Over 1,000 inmates linked to kratom offences to be freed after Thailand legalises herbal drug

Thailand on Tuesday decriminalised kratom, a tropical leaf long used as a herbal remedy but which some health regulators around the world have criticised as potentially unsafe.Kratom – scientific name Mitragyna speciosa – is part of the coffee family, used for centuries in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea for its pain-relieving and mildly stimulating effects.It has become increasingly popular in the United States, where the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against its use,…