REDDING, Calif. -- Kratom, a plant from Southeast Asia, has been a subject of controversy in the United States since its introduction after the Vietnam War. Despite its long history, the debate over its safety continues, with the plant gaining more attention in the early 2000s. Now a local group and residents who have been impacted by the plant are raising concerns over its availability.
Kratom is not widely known but is easily accessible, and available for purchase at most smoke shops and gas stations. Cathy Grindstaff is a project director for Shasta County Chemical People, a group focused on drug prevention among youth, who have been growing concerned over the ease of access to the plant for years.
"It can be ingested either smoking, tea, capsules," Grindstaff explained. "A lot of people use it in vaping products and so there's a lot of different ways to ingest it."
Grindstaff's organization has been campaigning for local regulation of the plant for years. Six states and Washington D.C. have banned the plants use, while thirteen have passed legislation legalizing and regulating sales of kratom products. However other than San Diego and Oceanside, who have both banned kratom, California currently has no laws directly regulating the plant. Which Grindstaff said leaves a lack of guidance on safe use.
"I'll take it until I feel good, but then at what point do you stop," she said. "Saying that's too much. So it's a little scary that there's no real rules on it or dosage requirements."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that kratom is commonly used for self-medication for issues ranging from lack of energy to anxiety to helping people overcome opioid addiction. However, the FDA does not recommend its use, citing a lack of supporting evidence.
Proponents like Mac Haddow from the American Kratom Association argue that kratom is similar to other plant-based drugs, and shouldn't be treated differently. While at the same time, not getting the body addicted like opioids would. Citing multiple studies they've backed have found health benefits from using kratom in moderation.
"There are many people that do not like the effects of pharmaceutical FDA-approved products," Haddow explained. "Because they just hit them differently and they prefer to have a milder substance and kratom can provide that."
In Redding and the rest of the Northstate, kratom products are readily available at smoke shops and even at local convenience stores. While generally kratom products are marked for 18 to 21 and above, identification checks can be inconsistent. The Northstate's News purchased a Kratom-based energy drink called 'Feel Free' at an AMPM on Lake Boulevard in Redding and were not asked to show ID. Grindstaff said she thinks cities need to take action.
"This is more of an individual, a local [choice]," Grindstaff said. "Where we need to, as a community, decide how dangerous this is, or not dangerous and have some local controls in place."
Online, kratom is even easier to find with just a Google search. Even on social media platforms that block directly searching the word kratom, just changing a few letters will show hundreds of people talking about using the product. Haddow believes that FDA regulation would create a safer environment, which is why the AKA has supported 13 states' passing of the Kratom Consumer Protection Act.
"When the FDA accepts its responsibility to regulate kratom it will be a safer environment," Haddow claimed. "People will be able to use it, and you will see the kratom marketplace explode in the United States because people find it to be the kind of plant that helps them in their daily lives."
Haddow shared that the AKA has been campaigning for the last decade to get the FDA to recognize kratom as something safe for consumers. While it's technically legal for use, multiple agencies including both the World Health Organization and the DEA list it as a "drug of concern". Official recognition of kratom has been slowed by stories of addiction from people like Bobby Decker.
"It was just basically like hey it's natural," Decker explained. "You know, it's kind of like a pain reliever. Gives you energy... Stuff like that."
Decker said he was introduced to it on a job as a way to keep awake, but over the years he had to take more and more, to the point he says it felt euphoric.
"Kind of like taking Norco, you know," he said, explaining the feeling of taking large kratom doses. "It made you feel no pain. It made you feel good, a lot of energy. Stuff like that."
Decker said it quickly took a darker turn. At the height of his addiction, Decker claimed he was buying up to $80 in kratom products per day. He explained it hurt his marriage as he hid his addiction for the next four years from friends and family. He said he attempted to get off it four times until finally being able to overcome it this last fall.
"My daughter called me and said 'daddy, why are you doing this to yourself,' and that was it right there."
The Northstate's News reached out to Dignity Health, the operator of the Mercy Medical Center in Redding, they said this on kratom:
"We have not seen a noticeable impact from this particular drug at Mercy Medical Center Redding. However, we remain vigilant and committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our patients and the community."
To claims of addictions like Decker's, Haddow says it's something they've only seen in people with addictive personalities. He claimed that due to its nature, people can not get addicted to kratom like they would with opioids or heroin. Instead, he admitted it can create a dependency much like you would see with coffee or alcohol.
"They can have problematic issues that require medical intervention, but generally if you want to walk away from kratom dependency you stop taking it," Haddow said. He went on to explain that those dependent on kratom will face withdrawal symptoms for at least a week. These can include nausea, anxiety, and neonatal abstinence syndrome for those who are pregnant.
Decker admitted he's always had an addictive personality, but said there's not enough warning or knowledge on these products for it to be safe.
"It should be taken off the market. I don't think it should be available at all," Decker explained. "I mean if it is, it should be well controlled like toboxin or something like that."
There was a bill introduced in August of 2024 by Assemblymember Matt Haney to the California Assembly that would have required regulations for kratom products, but that died in committee. The staff of Haney said while it remains a priority for Haney, they believe a repeat bill would have little chance for success in this upcoming session.