STATEHOUSE REPORT | ISSUE 24.36 | Sept. 5, 2025

BIG STORY: Kratom: Natural pain relief or ‘gas station heroin’?

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BIG STORY

Kratom: Natural pain relief or ‘gas station heroin’?

By Jack O’Toole, Capitol bureau | People in Southeast Asia have brewed tea with leaves from the kratom tree for centuries. It’s a long-trusted home remedy known to relieve minor aches and pains and put a spring in users’ steps.

Many experts characterize the tradition as relatively benign. But today, thanks to a distinctly American brew of modern science and entrepreneurial enthusiasm, that onc

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