Marijuana reform advocates have little hope that Indiana lawmakers will take up cannabis legislation this year, but one Republican legislator wants to legalize a lesser-known plant native to Southeast Asia that is marketed as an energy booster, a natural painkiller and an effective treatment for opioid withdrawal.
The House Committee on Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development heard testimony Wednesday on House Bill 1500, which would permit the sale of kratom, an herbal extract derived from the leaves of a tropical evergreen tree.
When consumed, the plant produces stimulant effects in low doses and sedative effects in high doses, and recovering addicts testified Wednesday that it has helped them ween off their opioid addiction.
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