KETUM BAN IN MALAYSIA - STATUS?

KETUM PLANT (Mitragyna speciosa) is also known as 'biak' in Local Bahasa Malaysia are considered as plant herb. In Thailand, the leaf is known as 'krathom'. Scientists, however, refer to this interesting plant as the indigenous psychotropic plant of Southeast Asia. Part of the coffee family in which ketum trees can be found growing wildly in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia and in the central and southern parts of Thailand. There have been mixed reports about ketum and its effects. Researchers, cultivators and our grandparents insist that ketum has an array of medicinal value. However, the government is intent on banning the leaf on concerns of abuse and addiction. This article decided to dig a little deeper to better understand ketum.  Actually, how is it used? For the past 100 years or so reported that the ketum leaf has been used this way in Malaysia for social and medicinal purposes.  Ketum leaves can be chewed, smoked, or brewed into a herbal tea. However, those using the leaf for its medicinal properties advise that it is best consumed as a tea brewed by boiling just a handful of the leaves in water. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" bpog try to discuss about the move to ban ketum in Malaysia for references.

For long, many rural folks in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia know that ketum used as an intractable aspect of their socio-culture, and it is often are consumed in the community during social gatherings. Usually, the ketum leaves brewed as a tea (see picture next).  Although there has been any scientific evidence to support claims many villagers in Kedah, Perlis, and Pulau Pinang swear that the ketum ability to regulate blood sugar levels of diabetic patients and help with malaria, hypertension, and stomach worms. From a study by the USM researcher known as Dr Darshan Singh, in the 1930s ketum was also widely used to help control opioid addiction and to suppress withdrawal symptoms experienced by opioid addicts when opium itself was unavailable or unaffordable. There are also report that the ketum pills sold in the USA and Thailand is one of the most producers of ketum product in various formulation. Anyhow currently, the United States is the number one importer of ketum for its pain and anxiety relief effects. Tgere are huge demand for this product in an international market.

Actually how is ketum abused?. Large batches of ketum leaves need to be boiled to produce a potent tea (See picture). From the scientific reports stated that the extracts from the plants by the name of Mitragyna speciosa contain the active ingredient mitragynine which feels like a lot like being on morphine and heroin despite having a completely different chemical structure. Ketum is also not as addictive as morphine and heroin, with reports stating that withdrawal syndrome of ketum only lasts for about 2-3 days compared to morphine and heroin which can last for weeks. Its effects are said to be a dose-dependent and it can act as a stimulant at lower doses while large doses lead to a stupor. Due to this effect, heavy consumption of ketum on a daily basis can result in dependency and addiction. Nowadays those who regularly abuse the leaf tend to make the herbal tea by boiling large numbers of leaves in water to create a concentrated solution of mitragynine and it is mixed with other substances such as alcohol, opiates, methamphetamines and amphetamines to increase its effects.

In Malaysia interestingly despite the addictive properties of ketum, scientists have not been able to link its use with any serious health effects other than addiction and withdrawal symptoms that last 2 to 3 days. Of course, more long term research is required to confirm this. Ketum commercial planting are considered illegal in Malaysia. Ketum use is regulated under Section 30(3) of the Poisons Act 1952. It has been listed as a third schedule poison and it is an offence to harvest and sell the plant in Malaysia, though planting a couple of ketum trees in your garden is not. For several years now, the government has been trying to ban the plant entirely as it is seen as a gateway drug and authorities fear that if the plant is not banned it will encourage abuse in the country. In the latest report on the matter, the Kedah state government wants to give incentives to ketum growers in the state to switch to other crops. In Indonesia and Thailand, ketum has been banned for domestic consumption. But Indonesia still allows its export in unprocessed form and has been cashing in on the crop for years due to the high demand from the USA. By criminalising the use of ketum would technically go against the Health Ministry as recent move to decriminalise drug usage and there have been fears among the scientific community that a ban could possibly increase the number of opioid addicts in the country. There are activity to destroy the illegal ketum plant in few nothren states in Peninsular Malaysia by authority. Thanks...

By,

M Anim,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(November 2020).

Updated August 2023.