A BAN on ketum will kill chances of further research on its ability to cure drug addiction, as well as hurt the livelihood of farmers enjoying a good income due to American demand for the traditional medicinal plant.

Ketum gets a bad rap in Malaysia because it is not well understood and abused as a stimulant when mixed with other ingredients, said Universiti Sains Malaysia researcher Dr Darshan Singh.

What is not widely known is that on its own, ketum does not have a negative impact on the human body. It becomes dangerous only when mixed with substances like cough medicine. Locally, this concoction is known as “cakoroi”.

Darshan said the truth about ketum, or Mitragyna speciosa, is that it has long been used safely in Malaysia – steeping its leaves to make tea.

Breaking the negative perception surrounding ketum is difficult because of some researchers’ strong views and media outlets focusing on its abuse, he said.

What is worrying, said Darshan, is the government’s plan to amend laws to ban ketum entirely, as last announced in 2017 when Barisan Nasional was in power.

In the US, however, ketum is used as a substitute for methadone to treat heroin addiction.

Darshan, who is conducting studies on ketum with the University of Florida, said there is a lot of potential for further research in this area.

“The common perception of ketum is its use as ‘cakoroi’. But having researched ketum, I don’t believe it is dangerous. It is only dangerous when mixed with other drugs and with cough medicine.”

Known as “kratom” in the US, a kilogramme of the plant can fetch between RM400 and RM500 on the international market.

Ketum has also been linked to the deaths of drug users in the US.

Darshan said these deaths involved fake or synthetic ketum extract mixed with other drugs and processed into powder or tablet form.

Such pills are sold online and taken as recreational drugs, he said.

“In the US deaths, the post-mortem showed that there were other toxic poisons present, not just ketum. We found seven or eight other types of prohibited drugs. These were more likely to have caused the deaths.”

He said he hopes Malaysia will not rush to ban ketum, as there is much research to be done.

“I worry that ketum might be placed under the Dangerous Drugs Act. For now, it is under the Poisons Act, which still allows us to conduct research because the plant is controlled.

“If it is banned completely, people will not be able to plant ketum, and this will impact the livelihood of farmers. It will also kill our research.”

The government should listen to all stakeholders before making a decision, he said.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the Poisons Act would be amended to control the supply, export and mass cultivation of ketum. – July 31, 2019.