“Thanks to the opioid epidemic in the US, one of the hottest local commodities is a controversial plant called kratom that fans call a natural alternative to synthetic painkillers but US regulators say isn’t safe. Demand from the US has turned Kapuas Hulu into a boom town: Newly affluent residents have built additions to their houses and workers drive the latest model Honda motorcycles.” Bloomberg: US Hunger For Opioid Alternative Drives Boom in Borneo Jungle.