BAN kratom? NO WAY, SAY LOCAL USERS
Asian herb has been called everything from beneficial to dangerous
Jay Wolfe uses a cane to walk around the backyard of his Pepperell home while showing off the variety of plants he carefully cultivates, including cherry and apple trees, and rosemary and blackberry bushes.
Wolfe’s expertise in plants and gardening led him to start a landscaping business in the early ’90s. His career suffered following a violent car crash in Truro in July 2009 that broke his spine. The crash has forced him to get around with a cane or a wheelchair, and altered just about every facet of his life.
Wolfe pulls up X-ray images on his cellphone that show the bolts and metal plates that hold his spine together. His scars are fading but indicate where a doctor cut into his lower back to access the L5 vertebrae and make the necessary repairs.
However, Wolfe said the surgery to fix his spine was not carried out until two years after the crash due to a misdiagnosis by doctors. Wolfe said the anguish of living with a broken back led to thoughts of suicide.
“It was two years of an absolute nightmare,” Wolfe said.
He was given muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory medication to address the pain, but he said it wasn’t enough. Wolfe turned to kratom — a plant he learned about during a class on herbs while pursuing his degree.
According to Wolfe, it saved his life.
“Kratom would settle the pain down enough so I could get some rest,” he said.
An herbal option
‘kratom would settle the pain down enough so i could get some rest.’
– Jay Wolfe
Mitragyna speciosa, commonly known as kratom, is a plant indigenous to Southeast Asia that is part of the coffee family. It can be found packaged as an herbal supplement for sale in head shops around