DEA moves to ban kratom, frustrating both scientists and users

Commentary by Cathy Geibel TLB writer/reporter and Activist

I have to admit I knew nothing about an herb called Kratom and have zero experience with it while working with patients as a Nurse, yet in doing my researching it I find it intriguing. It is yet another natural herbal remedy with pain relieving qualities and possible mental health benefits that Big Pharma aka the DEA/FDA wants to squelch. The DEA was about to put this “drug” on the Schedule 1 substance list today but thanks to an outcry from the public the US House of Representatives has done the right thing and instead recommended there be time to receive public comment and continue scientific research.

Opioid pain med addiction and the availability and use of cheap heroine is at epidemic proportions. Apparently this substance mimics the effects of opioids and can help in transitioning off these highly addictive substances as well as offer pain relief among it’s many benefits. If this is true it can be a breakthrough in withdrawal from narcotics and the ability to maintain sobriety after detox and treatment.

So I have to ask, “Why now?” Why is the DEA in such a hurry to make this substance highly illegal? There have been only 15 deaths loosely linked to Kratom in the past two years compared to hundreds if not thousands who have either overdosed and/or died from heroine and prescription pain medications in the same time frame. So why now? How much is Big Pharma involved here? And considering our US Government forces and the CIA “protect” Opium poppy fields in Afghanistan why are they afraid of a little non narcotic herb? Will they lose narcotic business? Did I get it right? Are they afraid of it? They say “no valid medicinal use” and I cry foul to that. I believe there ARE valid uses and research should be allowed to continue. The same with Cannabis where there are PROVEN medicinal applications and it too is on the Schedule 1 list. All the “letter” agencies have an agenda. And I in collusion with big Pharma. The FDA? I am highly suspicious.

I find yet another thing interesting. The FDA is going to come riding in and save us from this “super dangerous drug” yet the FDA blatantly ignores the health hazards of glyphosate, aka roundup, and GMO foods that have toxins spliced right into their DNA. So excuse me if their concern here falls a little flat to me.

It is time the Federal government get out of our healthcare, away from our personal health decisions and out of the pocket of big Pharma and Monsanto… because seriously, THAT is who I think is driving this DEA decision. (CG)

xxx

By Brendan Kiley , Seattle Times staff reporter

The DEA says it will put kratom, a leaf indigenous to Southeast Asia, on its list of most severely prohibited drugs. But scientists and users — who say kratom has helped them kick opioid addictions — think that’s a mistake.

Maeng Da is a kind of kratom, a leaf from Southeast Asia with mild, opioid-like effects. (Erika Schultz/The Seattle Times)

Maybe you’ve never heard of kratom — a plant from Southeast Asia with large, green leaves that are dried, powdered and taken as a drug with mild, opioid-like effects.

Kratom has been used in Asia for generations — usually chewed or brewed into a tea — as a tonic, painkiller and an aid for people weaning themselves off opium. It can be bought in powder or capsule form at smoke shops across the country.

But dedicated kratom users might want to stock up. As soon as Friday, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says it will classify kratom as a Schedule I substance, putting it in a class of drugs — along with heroin, peyote and marijuana — that, per U.S. government policy, have “no currently acceptable medical use.” The Schedule I designation will make kratom illegal to possess or sell and more heavily restricted than cocaine or oxycodone.