Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is an herbal extract from a tree that grows in Southeast Asia. Also known as Ketum or Biak, it has been used as a traditional remedy by local communities because of its remarkable properties.
This article will cover kratom’s benefits, side effects, and legal status in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Also, if you’re looking for the best stores near you or trying to get it online, we’ve got you covered.
Is Kratom Legal in Myrtle Beach?
Yes, kratom is legal in Myrtle Beach.
South Carolina has no restrictions regarding kratom, so it’s legal to buy, sell, and distribute here. Moreover, there haven’t been any attempts to regulate or ban the herb within the area.
Other states, such as Alabama and Indiana, have entirely outlawed kratom, seeing that both the FDA and the DEA are vehemently against it. These entities even asked the World Health Organization (WHO) to encourage a ban.
Fortunately, after conducting their own research, the WHO stated that kratom is not a threat. They did recommend placing regulations to ensure the users’ safety since an unregulated market could prove dangerous.
Will Myrtle Beach Ban Kratom?
It is unlikely that kratom will get banned in Myrtle Beach.
As stated above, kratom was never a concern to the authorities in South Carolina, so we don’t believe they will consider a ban soon. You won’t get into trouble for possessing, buying, or selling the herb here.
Furthermore, some states have begun to accept the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), written by the American Kratom Association (AKA). If South Carolina adopts the KCPA, the herb will remain legal and be safer to obtain.
Why Do Some States & Cities Ban Kratom?
Due to a great deal of misinformation and some isolated cases of misuse, a prejudice was formed around kratom. Many people still believe that using the herb can be detrimental to one’s health, even though the WHO has debunked these myths.
Also, we shouldn’t downscale the role of the FDA and DEA. These agencies have been trying to influence legislators to ban the herb throughout the country for years.
The lack of further research on the topic has led to a ban on kratom by many states and other countries, but it is only a matter of time before kratom becomes widely accepted. With new studies that prove its safety and efficacy, we believe it’ll be soon.
Top 5 Kratom Shops in Myrtle Beach
You may be struggling to choose a shop that suits your needs, so we put together this list to help you in your search. We consider the following five the best in town.
1. Purple Haze Smoke Shop
One of the most popular shops here, this retailer offers a variety of smoking products, including kratom. They are well-known for their excellent customer service, so we suggest you visit them whenever possible.
You can find them at 704 Seaboard Street or call them at (843) 712-2371. You may also reach them through their Facebook page.
2. Blue Smoke
This store carries many goods, including quality kratom, but its customers mainly highlight the staff’s friendliness and knowledge. Complete with fair prices, we are sure this store will not disappoint you, should you choose it.
They are located at 6703 N Kings Hwy, and their phone number is (843) 808-9387. They do not have a website or social media presence, so it’s best to call them for inquiries.
3. Hookah Smokehouse
Hookah Smokehouse offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is unmatched. They carry a wide selection of pipes, tobacco, CBD products, and kratom at fair prices, and their engaging staff will help you with any problems you may encounter.
Find them at 607 S Kings Hwy, or call them at (843) 626-2716 for further inquiries. Unfortunately, they don’t have an active social media presence or website that we know of.
4. Happy Glass Smoke & Vape
You’ll find some of the best quality kratom available among a vast array of other vaping products in this store. They also offer dedicated customer service to help you swiftly navigate their offer.
They open at 606 Seaboard St #B, and their phone number is (843) 945-1641. You can also reach out through their Facebook page.
5. Up In Smoke
Up In Smoke specializes in products such as tobacco, pipes, and vaporizers but also stocks herbal supplements like kratom. Although their kratom selection is limited compared to other contenders, their quality makes up for it.
You may find them at 2004 N Kings Hwy. They don’t have an active social media presence or website, so we suggest you call them at (843) 213-1670 if you need more information.
Looking for Kratom in Another City?
Learn more about buying kratom in South Carolina with the following city guides:
Why It’s Better to Order Kratom Online
While buying kratom in a local shop might seem convenient, the benefits of ordering online are too good to ignore. If you’re on the fence about this situation, we’ll tell you why we consider shopping online the better alternative.
Safety-wise, ordering online is far superior since you can easily verify the quality of your purchase. On the other hand, in states where kratom is unregulated, such as South Carolina, physical stores might sell you subpar, untested products.
If you’d like to get your kratom as early as possible, many online vendors ship incredibly fast while still guaranteeing fair prices and good quality. In addition, you’ll have access to a wider variety of strains for you to choose from through the web.
