Who Makes use of Natural Kratom?

By On May 1, 2021

By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter

THURSDAY, April 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Herbal kratom is used by less than 1% of the US population, but the rate is much higher in those who abuse opioid pain medication, according to a new study.

Kratom is used to treat pain and opioid withdrawal. However, it carries the risk of addiction and harmful side effects, which has led the US Food and Drug Administration and Drug Enforcement Administration to identify kratom as a “very worrisome drug.”

While the herbal substance is legal, it has been linked to thousands of poisonings and hundreds of deaths in the United States, most of which also involved the use of other drugs, particularly opioids.

In the new study, researchers examined data collected from more than 56,000 U.S. teenagers and adults during the 2019 National Drug Use and Health Survey.

Overall, 0.7% of respondents used kratom in the past year, but use was more common among people who used other drugs, including cannabis, stimulants, and cocaine.

continuation

Kratom use was particularly high among those who abuse prescription opioids and highest (10%) among those with opioid use disorder, the results showed.

Men, whites, and people with depression and severe mental illness were also more likely to report using kratom. According to the study published April 29 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, teens and adults over 50 were less likely to report use.

“This study adds to our understanding of the prevalence of kratom and its relationship to opioid abuse,” said study author Joseph Palamar. He is an Associate Professor of Population Health at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine.

“More research is needed to determine the drug’s effectiveness in treating opioid withdrawal, and more research is needed to determine how safe this substance is in combination with other drugs,” Palamar said in a NYU news release. .

More information

The US National Institute on Drug Abuse has more about kratom.

SOURCE: New York University, press release, April 29, 2021