Some might have an inkling when they hear the words Mitragyna speciosa but it's still not a well-known botanical term. When you say kratom, however, most people know exactly what you mean. It's a Thai name for a substance harvested from the dried leaves of said tree. And a hot topic to boot. Should it be freely available, banned, or regulated?
It is the topic of lively discussion between doctors, narcotics experts, politicians, and, naturally, also the public. Experts are preparing a regulatory framework, which the Minister of Healthcare Vlastimil Válek (TOP 09) is eagerly waiting for. And if everything is managed on time, there's a chance that the use of kratom won't be banned but rather regulated, similar to the sale of alcohol or cigarettes. It's not just doctors or politicians but also many distributors who are in favor of regulation rather than an all-out ban. One major player in this sector is Weedy.cz. "We are absolutely in favor of regulation, it's the only possible solution," confirms co-owner of the store Daniel Janata.
What's the biggest issue with unregulated sales?
One essential problem is that there can be no indication of kratom being intended for consumption according to current regulations but if a person sticks to small doses, there is no way that they could be in danger. We aren't permitted to put information such as the recommended or maximum allowed dose, risk of combining it with drugs, contraindications with certain diseases, and others on our website or the packaging because it's not officially meant for consumption, it's merely a collector's item. It's a grey area in the market and we're trying to help make it legal. Regulation would solve that. Kratom packaging would contain this data, it couldn't be sold to people under 18 years of age; we absolutely want to have the mention of combining it with drugs and to have all of this information appear on both the packaging and the websites of all distributors. An all-out ban is not appropriate in our opinion. Also due to the fact that it would significantly limit research into kratom for medical purposes. And it would still remain in society, it would just fully migrate to the black market, there would be no quality control, etc.
Sanitary control isn't required now either, seeing as it's a de jure collector's item, no?
Exactly. However, we at Weedy.cz have been trying to get ahead of this from the very beginning. We noticed, for instance, that other distributors use cheap packaging for their kratom. We decided to supply it in food-grade packaging even though it's considered to be a collector's item. Furthermore, we have been testing our products in a lab at UCT from the start, so our kratom is completely harmless in terms of microbial safety or any kind of contamination.
Would the new regulation also mean the end of CBD vending machines?
Yes, we think so. We at Weedy.cz are resolutely against having these products sold in vending machines. There is no way to do direct quality control, and when a vending machine is placed in direct sunlight, for instance, it gets heated up, which leads to the deterioration of its contents. Furthermore, anyone can buy kratom from a vending machine, including children. And that's certainly not the way things should be.
EXPERT OPINION
Tom Philipp, MD, physician, MP, and vice-chair of KDU-ČSL
Kratom, a favored substance among today's youth, is sold freely and easily accessible. Similarly to its close relative Coffea, kratom is an addictive substance, and it's hard to believe that it isn't subject to any kind of quality control or regulation that could detect the possible presence of toxic substances. Therefore, the production and distribution of kratom will need to be regulated, its quality diligently controlled, and its sale to underage persons limited by legislation.
The tree grows primarily in Indochina and Southeast Asia
The leaves are dried before processing
ad
Copyright © 2024, The BUSINESS SOIRÉE
