I recently learned that this is yet another reason to avoid banning kratom in the US. It’s an understory crop—growers work within the existing jungle ecosystem,

I recently learned that this is yet another reason to avoid banning kratom in the US. It’s an understory crop—growers work within the existing jungle ecosystem, because clear-cutting is not just unnecessary but counterproductive. The US consumes a large fraction (~25%) of the world’s kratom, and there’s almost no local cultivation. So if we were to outlaw it, not only would we lose what I believe is a key lifeline in combating the opioid crisis, but also many growers in Southeast Asia would be forced to switch to plantation crops such as oil palm and rubber. These result in deforestation, loss of habitat for orangutans, tigers, and other species, increased risk of fire, and worsening human rights conditions.