PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — When Mike Overstreet dislocated his hip during a wrestling match in high school, the injury caused debilitating long-term pain that required him to take painkillers.

He became addicted, and when his prescriptions ended, he ultimately turned to heroin.

"That was a really dark time in my life," Overstreet told Target 12.

Realizing he needed help, Overstreet sought treatment and was prescribed Suboxone, a brand name for a mix of buprenorphine and naloxone that is commonly used to help people recover from heroin and other opioid addictions.

His treatment spanned eight years, but eventually he said it, too, started affecting his health.

"I have had multiple teeth extractions, root canals, and I'd describe it as having a graying effect — like a gray cloud — where it dampens emotions," he said.

Enter kratom, a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, which today is used by Overstreet and an estimated 1.7 million other people across the country because it can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects.

For many, including Overstreet, kratom is used as a substitute for Suboxone or illegal drugs, such as heroin and synthetic opioids. Proponents insist it serves as a healthier alternative to Suboxone and is saving lives.

"It means a lot," Overstreet said. "I'm a lot more present and because I don't have to deal with the pain, I am able to be with my family."

But the herbal substance remains illegal in Rhode Island, one of a handful of states where it is still prohibited, making it similar to a Schedule I drug on the federal level. And government regulators and health professionals often oppose its use, describing it as addictive, potentially dangerous and not well-researched.

"The problem is really threefold," said Dr. Tom Bledsoe, a specialist in health ethics and former president of the Rhode Island Medical Society. "One is safety, two is effectiveness and three is the risk of addiction and dependency. We have concerns on all fronts."

Despite those concerns, the Rhode Island General Assembly has passed legislation that would lift the ban on kratom in Rhode Island. And while Target 12 found the illegal substance is already being sold in stores across the state, legalization of kratom is likely to usher in a new market.

"It has a beneficial use," said Rep. John Edwards, a Tiverton Democrat, who's leading the legislative effort to legalize kratom. "We have people using it in Rhode Island, and I think we should make it available to them legally, and make available to them a product that they can have confidence in."

'A lot of people are starting to do it'

Kratom isn't well-known in Rhode Island.

Although it's illegal, kratom can be bought in smoke shops across the state, where some owners openly stock it on their shelves and are willing to provide guidance about how to use it.

In other instances — as Target 12 discovered during a monthslong investigation — shopkeepers keep it hidden below their counters and make it available only upon request.

"A lot of people are starting to do it," one Providence shopkeeper explained.

But kratom has been ubiquitous for decades in Southeast Asia, where it's often used as a stimulant among farmers and laborers. Federal regulators also report that young Thai soldiers drink a kratom formula to make them "more bold and fearless and easy to control."

Stateside, regulators still don't approve of it. The U.S. Diversion Control Division, an arm of the Drug Enforcement Administration, issued a report in April that argued "there is no legitimate medical use for kratom in the U.S."

Yet that sentiment doesn't appear to be shared at the state level. Rhode Island is one of only five states in the country where the herbal substance is still illegal, and that ban may be coming to an end.

The R.I. House of Representatives last week voted 50-14 to pass Edwards' kratom bill. Mirroring legislation sponsored by Sen. Hanna Gallo, a Cranston Democrat, passed out of committee earlier this week. The full R.I. Senate narrowly passed the bill with a 19-14 vote Thursday.

The legislation now heads to Gov. Dan McKee's desk for his signature or veto. He could also let it become law without his signature. It would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

"Kratom is a good product, there's no reason it should be criminalized, especially in Rhode Island," Edwards said.

'No issues' or 'a risky path'?

Overstreet and Edwards argue the naysayers have it wrong and kratom by itself isn't dangerous.

"The FDA is dragging their feet, quite frankly," Edwards told Target 12. "They had the ability to get the information they need."

"It's a natural product," he added. "It doesn't hurt anyone."

But the feds warn there are risks, citing a 2022 report by the American Association of Poison Control Centers that showed kratom accounted for 586 cases that required treatment in a health care facility.

The FDA also reports mitragynine — one of two primary organic compounds, or alkaloids, found in kratom — has been "co-involved" in 1,090 cases reported to the agency's adverse event reporting system between 2008 and 2024.

Of those cases, 1,020 were classified as dangerous and 593 "involved death," according to the DEA.

"Other countries are reporting emerging new trends in the use of kratom," DEA officials wrote in the report. "In the United Kingdom, kratom is promoted as an 'herbal speedball.' In Malaysia, kratom juice preparations are illegally available."

Locally, Rhode Island and Massachusetts poison control centers received 28 calls involving kratom over the past year and a half. The R.I. Health Department reported three kratom-related deaths in 2022 and 2023 combined, although health officials said in each case there was a mix of other illicit drugs.

As of last month, there hadn't been any kratom-related deaths so far in 2024. But Bledsoe warned legalizing it could have damaging effects on public health locally.

"Just approving it for sale and use in an unregulated fashion without resources to study it and follow it — it is a risky path for the state of Rhode Island to go in," he said.

Edwards pushed back, saying lifting the ban on kratom would also regulate it, making it illegal to mix other potentially dangerous substances into kratom that's sold in stores. It would also require clear labeling, directions on how to use it safely and oversight by the R.I. Attorney General's Office.

"When people go in and add things to it, it becomes a polydrug, and that's when kratom can become deadly," Edwards said. "When we have kratom sold in Rhode Island it will be guaranteed to be clean ... and the best part of it is that when it's stamped pure, the customers will be able to look at that and say, 'This is a pure product. I should have no issues with this.'"

Today, Overstreet hosts a podcast advocating for kratom as a treatment for people who are looking to stay clean and be more present for their loved ones. He acknowledged that kratom isn't for everyone, but he compared it to caffeine, which he said works for many but not for all.

As for the addiction and risk concerns that federal officials have raised about kratom, Overstreet said he's overdosed on opioids and has "never seen anything come close to an overdose on kratom."

"Education is key," he said, adding that without kratom he'd "still be stuck on Suboxone with more tooth extractions and more root canals."

Overall, he said, "I'm just happier."