Materia Medica Malaysiana

Illegal to sell ketum leaves or drink

KUALA LUMPUR: It is illegal to sell ketum leaves, including in drink form, as they have been found to contain opium-like substances.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said some drug addicts took the leaves to get “high” while some men testify to their aphrodisiac qualities.
Dr Chua, who was at the launch of a new rapid test kid for HIV/AIDS, was commenting on a report that policemen were deployed to cut down a 60-year-old ketum tree in Hulu Perak on Sunday.
The tree was said to be the cause of an increasing number of drug addicts in the area.
The report said the ketum drink was being sold in Perlis and Kedah for RM1 a glass.