From
the head shop to the mainstream
If
you don't suffer from chronic pain or aren't addicted to pharmaceutical
painkillers you might not be familiar with Kratom
(Mitragyna Speciosa) – a natural botanical and relative of the coffee
plant – which has been used for centuries in the Far East to help manage
chronic pain, and may alleviate symptoms of opiate withdrawal by mimicking
opioids in the brain without the negative side effects.
But
know it or not, Kratom has built a captive audience in the U.S. over the past
decade. It’s legality and use classification remains in bureaucratic limbo; the
DEA tried to classify it as a Schedule I drug last year and abruptly (and
historically) reversed it’s course when confronted with tens of thousands of
passionate user testimonials during the public comments phase.
And regardless of the government’s opinion the people are getting it. Kratom
devotees include the full spectrum of people living in pain, those struggling
to kick opioids, and others who simply want an alternative to big pharma’s
branded, slickly-marketed opiate-based products.
Obtaining
and using Kratom, however, is still in its infancy. Many users order in bulk
from overseas suppliers, and perform a ‘toss and wash’ process to clean it,
then brew it into a foul-tasting tea.
One
Las Vegas-based Company capitalizing on Kratom’s growth potential is New Leaf Products. They have developed a
capsulated U.S. -sourced ‘Red Vein’ strain, and branded it Kratom Care™ - a novel approach and one New Leaf hopes is the opening salvo to spread Kratom’s message
to the masses - though direct sales, in an easy-to-use, familiar herbal
product.
Instead
of selling Kratom in bulk, independent reps market 60-count bottles of Kratom Care™
direct to customers, friends and family nationwide, and offer one-on-one advice, support
and convenient home delivery.
Kratom
is currently not legal in IN, TN, AR, AL, VT or WI, but the Company hopes that with
public pressure, and lobbying by groups like the American Kratom Association,
that lawmakers – scrambling for solutions to the country’s growing opioid epidemic, and faced with record deaths from overdoses - Kratom can grow and
evolve out of the head shops, and into the mainstream.
