After a childhood fall shattered his spine and led to years of narcotic painkillers and addiction, Meridian resident Mason Mollette says a simple plant powder gave him his life back. Introduced to kratom by a family friend, Mollette recounts going from being unable to get out of bed to standing at a barbecue within hours of his first dose. He describes kratom as a middle-ground option: stronger than over-the-counter pain relievers but less dangerous than opioids, and without respiratory suppression.
Now, Idaho’s House Bill 864 would classify kratom as a Schedule I controlled substance, effectively banning it and criminalizing people like him. Mollette instead backs the proposed Kratom Consumer Protection and Safety Act, Senate Bill 1418, which would regulate quality, restrict sales to adults and keep natural kratom legal. Read his full account in the Idaho Statesman.
