After rash of overdose deaths, L.A. banned sales of kratom. Some say they lost lifeline for pain and opioid withdrawal

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Nearly four months ago, Los Angeles County banned the sale of kratom, as well as 7-OH, the synthetic version of the alkaloid that is its active ingredient.The idea was to put an end to what at the time seemed like a rash of overdose deaths related to the drug.It’s too soon to tell whether kratom-related deaths have dissipated as a result — or, really, whether there was ever actually an epidemic to begin with.

But many L.A.residents had become reliant on kratom as something of a panacea for debilitating pain and opioid withdrawal symptoms, and the new rules have made it harder for them to find what they say has been a lifesaving drug.Robert Wallace started using kratom a few years ago for his knees.

For decades he had been in pain, which he says stems from his days as a physical education teacher for the Glendale Unified School District between 1989 and 1998, when he and his students primarily exercised on asphalt.In 2004, he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, followed by varicose vein surgery on both legs.Over the next couple of decades, he saw pain-management specialists regularly.

But the primary outcome was a growing dependence on opioid-based painkillers.“I found myself seeking doctors who would prescribe it,” he said.

Sports Shaquille O’Neal toggled between referring to opioids and powerful nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories when recounting his use of painkillers as an NBA player.He leaned on opioids when he could get them and alcohol when he couldn’t, resulting in a strain on his marriage.When Wallace was scheduled for his first knee replacement in 2021 (he had his other knee replaced a few years later), his brother recommended he take kratom for the post-surgery pain.It seemed to work: Wallace said he takes a quarter of a teaspoon of powdered kratom twice a day, and it lets him take charge of managing his pain without prescription painkillers and eas...