History of Kratom in Thailand

Thailand has a long and storied history when it comes to Kratom. In Thailand Kratom has grown in the wild for hundreds of years and is the origin of many other regional species of Kratom that users know and love today. Kratom has been regarded as a culturally significant plant in Thai society since the 19th century, and began to be cultivated with the goal of providing Kratom for human consumption in the early 1900’s.

Kratom is known as the evergreen tree in Thailand, Ketum (Biak) in Malaysia, and Neithum in Laos. The name Kratom itself is a Thai word that means “Hut” and is used to describe the shape of the Kratom tree. Another word for a particular species of Kratom leaf is Maeng Da, which also a Thai word that means “Horseshoe Crab”.

Kratom has been historically used in Thailand in local communities for the treatment of pain, cough, fever, enhancement of work performance; and as a natural substitute for substances like synthetic opioids. There are various forms of Kratom consumption that exist in Southeast Asia, but mainly fresh Kratom leaves are often chewed or boiled to produce a decoction. Today most marketplaces sell fresh Kratom leaves and is readily available throughout most of Thailand.

Wild Kratom In Thailand

Most Kratom before the 1900's was wild Kratom that grew in the jungle and remote ares in the south of Thailand. However, it wasn't until it was domesticated that we have the Kratom we know and love today. This was through generations of improvement through both selective breeding and careful agricultural practices that optimized the alkaloid profile of the Kratom leaf.

Perhaps you are asking the question, "Is wild Thai Kratom available to users and is it the same as domesticated Thai Kratom?". The answer to both these questions is simply No. The reason is because it isn't as potent as domesticated Kratom and because it grows in very remote areas making it hard to come by. These two reasons are why it would be pointless to harvest wild Kratom, and why you don't find wild Kratom even in Thai marketplaces.

Thailand's Environment: Conditions Perfect for Kratom

Bangkok, Thailand is considered to be one of the hottest places in the world. So one could imagine that it gets pretty hot in Thailand. Fortunately Kratom trees are a tree that thrives in the heat and high humidity. Paired with these two factors, the moist and acidic soil create the perfect environment for Kratom trees to grow. Actually these are the reasons why Kratom leaves grow so fast that they can be harvested again only after 15 to 30 days. Sometimes the leaves will even skip from white to red because Thailands environment is simply the perfect place for them. Many of these reason are why Kratom is also very difficult to grow outsides of its natural environment. There are those who try to grow it using greenhouses but that is simply not conducive to growing it for large productions.

The Criminalization and Decriminalization of Thai Kratom

Despite local communities in Thailand viewing Kratom as a traditional remedy and not as an illicit drug, Thailand criminalized Kratom in 1943. The Thai legislature banned Kratom with a law known as the Kratom Act 2486. This obviously caused tensions between local communities and government authorities. Before the Kratom Act 2486 the government wanted to regulate the high prices of products in the opioid market. As a result, the popularity of Kratom grew exponentially which cost the government greatly. After the Kratom Act 2486 was put in place, Kratom was classified as an illegal substance. Consequently, the growing of Kratom as well as the domestic use and sale were prohibited.

Though the governments actions in 1943 were clear, in 1979 Kratom was reclassified as a “Schedule 5” narcotic in Thailand, making it the lowest priority of prohibited substances. This was called the Narcotic Drugs Act (NDA, 1979). However, the legal basis for the enforcement of the NDA was highly inconsistent. According to the NDA, a landowner is guilty of possession if any Kratom was found growing on their private land. On the other hand, Kratom was a restricted plant under the Forest Act (FA, 1975) and its destruction required permission. Obviously this caused great confusion and tension between Kratom possession or destruction.

At the end of 2019 Thailand's stance on Kratom change as the government legalized the production, possession, and use of Cannabis and Kratom for medical purposes. While this did not fully decriminalize Kratom it did allow producers to Kratom, and those with a prescription use Kratom-based medication. At that time holding up to 10 kilograms of Kratom without permission from the Thai government would have been considered as ‘possession for use’ which holds a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a fine of 50,000 Baht.

As of August 2021 Thailand has fully decriminalized both Cannabis and Kratom for recreational use. Thailand has officially removed Kratom from the list of controlled narcotics. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said:

"thousands of legal cases for the possession or sale of kratom were being dropped, and 121 inmates convicted in such cases would be released immediately. Possession of Kratom had been punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of as much as 200,000 baht ($6,077) for quantities of 10 kilograms (22 pounds) or more."



Today, Thai Kratom is more widely available than ever before, and fresh leaves can be found in any marketplace as well as many restaurants selling Kratom tea. With a powerful alkaloid profile, it is no wonder that Thailand produces some of the finest Kratom in the world. 

Conclusion

Thailand was the point of origin for Kratom and a large part of Thailand's culture for over a century. Many historical records claim Kratom to be dragon food and despite the political issues science has prevailed in the legalization of Kratom in Thailand. As a company that works directly with Thai farmers Dragon Organics is proud to be a part of this history. Thailand's decision to legalize Kratom will open doors to new clinical studies and treatments. Dragon Organics will look to the future and help standardize the production of Kratom from farm to consumer.