Every country has its judiciary system that is the pillar to its law and order. Different countries have different law and what might be a big crime in one country can be no offense in another one. So for some acts, it depends on the place you are before it is categorized as lawful or unlawful.
These laws vary depending upon the systems and beliefs of the people of the country and the government in power. Also, the demographics, culture, finances, growth and other parameters can affect the law and order system in a country.
A good example of variation in laws of different countries can be seen in how Kratom has been outlawed in some countries whereas in other countries it is perfectly lawful.
Kratom (or mitragynine speciosa as its scientific name is) is a tropical deciduous tree that belongs to the coffee family. The tree is native to South East Asia in the floristic regions of Malesia, and in Indochina.
Its leaves are quite important and have a number of medicinal properties for which they are looked for and collected.
It has been established that the leaves are psychoactive (in the sense they can affect the mind, mood and other mental processes of a person). This property of its leaves was much craved by people and this led to the widespread popularity of Kratom.
The leaves of this tree can be used to uplift the mood of the person. It is also quite effective when it comes to treating health problems. The tree is basically indigenous to Thailand and grows naturally in some regions of the country.
In spite of this natural growth and indigenous nature, Kratom has been outlawed in Thailand for over 70 years now. In those days, opium used to be popular in Thailand and was being used by quite a lot of people. Hence, the government used to levy a tax on opium distribution and collect revenue for the same.
However with Kratom’s leaves gaining popularity for its psychoactive nature opium distribution and business was hurt. Needless to say, this move had a bearing upon the total revenue collected by the government from opium distribution. Thus, the law was passed and Kratom was banned in Thailand and it has been the same for more than 70 years now.
Apart from Thailand, Kratom is also banned in countries like:
- Australia
- Myanmar
- Malaysia
Given its psychoactive nature, it can have detrimental and addictive results on people, especially youngsters and hence quite a few places are considering declaring Kratom as illegal on the whole.
For instance, Florida in the United States of America has come seriously close to making the tree unlawful all over the state.
As it has social consequences too, Kratom has become a prime topic of discussion within the legal system of many countries.
In the United States of America, Kratom is uncontrolled as in it is legal to buy, sell, distribute, cultivate all parts of the plant Mitragynine speciosa without having to possess a license for the same. However, certain states of the United States to have declared restrictions on Kratom.
For instance in Indiana, the chemicals Mitragynine as well as 7-hydroxymitragynine, was banned but some argue that the legal definition in the state fails to cover the Kratom plant by and large.
Vermont, a northeastern state in the United States issued an emergency order that dictates banning 7 hydroxy mitragynine which happened to be one of the most active alkaloids present in Kratom.
This was seen tantamount to banning Kratom in the state on the whole.
Rules and laws in any place keep changing time to time so you never know if and when the place you are in has banned Kratom so be cautious when dealing with any of the plant products of Kratom is legal or not.
