Opinion: A wider look at kratom and Connecticut

Iread with interest the article in the Hartford Courant about the pending regulations of kratom.

Unfortunately, the journalist and those quoted in the article seem to intermingle facts about kratom-derived products, such as isolated concentrated synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) opioid products and natural leaf kratom, in ways that can be misleading.

As a leading kratom researcher and distinguished professor and chair of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy , there is context that readers, regulators, and legislators need to understand.

There is a Mitragyna speciosa tree in Southeast Asia whose leaves are commonly known as kratom. These leaves can be dried and crumbled into a greenish-brown powder, producing natural leaf kratom. Natural leaf krato