The scream of “CHARGE!” in the latest drug war skirmish originated in Montgomery, and has quickly caused (a.) a furor and (b.) a mobilization of law enforcement.

SB226, introduced by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, and passed on the final day of the 2016 legislative session, makes kratom a Schedule 1 controlled substance — illegal — in Alabama. (Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, introduced a similar bill in the House, which didn’t make it to the floor for a vote.)

For the botanically challenged (or disinterested), kratom (scientific name Mitragyna speciosa) is an evergreen tree, part of the coffee family, native to Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

It’s been used there as a mood enhancer and anxiety reducer, and even to treat diarrhea. However, many believe — anecdotally, as there has been no serious medical or scientific research — it’s useful in treating chronic pain and in managing withdrawal from opioids.

So it’s no surprise that kratom has made its way to the U.S., where according to the National Health Institute, 11.2 percent of adults are in pain daily, and an opioid crisis has metastasized.

The result has been cases of people kicking their opioid addiction — only to become addicted to kratom and suffering withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking it.

The plant also carries some nasty side effects — confusion, constipation, delusions, depressed appetite and breathing, hallucinations, insomnia and seizures.

Kratom is listed as a “drug of concern” by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Food and Drug Administration two years ago authorized the seizure of any shipments into the U.S.

That hasn’t stopped its presence at convenience stores and tobacco shops, much like synthetic marijuana used to be before it also was banned. It also can be obtained online and in some places there actually are “kratom bars.”

However, Etowah County officials have issued the sternest and clearest of warnings — if they find you with the stuff, you’re going to jail. (It’s a Class D felony that can net you up to five years in prison.)

Within hours of Gov. Robert Bentley signing SB226 into law on Tuesday, they raided local merchants who’d been selling the plant and confiscated a bunch of the stuff.

This wasn’t Etowah County showboating; law enforcement in other counties did the same thing.

The passage of the law itself wasn’t Alabama going off on some wild-haired tangent. It’s the fifth state to make kratom illegal, five more states are about to do so and a federal ban seems inevitable.

Kratom defenders — who according to Butler descended on the State House much like 1800s office-seekers in the pre-Civil Service days, pleading the plant’s case — are, naturally, upset. Some say Kratom is easing their pain and, more importantly, getting them off worse substances.

We’re not going to make light of anyone’s suffering, but exchanging one addiction for another, or self-treating medical problems with a packet of “Zombie Matter” or “K Chill” (two names under which the plant has been sold) purchased at a convenience store doesn’t strike us as wise or productive.

Plus there’s no way to tell how many people are buying the plant to reduce pain, and how many are buying it because it’s the newest way to get cranked.

We’ve not had a lot of positive things to say about this legislative session, but we think this bill was on target. We realize chemists and botanists won’t stop producing these substances, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be dealt with one at a time.