Kratom rush in Thailand as producers eye US exports of opioid-like herb

The US kratom market is estimated to be valued at more than US$1 billion annually, much of which is currently imported from Indonesia

But the opioid alternative is under review by the WHO’s drug dependence committee and the US FDA has warned consumers about it

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Thailand on August 24 decriminalised kratom, a tropical leaf long used as a herbal remedy but which some health regulators around the world have criticised as potentially unsafe. Photo: Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board Handout / AFP

Published: 6:04pm, 12 Sep 2021Updated: 8:32pm, 12 Sep 2021

Sittichai Komam did not waste time once Thailand in late August decriminalised kratom, a coffee-like plant native to Southeast Asia that can give users a mild high. Within hours, the entrepreneur was on Facebook selling freshly picked kratom leaves, sourced from his neighbourhood in southern Thailand, to local consumers.

Popular in the United States, where advocates say it is an opioid alternative but critics say it is a dangerous drug, kratom is the latest herb the Thai government has legalised for production. Though producers can only sell domestically for now, Thailand has plans to allow exports, potentially enabling local dealers to become suppliers to the US, the world’s most lucrative market.

“A lot of the older villagers kept kratom trees to harvest and eat its leaves,” Sittichai, 31, said. “After it became legal, I started collecting and buying the leaves to help them earn extra income.”

A leaf of a kratom plant on a farm in Nonthaburi, Thailand. Photo: Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board Handout / AFP

Already, the domestic response has been overwhelming: one week after Sittichai launched, he stopped advertising because Thai orders were coming in faster than villagers could harvest the crop.

Still, Thai consumers have many options on social media platforms such as Facebook or e-commerce outlets like Sea Ltd.-backed Shopee, where hundreds of new posts offer stacks of fresh leaves for roughly 100 baht (US$3.09) per 100 grams.

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Kratom rush in Thailand as producers eye US exports of opioid-like herb

The US kratom market is estimated to be valued at more than US$1 billion annually, much of which is currently imported from Indonesia But the opioid alternative is under review by the WHO’s drug dependence committee and the US FDA has warned consumers about it

The US kratom market is estimated to be valued at more than US$1 billion annually, much of which is currently imported from Indonesia

But the opioid alternative is under review by the WHO’s drug dependence committee and the US FDA has warned consumers about it