A friend alerted me recently to the fact that I could soon be guilty of a felony crime for having a small amount of a natural herb in the tea drawer in my kitchen. This is for a plant called kratom, derived from Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia.
It boggles the mind that at a time when 25 states and Washington, D.C., have medicinal marijuana, and when deaths from prescription opiate overdoses have skyrocketed, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recently moved to ban the sale of the active ingredients in kratom by Sept. 30.
“The Administrator of the DEA is issuing this notice of intent to temporarily schedule the opioids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, which are the main active constituents of the plant kratom, into Schedule I pursuant to the temporary scheduling provisions of the Controlled Substances Act,” the DEA said. “This action is based on a finding by the Administrator that the placement of these opioids into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act is necessary to avoid an imminent hazard to the public safety.”
The DEA says kratom “has a long history of use in Southeast Asia as an opium substitute… in recent years, the presence of the psychoactive plant kratom has increased dramatically on the recreational market in the United States due to its opioid-like effects. Numerous vendors selling kratom have appeared in the past few years, markedly increasing its availability.”
The DEA seems very alarmed that kratom products are just “a click” away for users, as kratom is easily obtained over the Internet.
A recent article in Salon was titled, “Is the DEA high? Emergency ban on kratom has to make you wonder what they’re smoking. The ban on kratom – a safe and popular treatment for chronic pain, depression, anxiety and PTSD – is inexplicable.”
There was a major Internet campaign to write U.S. senators and other officials to block the DEA’s actions. One organization, www.americankratom.org, recommended citizens call the DEA (202) 307-1000 and say, “I am a responsible adult who consumes kratom to improve my health and well-being and I urge you not to emergency place it into Schedule 1, but to go through a rigorous public and scientific comment process instead.”
There were also pleas to contact your U.S. senators and representatives. The DEA backed off after a large public outcry against making possession of kratom equal in penalties to possession of heroin or cocaine. For now, kratom will not be listed as a Schedule 1 drug. My tea drawer may be safe from search and seizure.
In my experience, kratom can help with anxiety and depression. You might find yourself humming as you clean the kitchen. Some people find it, like medicinal cannabis, very useful to treat pain. It has also been used to help people withdrawing from opiates.
In its notice to list kratom as a Schedule 1 drug, the DEA says “since abusers obtain kratom, which contains the main active alkaloids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragyine, through unknown sources, the identity, purity, and quantity of these substances are uncertain and inconsistent, thus posing significant adverse health risks to users.”
Hello, have you looked at the warnings about harmful side effects that come with prescription medicines like opiates, benzodiazepines and sleeping pills? They are far more alarming than kratom.
And the “problem” with kratom not being regulated is the same with all of the herbal supplements on the market. They are not tested for purity by any government watchdog. And I actually don’t trust the FDA that is owned by big pharmaceutical interests to test to see if my echinacea is actually echinacea.
Just as with herbal supplements, I do research to make sure the manufacturer uses high standards. I don’t buy the cheapest supplements. I got advice on the best source of kratom from my friend who has been taking it for years, knows what it should look and taste like, and the expected effects.
I asked her what she thought was behind the DEA’s movement to ban kratom. Her response? “Big Pharma doesn’t want us to have access to natural medicines. Instead, they want us to take addictive prescription opiates and anti-anxiety medicines that make big profits for the drug companies.”
However, she also cautions that there is some risk of addiction to kratom. But labeling kratom a Schedule 1 drugs means it has no medicinal value and it is as dangerous as crack, which is preposterous. Instead of a ban, more studies should be done, which wouldn’t be allowed if it was labeled Schedule 1. And instead of prohibition, there needs to be a path to regulation.
Becky Gillette