美国国家公共电台 NPR Kratom's Benefits And Dangers Debated Amid Marketing Push : S

 

NOEL KING, HOST:

All right. We know that opioids like morphine and heroin¹ are very dangerous. But in some parts of this country, you can buy a supplement that acts like an opioid out of a vending² machine. It's an herbal product from Asia called kratom. Lesley McClurg of KQED wondered whether it's a helpful herb or a dangerous drug.

LESLEY MCCLURG, BYLINE³: A yellow sandwich board on a San Francisco sidewalk advertises pain relief, energy, relaxation⁴ and mood enhancement.

LINDA KLINE: We're selling a product called kray-tum (ph), or some people will call it krae-tum (ph).

MCCLURG: That's K-R-A-T-O-M, a Southeast Asian herb that's usually sold as a green powder in capsules or tea. Linda Kline opens the door to a tiny, immaculate shop called Bumble Bee Botanicals. The 33-year-old shop owner has neatly⁵ arranged kratom in a huge mason jars.

KLINE: So this is one of our personal favorites. It's called the Green Malay.

MCCLURG: Linda says the drug turned around her mental health.

KLINE: I went from feeling desperate and hopeless to finding an alternative where I had full control over how I felt.

MCCLURG: Anxiety used to paralyze her.

KLINE: I would have panic attacks a lot.

MCCLURG: A friend suggested kratom. Linda found it at a smoke shop. Her anxiety vanished. The new habit cost about $6 a day.

KLINE: It almost feels like you're having just a little glass of wine. It's really relaxing.

MCCLURG: But there's a dark side. In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration threatened to ban kratom. It's currently listed as a drug of concern. The Food and Drug Administration has recalled dozens of products tainted⁶ with salmonella and warns consumers not to use it because of the risk of addiction⁷. And people can overdose. Mateo Martinez is still mourning the loss of his brother.

MATEO MARTINEZ: My brother believed the marketing⁸ of kratom - that it was a natural herbal supplement that could provide you with the same benefits of an opioid without the risks.

MCCLURG: Marco Martinez struggled with an opioid addiction in high school. Mateo describes him as creative, charming...

MARTINEZ: A regular young kid that liked playing video games and watching cartoons and anime.

MCCLURG: Marco got hooked on painkillers⁹ after his dentist pulled his wisdom teeth.

MARTINEZ: He was using them in a way that wasn't just for treating pain.

MCCLURG: Eventually, Marco wanted to kick his addiction. Testimonials on YouTube promised kratom was his way out.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO MONTAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: I'm not using narcotics¹⁰ anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: I have a job. I'm part of my daughter's life again. I'm so grateful for kratom.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: It was life-changing.

MCCLURG: Soon, Marco was taking kratom multiple times a day. Then the 19-year-old landed in the emergency room over and over.

MARTINEZ: Hyperventilating, breathing like - (imitating labored¹¹ breathing).

MCCLURG: Doctors were unable to explain these episodes.

MARTINEZ: His body wasn't fully¹² processing all of the kratom or its byproducts, and it built up until he stopped breathing.

MCCLURG: The toxicology report showed high levels of the psychoactive ingredient in kratom. And it was listed on his death certificate.

MARTINEZ: That they attributed was the cause of death.

MCCLURG: In a recent 18-month period, the Centers for Disease Control reported 90 kratom overdoses - although most of these deaths involved a combination of substances.

MICHAEL WHITE: The data to support either the benefits or the harms for kratom is really, really poor.

MCCLURG: Michael White is a pharmacist at the University of Connecticut. He says animal studies suggest kratom could be an effective pain reliever. But...

WHITE: The human data is in its infancy¹³.

MCCLURG: Dr. Scott Steiger runs the Opiate Outpatient Treatment Program (ph) at San Francisco General.

SCOTT STEIGER: I have seen that people who use kratom end up having a very hard time stopping the use of it.

MCCLURG: He says kratom is addictive¹⁴. It also may cause seizures¹⁵, heart issues and liver damage. Users say they experience withdrawal¹⁶ symptoms like...

STEIGER: Nausea¹⁷, sweats, aches and pains, loose stool, tearing.

MCCLURG: If someone comes to you and says - should I use this? - or I am using this, how do you counsel them?

STEIGER: I tell them, you know, I just don't know enough on the basis of science to tell them whether it's a great idea or not.

MCCLURG: Steiger says a lot more research is needed, not only to weigh the risks and benefits but also to regulate the substance appropriately.

For NPR News, I'm Lesley McClurg.

(SOUNDBITE OF KELPE'S "VALERIAN")

1 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

2 vending   

v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的现在分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明

参考例句：

• Why Are You Banging on the Vending Machine? 你为什么敲打这台自动售货机？ 来自朗文快捷英语教程 2
• Coca-Cola had to adapt almost 300,000 vending machines to accept the new coins. 可口可乐公司必须使将近三十万台自动贩卖机接受新货币。 来自超越目标英语 第5册

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

5 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

6 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 painkillers   

n.止痛药( painkiller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some painkillers to ease the pain. 医生给了他一些止疼片以减缓疼痛。 来自辞典例句
• The primary painkillers - opiates, like OxyContin - are widely feared, misunderstood and underused. 人们对主要的镇痛药——如鸦片剂奥施康定——存在广泛的恐惧、误解，因此没有充分利用。 来自时文部分

10 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 labored   

adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing. 我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。 来自辞典例句
• They have labored to complete the job. 他们努力完成这一工作。 来自辞典例句

12 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

13 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

14 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

15 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

16 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

17 nausea   

n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶)

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕期常有恶心的现象。
• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。