Ordering online also excels in the pricing department since you avoid the overhead costs buying in a physical shop typically carries. It is also easy to find vendors that offer special offers, discounts, and free shipping.
Last but not least is the convenience. It is now easier than ever to order kratom through the web, and, depending on the vendor, you’ll receive your order within days of purchase.
Is Buying Kratom In-Store Safe?
Yes, though it depends on the vendor.
There are usually few risks when buying in-store, all of which disappear when ordering online. The main gamble of physical shopping is that you can’t easily ensure your kratom’s quality, whereas online, you can simply buy from AKA-certified vendors.
Another potential issue is that the products may not be fresh, presenting a possible health hazard or reduced effectiveness. This is due to many stores not specializing in kratom and not knowing how to store it properly.
Kratom Vendors That Ship to Myrtle Beach
We’ve already discussed why online shopping is best, but even if most vendors are trustworthy, there are always sites that you want to avoid.
Thus, we have gathered the eight best online vendors that ship to Myrtle Beach. These vendors sell quality products and have plenty of reviews to back them, so you need not worry before placing your first order.
1. Kona Kratom
Kona Kratom
Kona Kratom remains our favorite because of its fantastic selection of strains at unbeatable prices without skimping on quality. In addition, all of their varieties are lab tested and shipped straight from Southeast Asia.
Their superb customer service will dispel any doubts before your purchase, and if you’re still unsure, you can always try their sample packs. Any order comes with a 30-day return guarantee and is delivered for free if it exceeds $29.99.
Kona Kratom’s top picks:
- Red Maeng Da
- Red Dragon
- Green Malay
2. Star Kratom
Star Kratom
Despite their limited selection, Star Kratom has become one of the top vendors on the market for their speedy deliveries of top-quality kratom. They offer all the most common varieties at affordable prices, lab-tested twice.
Additionally, all their products have a 30-day money-back guarantee, even after opening the package.
Star Kratom’s top picks:
- Green Malay
- Green Maeng Da
- Red Bali
3. VIP Kratom
VIP Kratom
VIP Kratom offers only the highest quality kratom possible, making it the top choice if you’re looking for purity and potency. Also, their goods pass the strictest quality controls in the industry without fail.
The increase in quality reflects in the price of their products, but it may very well be worth it to you, as their kratom is also some of the most potent you can find. Experienced users recommend smaller doses if you are a beginner.
VIP Kratom’s top picks:
- Red Sumatra
- White Maeng Da
- Green Hulu
4. Kats Botanicals
Kats Botanicals
Instead of your traditional kratom store, you may be looking for something like Kats Botanicals, a retailer that carries all sorts of botanical products. In addition to medicinal oils, herbs, and supplements, they offer exotic kratom strains — lab tested and 100% organic.
While their prices may be considered high, it is worth it considering that their products meet rigorous quality standards and are hard to find on their own. Because of that and their thousands of positive reviews online, we thoroughly recommend them.
Kats Botanicals’ top picks:
- Green Bali
- Red Horn
- White JongKong
5. SLO Kratom
Slo Kratom
SLO Kratom has a huge amount of strains and guarantees they all have at least 1.4% mitragynine. This vendor checks all the boxes with third-party test results available to prove this and a money-back guarantee in case you aren’t happy.
SLO Kratom’s top picks:
- Red Dragon
- Yellow Sumatra
- White Maeng Da
6. Happy Hippo Herbals
Happy Hippo
If you can’t decide which strain you want, Happy Hippo Herbals keeps it simple since they classify their varieties in different ways, including how long the effects take to set in.
Their kratom is always top quality, and they often offer discounts and promotions to counter their high prices.
This vendor is a serious and trustworthy company, so we endorse them.
Happy Hippo Herbals’ top picks:
- Green Maeng Da
- White Horn
- Red Maeng Da
7. Chief Kratom
Chief Kratom
Chief Kratom is an interesting company because it offers one product — water-soluble kratom extracts — and doesn’t sell directly to the public. However, their products are safe, affordable, and AKA-certified, so they’re worth considering.
The downside is that you will have to search for them at third-party retailers, but they should not be tough to find.
Chief Kratom doesn’t specify which strains they use for their products.
8. Remarkable Herbs
Remarkable Herbs Kratom
Remarkable Herbs has been a competent vendor for many years, offering kratom and many other types of herbs at fair prices. It is easy to find their products all over the country, and their consistently good quality makes them trustworthy.
