Kratom in the news
No Ketum abuse cases in Sabah
Daily Express, 11 December, 2004
Kota Kinabalu - There have been no reports in Sabah of the existence or abuse of the ketum tree which is said to have been used by some drug addicts in the peninsula to complement their cravings.
Many cases of abuse of the tree, whose leaves can be processed into a hallucinogen, have been detected in the northern part of the peninsula, especially Terengganu, with an increasing number of people in Hulu Perak reportedly hooked on it. A spokesman of the Sabah Police Contingent Narcotics Department said although there have been no reports of ketum tree abuse in the State, the department is always on the alert for such cases."This is because Sabah still has a lot of jungles that have not been explored, so we do not know if there are such trees". Although the ketum tree is not scheduled under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (DDA), abusers can still be prosecuted under the Poisons Act 1952. "However, the Government is currently studying the effects of such leaves and is considering including ketum leaves under Schedule 1 of the DDA," said the spokesman.
An Internet source reported former Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng as saying that studies on the effects of the plant have been carried out since 1990. Chua said one compound of the plant called "mitragynine" has effects similar to that of morphine, which is what has become a concern for the public and the authorities, although the tree has been reported to have some medicinal values. The Ministry has conducted tests on 54 ketum users in 1994, and the majority of them took ketum to get off heroin.
However, the effects of the ketum leaves are somewhat weaker that that of morphine and ganja, said the spokesman. "The 'plus' side is that a ketum blend can be bought by addicts in the peninsula for only RM1 per plastic. "The leaves are usually boiled in hot water and the potion, somewhat bitter, can be drunk straight, but there have been also reports that the leaves can be burned and the smoke inhaled to get a similar kick," the spokesman said.
Mature ketum trees, whose scientific name is mitragyna speciosa Korth, is usually 30m tall and have dark shiny green leaves as well as yellowish-coloured flowers. Bukit Aman Anti-Narcotics Director, Datuk Mohd Najib Abdul Aziz, defended the destruction of a 60-year-old ketum tree by police in Gerik, Perak recently, saying it was to prevent its leaves from falling into the wrong hands. The destruction of the tree has sparked some controversy, with even Home Affairs Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid questioning its rationale.