Bourne is the first town on Cape Cod to ban the sale of kratom, which is a plant-based, opiate-like substance that is sold in gas stations and convenience stores across the country.
That's according to Jack Styler of the Provincetown Independent.
CAI's Gilda Geist spoke with Jack recently to learn more about local attitudes toward kratom and its synthetic derivative, 7-OH.
Gilda Geist What is kratom and what is 7-OH?
Jack Styler Kratom is the name of a tree originally from Southeast Asia that has leaves that if someone brews them or chews on them can produce a stimulant- or opiate-like effect, depending on the dosage. People in Southeast Asia have been using kratom leaves for centuries, but in recent years, products made from ground-up kratom leaves have been sold as shot-like drinks, pills or powder in convenience stores and gas stations across the country. 7-OH, on the other hand, stands for 7-hydroxymitragynine, which is an alkaloid found in the kratom plant. 7-OH products greatly increase the amount of 7-OH delivered to users, making it more potent and potentially more addictive.
GG What did you find in your reporting about kratom and 7-OH availability and use on the Cape?
JS Kratom and 7-OH products are available over the counter in many gas stations and convenience stores on Cape Cod. Though there aren't any state or federal regulations on these products, many of the vendors I spoke to required that buyers prove that they are 21 by showing ID in order to buy kratom or 7-OH products.
GG How is it possible that gas stations and convenience stores can legally sell this opiate-like substance, as you call it in your article?
JS Well, it's possible because kratom right now falls in a sort of gray zone of oversight. That's because many Americans have said that kratom has helped them manage chronic pain without relying on traditional opiates. In fact, in 2016, when the DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] announced its intention to make kratom a Schedule I drug, the agency backed off that decision after a large public outcry and pushback from the American Kratom Association, lawmakers and scientists who argued that a ban would hamper research and potentially stop people from using something that was helping them deal with chronic pain. 7-OH, on the other hand, has really only been on the market in the U.S. In the last two years or so. And the federal government has announced its intention to schedule 7-OH, but that was before the federal shutdown, which paused that process.
GG In a place like Cape Cod that has been so deeply impacted by the opioid crisis, how are health and addiction experts, town boards and committees and advocates thinking about the potential impact of this drug?
JS Well, the addiction experts I spoke to for this article did not in any way advocate for people to start using kratom, but they acknowledged that it is a difficult issue. Some emphasize that a fear-based, War-on-Drugs-style campaign against kratom may not be the most effective approach. So far, only Bourne has done anything to try to limit kratom sales on the Cape. In a pretty unusual Board of Health meeting in Bourne in late October, over 20 people from across the country called in. Some speakers said kratom had given them a new chance at life, while five mothers who had lost their children to Kratom-related overdoses also called in, advocating for the board to ban the sale of the substance completely in Bourne. Ultimately, the Bourne Board of Health did go through with a complete ban of kratom sales.
GG Did you hear directly from anyone who had a negative experience with kratom?
JS I didn't hear directly from anyone, but I did talk to someone from AIDS Support Group [of Cape Cod], who said that she met people coming into AIDS Support Group seeking help because they started using kratom and then felt dependent on it and that they had to keep using it and felt that they first turned to kratom because they thought it might be a better alternative for them, but then eventually felt like they may be actually addicted to kratom. And it's also worth noting that these products can be quite expensive and if you have to keep going back to buy more and more of them, that tab can run up quite quickly.
For more information, check out Jack’s full story in the Provincetown Independent.
