battle for kratom, an herbal substitute for narcotics the feds may ban
Artwork Fair Use: Lane County Public Domain
