- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
The debate over kratom's effectiveness continues. After Denver banned the herbal substance, supporters came out in droves to advocate for the plant that some say can ween people off opioids. Others claim that it is an addictive, overhyped substance. And after we published a story in which one user argued that kratom had ruined his life, readers were quick to respond. Says Luke:
Sucks for him. Kratom saved my life from heroin addiction.
Adds Rachel:
Kratom is a derivative of the coffee plant, its chemical makeup is nowhere near marijuana or any illegal drug... the guy's own account of his "addiction" literally sounds like an average coffee-drinker. Guys, you can be addicted to ANYTHING if you really try. What's next, Westword? You gonna start writing about the "addicted" people who eat cotton balls every day?
Jeffrey argues:
I worked with a guy who would drink Kratom all day. It would give him a little pep for an hour or so, and then he would crash so hard that he would pass out virtually anywhere, including the parking lot. He didn’t have a car.
Broderick notes:
Nice propaganda piece.
Keep reading for more stories about kratom.

"Kratom, Marijuana Can Help People Kick Opiates, Addiction Expert Says"

"Clean Kratom Wellness Center's Faith Day Faces Down the Feds"

"Inside the War on Kratom in Denver and Beyond"

"If Kratom Sales Are Banned, Advocate Says, Users May Go Back to Heroin"

"Colorado Herbal Imports Opens Second Outpost for Kratom and More in Glendale"
The Denver-area resident who spoke at length to Westword warned that kratom isn't always benign, especially for people like him with addictive personalities. In his words, "Kratom ruined my life."
Even many proponents acknowledge that kratom isn't entirely risk-free. One example is Roxanne Gullikson, facility director for Portland, Maine's Greener Pastures Holisticare, which has developed a treatment program using kratom and marijuana to help people hooked on heroin to kick the habit. "Some people can become dependent on kratom for two simple reasons," she said in February. "One is that it works, and as humans, we're naturally attracted to anything that works. But it's also a plant in the coffee family, and coffee can have that effect, too."
Gullikson added, "If you don't use kratom mindfully, it does have factors where you can build a tolerance to it — so if you're using a lot of it, you need higher amounts. But I personally know people who take high doses of kratom every day, and it's done nothing but give them their lives back, because they're not using the pharmaceutical that turned them into addicts."
What do you think about kratom? Let us know in a comment or a note to editorial@westword.com.
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.