The plant grows wild in various places in Asia, especially in Thailand, and can grow up to 15 meters tall trees. But despite the fact that the leaves contain the narcotic substance mitragynine, it is completely legal to bring into the country.
"It can enter plant form, as powder or in capsules, and is then completely legal to bring into the country," says Oscar Lindvall.
Marketed as soap
It is possible to order kratom online, primarily for soap production, but Oscar Lindvall does not believe that this is the intended use.
"My assessment is that it is very unlikely that this large import will only be used for soap production.
Mitragynine is highly addictive and in lower doses has a cocaine-like effect, in higher doses the user gets a heroin-like high. Above all, it is younger people who get drunk on it.
"Stoppable"
Anyone who uses the plant as a drug, for example, can make tea from it.
"If you produce tea from this plant, it can be a question of a drug offence because you produce the active substance that is classified as a narcotic," says Oscar Lindvall
Oskar Lindvall believes that it could be possible to stop the import of the plant.
"If we had had a so-called family classification for preparations, this plant would have been classified as a narcotic, but it is up to the legislator to look at it," says Oscar Lindvall.