BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Whether in a nearby gas station or your local smoke shop, you’ve likely seen kratom on the shelves of one store or another.
The plant, native to Southeast Asia, has similar effects on the brain as opioids, according to doctors. Some even believe it may be the solution to the opioid epidemic. But folks like state Representative Gabe Firment hold a different view.
“You know it’s a very dangerous drug and it’s not regulated at all. In fact, you know, we had a young man killed by a kratom overdose here in Grant parish and that’s really what prompted the interest at the local level,” said Rep. Firment (R).