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Drugs
This Week in AsiaHealth & Environment

Hong Kong lawmakers call for controls on kratom, the supplement known as ‘legal heroin’

  • Kratom leaves contain chemical compounds that cause stimulatory or sedative effects similar to those in opioids such as heroin and opium
  • It is not regulated in Hong Kong and many other places, but legal and medical experts are saying it should be

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Yellow kratom powder sold by a retailer in western Kowloon, Hong Kong. The substance mirrors the effects of addictive opioids. Photo: Edmond So
Danny Mok

Hong Kong lawmakers have called for controls against a potentially addictive herbal substance known as “legal heroin” now available in the city.

Kratom, or ketum, is made from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree which is native to parts of Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Indonesia.

The leaves, which can be chewed, brewed as a tea or ground, contain chemical compounds that cause stimulatory or sedative effects in different doses. These effects are similar to those in the opioid drug class, which includes heroin and opium, some of the most addictive of all known substances.

An Indonesian kratom grower shows the bud of a kratom plant at a farm in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. Producers are cashing in on surging demand for the controversial herbal substance. Photo: AFP
An Indonesian kratom grower shows the bud of a kratom plant at a farm in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. Producers are cashing in on surging demand for the controversial herbal substance. Photo: AFP
Kratom has been used in traditional medicines in the region since at least the 19th century. But in recent years an increasing number of people in the United States and other parts of the world, especially those suffering serious opioid crises, have been using kratom as a mood booster, a pain reliever, and as a treatment for opioid addiction as a result of its ability to mirror the opioid drug class.

Many countries in both the developed and developing world have made kratom illegal, while some countries have partially legalised it or had petitions to legalise it, resulting in widespread debates on the substance.

In Hong Kong, kratom and its active ingredients mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are not regulated by law and are not named in the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance and the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance.

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