FARGO — Ahead of North Dakota's kratom ban going into effect Wednesday, Aug. 5, the vice president of North Dakota's Public Health Association is sharing what makes the substance so dangerous.
Dr. Mark Strand said the main issue with kratom is that it's not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. So, kratom products can vary widely in dosage, and there's no way to know what's actually in them.
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Strand said what we do know about kratom is that it activates the same reward pathways in the brain as opioids.
Which is why Strand said by using kratom, people run the risk of addiction and misuse.
Strand says kratom can also cause liver damage, breathing problems and death, especially when combined with alcohol and other drugs.
"It's unfair to ask your population, especially the younger people or others who might be using it to be the lab rats upon whom these drugs are first tested. We should be testing them in controlled studies," Strand said.
In May, the North Dakota Public Health Association proposed a resolution to legislators, asking them to both ban kratom and to classify it as a controlled substance.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong's 30-day ban on kratom goes into effect Wednesday. The Legislature will convene a special session on kratom starting Sept. 2.