PBS News Weekend 
Season 6, Episode 58 of 99
The national epidemic of opioid abuse primarily caused by painkillers and heroin has claimed more than 300,000 American lives during the last 16 years. Some Americans addicted to opioids are turning to a plant called kratom to wean themselves off their addictions. Its leaves can be ground up and mixed with tea or juice or be turned into capsules, and it has been used for hundreds of years in Southeast Asia as a replacement for smoked opium. But U.S. federal drug policymakers may classify kratom as an illegal drug, slowing down its sale, research and development. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Mike Taibbi reports on the science and the debate whether kratom may be a lifesaver or a danger?
