Pearl River County leaders voted unanimously last week for an ordinance banning the sale of kratom. Kratom comes from a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia and has been used as herbal medicine since at least the 19th century. It also has opioid properties and some stimulating effects .It’s commonly sold in smoke shops and convenience stores, like at Pomp and Bees in Poplarville. “I know that they’re trying to take it off the market, but I don’t think that they should,” Mary Labruzzo told WLOX. Labruzzo is a store employee and said only taking half the pill helps with her arthritis and sciatic nerve. “It just takes whatever pain that I have. It just mellows it out, and then it’s just, I feel good and I can move again,” she said. “Then I can come to work and perform my job the way it needs to be performed.” However, other community members, like county deputy clerk Lauren Goar, are pushing for it to be prohibited. “It’s affecting our communities just as much as any other drug or sub
Between opening a shop in the middle of a pandemic, and selling a controversial product, Tracey Hudson has her work cut out for her. The Perth resident recently opened The Kratom Shop at 160 Jay St., selling mainly kratom, which comes from a plant called mitragyna speciosa grown in southeast Asia. According to Hudson, it helps users with everything from pain to energy management, and can even help people wean themselves off of addictive opiates. Kratom certainly has its detractors: the federal Food and Drug Administration has warned people not to use it and the Drug Enforcement Administration has listed it as a drug of concern . Several states have made it illegal as well. Yet, some users have said it’s saved their lives. “If you told me four years ago that I would ever say plants before pills… I’ve never thought that until I actually experienced a plant that made major changes in my life,” Hudson said. She began using kratom about four years ago when she was working as a sales