Promote Kratom

Celebrities and Big Pharma

Celebrities bank big bucks endorsing everything from shoes to cell phone plans. Die-hard fans will line up in droves to get their hands on whatever their famous crush seems to love. Endorsements for prescription drugs are no exception. Serena Williams, Cyndi Lauper, Wayne Gretzky, Bob Dole, and Ray Liotta have all appeared in Big Pharma’s ad campaigns. 

Another list of celebrities is a bit grimmer. Tom Petty, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Heath Ledger, and Chris Farley are just a handful of names from a long list of opioid-related overdose deaths. So why haven’t we seen more celebrity endorsements for substance abuse disorder recovery centers, charities, and treatments? 

The Kratom Solution

Doctors and scientists are currently studying a Southeast Asian plant called kratom, as a solution for opioid abuse disorder. It hits some of the same receptors in the brain that opioids do, but without the reputation for being addictive. Many users swear this plant has saved their lives. The kratom movement has a grassroots base of millions that has grown rapidly in the past decade, but the industry could use a familiar face to help promote kratom and to answer common questions about kratom.

Challenges to Promoting Kratom

Periodically, the DEA attempts to shut down kratom by making it a schedule 1 drug. That would make it a federal offense to distribute and possess the supplement. Each time, the bills are met with a groundswell of grassroots activism. So far, it’s succeeded in keeping kratom legal in most states.

Celebrities to Promote Kratom

What the industry could use, it seems, is some celebrity endorsement to promote kratom. In 2018, Chris Bell’s documentary, A Leaf of Faith, was the first to focus on the drug. It features prolific podcaster, Joe Rogan, as well as comedians Trae Crowder and Shane Mauss. But you won’t see the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow or Kate Middleton on screen. 

Even though Rogan seems to like kratom, he’s not exactly on posters endorsing the local distributor. Senator Bernie Sanders is in favor of holding off on a kratom ban. A 2019 New York Times article said that he, “…pressed the DEA not to restrict the supplement without going through its normal deliberative process.” Sanders won’t, however, likely be standing shoulder to shoulder with pro-kratom picketers. 

Social Media to Promote Kratom

So, why doesn’t kratom have any outspoken celebrity advocates or at least an Instagram influencer? That could be because kratom-related hashtags are currently banned on the platform. While it remains controversial, most celebrities likely won’t rush to endorse kratom. More than one celebrity career has been shut down by controversy. It doesn’t have the wide use and bad-boy reputation of marijuana to make so-called outlaw celebrities flock to it.

Kratom Controversy

Why is kratom so controversial? The feds continually try and ban kratom and advocates continually fight for it. The battle reached its peak exposure when the DEA first tried to schedule it in 2016. At the time, media slander abounded. Despite the lack of evidence to the contrary, many claimed it caused multiple deaths. There were stories from tearful parents about how their children had gone astray and ruined their lives with kratom. 

Is Kratom Dangerous?

Is kratom dangerous? There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence that says no, it’s not. The leaves kratom is made from have been used for centuries in its native countries without incident. Few if any deaths have been conclusively proven to be caused by kratom here in the United States. Contrast that with the tens of thousands of deaths from opioids annually.

There are a lot of great recovery stories out there. In 2018, BuzzFeed ran an article following nurse and mother, Courtney True, and her path through addiction. Her story is a compelling one. She was a 27-year user, who began with Percocet and ended with heroin. Since starting kratom, she made significant headway into fighting her substance abuse disorder.

Promote Kratom Through the AKA, For Now

What kratom needs is a charismatic spokesperson. That person could serve the two-fold function of not only advocating for kratom but helping to dissipate some of the stigmas against recovering addicts. Opioid abuse disorder affects millions of people in the United States alone, yet those who choose the difficult path to recovery aren’t always recognized for their efforts. That’s the case even less when they fall back into drug abuse. 

For now, the biggest advocate for kratom might be the American Kratom Association. The organization works to keep kratom legal, educate consumers, and amplify voices. To that, they’ve sent out a call for video testimonials. You can view entry instructions and submitted videos on their website. Perhaps a voice from this campaign will stand out and become the one that helps propel kratom into the positive limelight.