Just like Chief Kratom, they only sell their products through third-party stores, but they are not hard to find, given that they serve more than 15,000 retailers all across the country.
Remarkable Herbs’ top picks:
- Green Thai
- Green Malay
- Green Maeng Da
Which Kratom Strain Should I Use?
You should use the kratom variety that best suits your needs, as kratom can induce varied effects, depending on what and how much you take.
There are dozens of kratom strains to try, all with unique qualities. Here, we present a list of some of the most popular varieties. Still, to ensure you find the perfect one, we advise you to research the topic further.
Green Vein Kratom Powder
If you’re looking for the best that kratom offers without going to extremes, green vein kratom powder is a perfect choice. Green-veined strains are considered the most balanced, so you can’t go wrong with them if you’re just discovering kratom.
The top-rated green-veined kratom strains are:
Green Malay
Green Malay is an alkaloid-heavy strain, offering potent and long-lasting effects ranging from stimulation and euphoria to pain relief. It can calm the mind and help navigate social anxiety.
Green Thai
Green Thai is a fantastic all-in-one package of kratom’s benefits, making it perfect for beginners. With this strain, you can experience stress relief, a boost of energy, and a sense of well-being.
Green Borneo
Green Borneo clears your mind and gives you the push you need to endure a busy day. It can also help battle depression and anxiety, but it should not be considered a definitive solution to these conditions.
Red Vein Kratom Powder
Red vein kratom powder is less stimulating, but it stands out because of its enhanced analgesic and anxiolytic properties. Thanks to its high concentration of 7-hydroxymitragynine, red-veined strains can quickly alleviate chronic pain and insomnia.
The top-rated red-veined kratom strains are:
Red Thai
Red Thai offers the strong sedative effect you would expect from a red-veined strain and is a very effective anxiolytic. Many users also praise it for its efficacy in fighting insomnia and even opiate withdrawal.
Red Bali
Countless people turn to Red Bali to fight their chronic pains and improve their mood throughout the day. It helps ward off negative thoughts and even causes tense muscles to relax, so it’s perfect for winding down after a long day.
Red Borneo
Red Borneo is a somewhat balanced red-veined strain, but it can be beneficial when fighting anxiety and stress. A large dose near nighttime will alleviate pain immensely and send you to bed.
White Vein Kratom Powder
White vein kratom powder has a high concentration of mitragynine, which helps people find peace of mind while also boosting their energy and focus. The most stimulating strains are white-veined, although they can also be somewhat sedative in heavy doses.
The top-rated white-veined kratom strains are:
White Bali
White Bali helps loosen the tongue and calm the nerves, making it great for dealing with social anxiety. Aside from that, it boosts your energy and cognitive functions, so it’s perfect for workers trying to improve their productivity.
White Thai
White Thai is what you are looking for if you’re interested in kratom because of its stimulating qualities. It is easily one of the most energizing strains.
White Indo
White Indo is one of the white-veined strains that, besides providing a potent energy boost, is also an excellent tool for pain relief. You can also use it to improve your sleep quality at larger doses.
What Are the Benefits of Kratom?
Kratom carries multiple benefits, as its numerous strains have unique effect profiles with varying alkaloid contents. In this section, we’ll delve into some of the most common traditional uses of this herb.
Kratom for Pain
One of the primary uses for kratom is as a painkiller. Kratom works quite similar to how opioid analgesics work, as it stimulates opioid receptors that stop pain signals from reaching our brain.
Red-veined strains are usually used for pain relief, but any variety can be helpful as long as the dose is large enough.
Related: Is Kratom An Opioid?
Kratom for Sleep
As mentioned above, kratom’s alkaloids can interact with opioid receptors in our body, which helps fight pain and promotes sleep.
When the effects of kratom take hold, our body’s central nervous system slows down, resulting in deep relaxation. This, combined with its analgesic and anxiolytic properties, makes kratom a fantastic tool to fight insomnia and improve your sleep quality.
However, unlike opioids, kratom is unlikely to cause respiratory depression or overdose, making it a much safer alternative.
Kratom for Energy
When used in smaller doses, kratom positively influences both the noradrenaline and the dopamine systems. These systems become stimulated because of the herb’s unique alkaloid composition, and its impact on a person’s energy levels is enormous.
Also, kratom is often considered an effective nootropic that can keep you alert and enhance your mood. White-veined strains are the best ones for this use.
