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A tropical Asian plant has made its way to Alabama – and onto a list of banned substances. It is called Kratom, and Alabama is the latest of six states to ban the substance. State legislature has placed Kratom in the same drug class as heroin.

Products containing Kratom were once commonly sold in gas stations and could be found online. After Governor Bentley signed a bill making Kratom a scheduled 1 controlled substance, anyone selling the mysterious substance could be facing criminal charges.

“It’s not been approved by the FDA, so you don’t know what’s in it!” says District Attorney Charlotte Tesmer. Tesmer herself admits she does not know much about the new drug, but does not want to see it become a problem in Butler County.

“It’s still new to me too, as well,” she says. “But it’s extremely addictive. And you can’t detect it.”

As of right now, there are no drug tests that can detect Kratom in the human body.

“This is not something that our normal tests that you might take at work, or you might take at school… You know, drug screening tests do not pick it up. So that’s another issue that we have. If someone is using it, you can’t prove it.”

So why did Alabama legislature ban the once easily bought substance? Kratom contains two alkaloids, Mitragynine and Hydroxymitragynine, that cause documented opioid effects and major addiction issues.

“On these Kratom bottles, they go by different names, but they… Hold itself out to be pain killers or things like that,” says Tesmer. “The ones I’ve seen, it’s almost like… People would think it’s a herb to help with a health issue. And that’s not what it is.”

Kratom can be found in pills, a liquid form or even just as a plant. The drug can be smoked, taken orally, snorted or brewed into tea. Both Tesmer and Butler County Sheriff Kenny Harden say this new drug can be just as addictive as heroin.

“If it’s something like that and there’s no medical purpose for it, then it’s not good for you,” Harden says about the drug. He and his deputies have been checking Butler County gas stations for products containing Kratom, hoping to stop a substance problem before it begins.

Harden says Kratom can be found in a number of products. The most commonly purchased products with Kratom include Green Vein, Krishina Green Malay, Krazy Kratom, K Chill, Kali Green Indo, Shiva Red Maeng Da, Phoria, Mitra Red Boreno, Space-K-det, Vita-Lize, Viva-Zen, Rela-K-zpro, K-shot, Dr. K and Matrix.

Gas station owners do not need to worry just yet if they think there are some products with Kratom on their shelves. Harden and Tesmer both agreed to a grace period to remove the items from stores. Owners can either dispose of the Kratom themselves or call Butler County Deputies to come take it. If the store owner is warned about the Kratom once, but continues to sell it, they could be in legal trouble.

“Store owners and stuff, if they’ve got it, if they’ll call us we’ll come by, pick it up, give them a receipt for it,” says Harden. “Because it is illegal. Now if you get caught with it, it’s a possession of a controlled substance.”

Store owners selling Kratom could even be charged with distributing a controlled substance, which can be tried as a felony. Research shows the two major alkaloids can be up to 13 times more powerful than morphine. Mitragynine can have stimulant effects in small doses, but act as a sedative in higher doses. Hydroxymitragnyne can be up to four times more powerful than Mitragnyne. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences claims there is “no legitimate medical use” for Kratom in the United States.