‘Anybody can buy it’: Jake and Spike warn of ‘legal morphine’ Kratom products
Aug 4, 2025, 5:00 AM
This Sept. 27, 2017 file photo shows kratom capsules in Albany, N.Y. (File photo: Mary Esch, AP)
(File photo: Mary Esch, AP)
Health officials are recommending a nationwide ban on kratom-related products due to their opioid addiction-like qualities, according to The Associated Press (AP). The ingredient is being added to energy drinks, gummies, and supplements sold at gas stations.
“It’s really interesting, because it’s kind of being marketed — It’s like an opioid, and it’s being just sold over the counter,” KIRO host Jake Skorheim said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Anybody can walk in and buy it.”
Researchers have dubbed the chemical component of the plant, 7-hydroxymitragynine, “legal morphine,” FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported.
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What are the downsides of kratom?
“You might be asking yourself, all right, what are some of the downsides of kratom, and why do we care about it so much? Apparently, it is super addictive, 13 more times than morphine. It can be actually painful for your body to stop taking it. So physical withdrawal symptoms, physical withdrawal symptoms, diarrhea, all these different things,” Jake explained. “So you might be using it saying, ‘Hey, this is a great energy boost, and it feels really great.’ But if you try to back away from it, you’re super addicted to it.”
Kratom is illegal in seven states, according to AXIOS, and is age-restricted in several others.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary has called for regulation of the chemical component, which will be reviewed by the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to The AP.
“This is mind-boggling,” KIRO host Spike O’Neill said.
Listen to the full conversation below.
Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
