BUKIT MERTAJAM, Penang: Mohd Saad Che May has spent most of his life being addicted to heroin.
The Bukit Mertajam resident was incarcerated 15 times in 40 years and admitted to stealing money to fuel his addiction.
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“It was a living hell. I was in constant anxiety, thinking about how to get RM 50 (US$11.99) to buy the next tube to get high,” he said.
Mohd Saad Che May was imprisoned on 15 seaparate occasions in 40 years before drinking kratom helped him kick his heroin addiction. (Photo: Amir Yusof)
Mr Saad claimed he tackled his addiction when he started taking kratom, known locally as ketum. Kratom is a leaf hailed by locals for its pain-relieving and mildly stimulating effects.
He would pluck kratom leaves in his village, boil them for 4 to 5 hours, and drink the dark green fluid three times a day.
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“It has a bitter taste but it is a miracle drug. The idea of taking heroin made me vomit after I started drinking ketum,” said Mr Saad, who now works at a local mosque.
“Ive tried for years to kick my drug habit and its a huge relief to finally be able to get the proper medication,” he claimed.
Kratom is part of the coffee family, and people in northern Malaysia have been consuming it for centuries to treat back pain, fever, cough as well as diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
The parts of the kratom tree that are usually consumed are the leaves. (Photo: Amir Yusof)
However, it is regulated under Malaysias 1952 Poison Act, making it an offence to harvest or sell the plant. Growing the plant for personal consumption is considered a grey area.
The Malaysian government is considering amending this act, such that it would be an offence to plant kratom without permission.
According to Malaysias Deputy Health Minister Lee Boon Chye last July, the amendment will prohibit cultivation, planting, import, export, supply or ownership activities for psychoactive plants like kratom.
The move is to curb abuse of kratom, especially among young Malaysians, who mix it with cough syrup and caffeine.
Kratom leaves contain psychoactive ingredients that give stimulating, sedative and euphoric effects. They can also lead to addiction.
However, the amendments will be a tough pill to swallow for individuals like Mr Saad, who has been reliant on it to curb his heroin addiction.
Mohd Saad Che May drinks kratom three times in a day after each meal. (Photo: Amir Yusof)
“I am not addicted to kratom like how I was addicted to heroin. But (kratom) is a medicine for me, I drink it the right way,” he claimed.
“Who knows what will happen if I stop drinking it,” he said.
Besides consumers like Mr Saad, farmers who grow kratom in Bukit Mertajam will also be impacted.
IGNORING COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL?
Mr Mohamad Nakhoin Ismail, who has a quarter-acre kratom farm near his home in Kampung Permatang Rawa, told CNA that he cultivates the plants for research purposes.
He had hoped that the government would consider legalising commercial cultivation of kratom after recognising its medicinal properties, as exporting the leaves to Europe and United States where it is consumed for medicinal purposes would be a profitable venture.
Mr Nakhoin claimed that a US researcher once offered him US$30 per kilogram to export his leaves, but he was unable to make the deal because he did not want to break the law.
Mr Nakhoin at his kratom farm in Permatang Rawa. He is unable to commercialise his business as selling kratom leaves is illegal. (Photo: Amir Yusof)
“The law is old and archaic. If I were to sell these leaves overseas, I would be a rich man by now. And so too will my fellow neighbours,” he added.
Under Malaysian law, anyone found guilty of importing, exporting, manufacturing or selling kratom may be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed for four years.
In Mr Nakhoins village in Permatang Rawa, almost every household has a kratom plant. The hot and humid weather makes it conducive to grow kratom in the area, and Mr Nakhoin rues not being able to take advantage of its commercial potential.
Some kratom leaves at Mr Nakahoin's farm have been stolen. Robbers would cut off the branch and take a part of the tree with many leaves. (Photo: Amir Yusof)
“I urge the government to conduct more research on kratom, because Malaysia is missing out on a lot of money by turning away from such a lucrative business,” he added.
It is legal for farmers in Indonesia and Thailand to export kratom. According to data from 2016, 400 tonnes of kratom were exported to US from Southeast Asia monthly. Thus, the business was worth US$130 million annually.
KRATOM CONSUMED AT TOUR DE FRANCE
Kratom is also used in Europe. At the 2019 Tour De France, riders from Dutch team Jumbo-Visma drank ketones, a drink supplement, throughout the competition to aid in recovery and boost energy.
The supplement contains kratom, and its contents are not prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Another kratom farmer from Bukit Mertajam, who declined to be named, claimed that a European pharmaceutical company offered him “tens of thousands of ringgit” to supply ketum leaves for its manufacturing processes.
“I was tempted to say yes, but risking jail and fine was not worth it,” said the farmer, who consumes it himself to overcome his sinus issues and control his diabetes.
