How do we present kratom to a person dependent on opioids like Oxycontin, Tranq, Benzo dope, fentanyl, carfentanyl?
First, we must determine why the person is using opioids.
Are they merely seeking pleasure hedonistically? Do they just want to “get high” for fun? Is it a situation where they had no legitimate medical for pain killers, and in pursuing chemical thrills, they accidentally or uncaringly got hooked?
Buddhist teachings state that craving/addiction may begin with euphoria, but ends in unsought misery (my paraphrase). It’s a slippery slope that takes us where we don’t want to go. The beginning is seemingly fine, but the eventual destination is a living hell.
This is tricky. You should err on the side of caution, rather than be too “nice” about it.
You may actually be better off rejecting this person as a candidate for kratom. In other words, you might not want to introduce them to kratom in such a case. If you think they’ll abuse kratom by lustfully taking too much too often. And if they simply add kratom to the other drugs they’re using, it might be fatal. So-called kratom deaths are never due to using kratom by itself, but happen when people mix kratom with alcohol, cocaine, crystal meth, heroin, and other substances.
So you have to correctly evaluate the situation.
I spoke to a nurse about these issues. She was thrilled to learn about kratom. She was open-minded and receptive to discovering new ways to deal with pain via natural substances. I gave her some Leaf of Life Botanicals business cards, showed her my stash of kratom powder in bags and kratom liquid extract shot bottles, explaining how to use these products.
But later in our conversation, then she mentioned a male patient whom she knows is hoarding fentanyl and seems to be abusing opioids, even while having a legit medical need for pain relief. That’s when I warned her that kratom is not something this guy should be told about. He sounded like the kind of person who would gleefully just add kratom to his current drug load.
Second, we must determine, that if the person has a real, authentic medical issue that kratom is designed for, and has no history of abusing drugs, and that person also has a strong and honest desire to get off the opioids (or benzos, alcohol, hallucinogens, etc.). If all they want to do is experiment and use kratom as just another recreational party drug, it’s not smart to tell them about kratom.
May these preliminary thoughts on this topic provoke you to consider very carefully who you talk with about kratom.
