Thailand: the cradle of kratom

Kratom has been used traditionally among the Thai people for centuries. Like its rural population, Mitragyna speciosa is native to this part of the world and its inhabitants discovered its medicinal properties many centuries ago: whether as an energy booster for the hard work of planting and harvesting under the tropical sun, as a natural sedative or as a painkiller, kratom has been incorporated into the lifestyle of these populations because of its beneficial versatility for different purposes according to the dosage taken.

Despite the traditional use that this endemic Southeast Asian plant has obtained for centuries, Mitragyna speciosa was targeted by the interests of the opioid industry, as it produced a reduction in tax revenues for the Thai government in the distribution of opium: the government succumbed to the pressure of the most profitable and outlawed it in 1943. Due to the ban, for more than 70 years, the imprisonment of kratom producers in the country has become routine, provoking discontent over the sense of injustice among those who felt that one of their traditions had been mutilated for economic interests, and even worse: punishing its people with the death penalty.

“The recent monetization of kratom has not pleased many Thais, who see the use of their traditional medicines expropriated by larger interests.”

Thailand was – and still is – ruled with an iron fist by an authoritarian monarchy allied to a military dictatorship and, therefore, the act of demonstrating has not become a full right for its current 70 million inhabitants. Kratom remained illegal for too long, but in 2018, in the face of a global wave of discussion about the prohibitionism of certain substances, and projecting financial gains, the National Legislative Assembly decided to liberalize the medicinal use of kratom and cannabis in the country.

Under the new law, a license must be obtained by suppliers, producers and researchers who want to work with kratom and cannabis. Their monetization has not pleased many Thais, who see the use of their traditional medicines expropriated by major interests, when in fact everyone should have access to them, as was the case before the first half of the 20th century.

With its removal from the list of narcotics, despite several criticisms, kratom now awaits new legislation that will detail how the plant can be used. With its decriminalization already approved, the new law will take effect from August 2021, however its production will continue to be restricted until the so-called Kratom Law makes explicit its forms of use. In the meantime, the injustice of imprisoning people who were not harming anyone and who perhaps were only planting their natural painkiller, remains in force.