Kratom is becoming increasingly popular. As recently as 2019, 3 tons were imported into Sweden. Four years later, the import had more than tenfold, with the figure for 2023 landing at 42 tons.
One major reason is that the leaves can be chewed or used for tea – and then become a very strong drug.
The plant itself is legal, but if you brew tea from it, you're manufacturing narcotics at home, says Jenny Åberg, expert and chemist at the Customs Authority.
Now, the Public Health Agency wants kratom to be classified as a narcotic.
Many who import claim it's for soap production.
But it's also sold on sites where they simultaneously sell laughing gas and cannabis-like preparations, so one can doubt whether it's really going to be made into soap from 42 tons, says Jenny Åberg.
If the government follows the Public Health Agency's proposal and classifies kratom as a narcotic, the Customs Authority can stop the plant at the border.
The Customs Authority has for many years been pushing responsible authorities about the loophole in the legislation surrounding kratom.
It's been a bit unclear earlier. Just mitragynin, which is the substance found in the plant, has been classified as a narcotic for a long time. While the plant hasn't been. Then it becomes clearer what the intention is with the import, says Jenny Åberg.
Kratom is already classified as a narcotic in many European countries, including Denmark and Finland.
Corrected: In an earlier version, there was an incorrect figure for how much kratom was imported into Sweden in 2019.
Kratom is a tree whose leaves contain mitragynin, the main active substance.
The leaves are dried and chewed, smoked, or ground into powder for tea.
Kratom provides, in low doses, mild stimulating and euphoric effects, while larger doses produce opioid-like effects.
Risk of addiction development. Epileptic seizures and development of jaundice occur. Isolated deaths.
Source: The Poison Information Centre
