An herb derived from a tree in southeast Asia, Kratom, which is also a cousin to the coffee plant, is gaining popularity in the United States. While it is legal in Illinois, Warren County Sheriff Martin Edwards discourages individuals from using the herb as it is presents with opioid effects on the brain:
“First of all, it is not illegal in the state, but what it is, it is an herb, if you will, that has an opioid effect on the person. It will begin as a stimulant and can keep people up for quite awhile, but then it is also used for pain. It is gaining some popularity. It is crushed in a powder form, for the most part, kind of a pea green soup color. It has bad effects on people. I certainly discourage anybody from taking substances like that, that can keep you up or stimulate you.”