Kratom for Anxiety
When kratom activates the opioid receptors, the levels of GABA — our brain’s primary neuro inhibitory compound — are increased. This causes the level of electrical activity in the brain to drop, thus keeping anxiety at bay.
Even though kratom can help fight anxiety and depression, it is certainly not a definite solution. We recommend using kratom only as a way to start working towards a long-lasting remedy like proper therapy or meditation.
How to Take Kratom
Most people use kratom in powder form, but many have trouble ingesting it due to the herb’s naturally unpleasant taste. This section will cover common ways to take kratom powder while circumventing its flavor.
Prepare a Tea
A widespread method of taking kratom powder is preparing tea. Since kratom’s taste can be pretty bitter, we recommend using agave nectar or honey to sweeten it.
The procedure is straightforward: add the kratom to a tea bag and pour near-boiling water over it. You should let it steep for at least ten minutes to get the most out of the powder.
Toss ‘N’ Wash
The quickest and most straightforward way to take your kratom is the toss ‘n’ wash technique. It consists of tossing the powder in your mouth and washing it down with any beverage.
If you do it correctly, you should be able to avoid most of the bitter taste of the powder. However, if it persists, juice of fruits like mango or orange can make the experience more pleasant.
Parachuting
Parachuting is another possible way to ingest the powder without suffering its taste. It involves wrapping up the dose into a small piece of thin paper and swallowing it as you would a pill.
This method will ensure that the kratom is absorbed quickly and is cost-efficient since toilet paper is easily accessible for cheap.
What Are the Side Effects of Kratom?
Even if kratom can seem perfect, there is always the possibility of experiencing side effects. Most of these side effects arise from taking too much kratom or taking it too often, but they could also appear after only one dose.
It is essential to be aware of how your body responds to kratom if you want a pleasant experience with it.
Anxiety
Experiencing anxiety as a side effect can be confusing since one of kratom’s main qualities is stress relief. The truth is that while kratom reduces anxiety, it is only for a limited amount of time.
A build-up of alkaloids resulting from long-term abuse of kratom will eventually cause a crash, leading to confusion, brain fog, dysphoria, and more. Using less kratom and tackling the source of anxiety are the best ways to solve this problem.
Nausea
Nausea usually happens after taking heavy doses of kratom, as your body may not be able to process the herb’s alkaloids properly.
It can also happen as a result of withdrawal. In any case, taking smaller doses, and doing it on a full stomach, should help in this situation.
Depression
Thousands of people use kratom to fight depression, and while it can help, it can also exacerbate it.
It may be that the prolonged effects of some strains lead to a particular psychological development or that the abuse of kratom ends up causing physical problems. These are real problems that people usually suffer when using kratom to escape their situation.
Depression as a symptom of withdrawal is one of the worst experiences one can have with kratom, and it requires professional assistance to navigate correctly. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, we encourage you to seek expert aid for your recovery.
High Blood Pressure
Depending on the strain, kratom could provoke high blood pressure. Specifically, white-veined varieties activate the sympathetic nervous system, raising adrenaline levels and having such effects.
Likewise, red-veined strains lower blood pressure levels, and in any case, this could lead to problems if you’re taking medication for blood pressure. We recommend you talk to your doctor about this issue in case of any doubts.
Related: Kratom Drug Interactions
Headaches
Headaches can happen for different reasons, and they all have a possible solution.
First off, kratom is a potent astringent and diuretic substance, so its use can easily lead to dehydration. Drinking a good deal of water throughout the day is vital to counter this.
Secondly, kratom interacts with the nervous system activating the exact mechanism that causes the fight-or-flight response, thus raising blood pressure levels. This can lead to painful headaches, so you could try a different strain or lower the dose to avoid it.
Lastly, frequent, large amounts of kratom can lead to hormonal changes, such as decreased testosterone levels. Hormonal imbalances can cause lots of different problems, headaches among them. Taking kratom less frequently could help with this issue.
Conclusion: Where to Buy Kratom in Myrtle Beach
To date, kratom remains unregulated in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Therefore, it is legal to buy, sell and possess the herb here. There’s no reason to fear an incoming ban since officials are not concerned about it, and public tolerance increases daily.
If you have decided to try kratom, we recommend ordering from AKA-certified online vendors such as Kona Kratom, Star Kratom, and VIP Kratom. They are our favorite options, and we guarantee they will meet all your expectations.