A feel-good herb for the next online shopping promotion coming 9.9, maybe?
Shoppers can now pick up any variety of kratom two days after it became Thailand’s newest decriminalized drug, as enterprising souls have brought the good news to online platforms with many listings of the “folk remedy.”
From the feeds of Facebook and Twitter to popular click-and-buys such as Shopee and Lazada, kratom products ranging from plants, seeds and leaves to a bag of “organic tea” can now be found. Some vendors sell the leaves for up to THB600 (US$18) per kilogram while the seeds sprout up to THB4,000 for 100 grams.
Kratom was formerly listed as a Class 5 narcotic before Tuesday’s legalization, eight months after lawmakers gave it the green light to a new cash crop for farmers.
Decriminalization will also help all those packed into overcrowded Thai prisons on drug convictions, tens of thousands of which are prosecuted annually. Kratom combines opioid-like properties with all the fun of a stimulant. The door was opened to consumption for medical purposes along with cannabis in early 2019.
You can grow your own, too. Since Tuesday, kratom can be legally grown by households or sold commercially. Don’t sell it to kids or pregnant women though, that’s still a crime. Want to mix it up with other substances? Also not allowed, but that’s unlikely to stop you from trying.
Kratom does fill those opioid receptors however and should be handled with care – it is addictive.