JOURNAL OF LIAONING TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

A QUALITATIVE STUDY EXPLORING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DYNAMICS AND LEGAL DEBATES ON KRATOM (MITRAGYNA SPECIOSA KORTH.) IN MALAYSIA

Seuk Yen PHOONG, Seuk Wai PHOONG

Abstract:

Kratom or known as Mitragyna speciosa Korth, is a tropical medical plant from Southeast Asia, and it is used as a supplement in several countries. Kratom are mostly found in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Laos, and the Philippines. However, there are many countries that have outlawed Kratom products. Processing Kratom leaves and Kratom products are illegal in Malaysia. However, some political parties are calling for the legalization of Kratom products recently. The objective of this study is to investigate the socio-economic issues related to Kratom in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews with experts from government agencies, NGOs, industry, and local farmers are conducted in order to achieve the research objectives. Findings show that there are both positive and negative impacts of Kratom products, such as Kratom being used as an immediate treatment for stomach aches and diarrhea, providing energy for labor, and recovering energy for women after giving birth by locals in Northern Malaysia. However, Kratom is also said to cause addiction and threaten the users’ health if excessively used. In addition, Kratom is expected to generate income for the farmers and government, regardless of the misuse cases by teenagers and black market activities in Malaysia.

Index Terms- addiction, black market, Kratom, Mitragyna speciosa Korth, misuse