Would You Know If This Woman Was Taking Kratom?
By Theo McCauley
The text immediately following has been lifted directly from the URL “http://krakenkratom.com/save-kratom/”. Kraken Kratom is one of the leading online distribution hubs of the legal drug kratom. The following text is meant merely to provide context and does not directly express the views of this blog nor its author.
“HUGE NEWS 10/12/16: THE DEA HAS REVERSED ITS DECISION TO TEMPORARILY SCHEDULE KRATOM!!
In what experts are calling a shocking move, the DEA has withdrawn its notice of intent to temporarily schedule kratom and its constituent alkaloids. We know this is because of OUR voices!
Together we’ve accomplished an unprecedented feat. It’s imperative that we continue to present the very best face of kratom — our organized, educated, and passionate community!”
But, “What is Kratom?”
It’s a question that all four corners of the internet cannot wait to answer. Websites from WebMD to The Huffington Post to Forbes will excitedly regurgitate what is readily available on Wikipedia: Mitragyna speciosa, commonly known as “Kratom,” is an evergreen tree that is related to the coffee family and indigenous to Southeast Asia. In smaller doses, Kratom can act as a mild stimulant, but in larger doses, it becomes a sedative. Reported side effects include nausea, addiction, trouble breathing, and psychosis. There were 15 Kratom related deaths between 2014 and 2016, but in zero of those cases was Kratom the sole factor. The history of Kratom goes back to the nineteenth century to relieve pain, suppress anxieties, and stem opioid addictions. Consumption of the drug is in the form of powder, tea, or capsules.
Beginning on September 30, 2016, Kratom was to be banned from the public market and considered a Schedule I drug. With this in effect, the century old drug would be joining the ranks of LSD, heroin, and ecstasy. However, on October 12, less than half a month after the ban went into effect, the Drug Enforcement Agency withdrew their emergency ban on Kratom. This was largely considered to be an unprecedented decision on the part of the DEA, and was determined in reaction to an overwhelming uproar from Kratom users and advocates that their quality of life was directly correlated to Kratom’s role as an herbal remedy.
Kratom is marketed as a legal high that doubles as an herbal alternative to destructive drug dependencies, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many users responsibly respond to the side of Kratom’s marketing that sells the drug as a form of ailment or pain relief. Nonetheless, there are still many other reported users that are satisfied by its potential as a “legal high” and therefore run the risk of pushing their body’s limitations in relation to the drug’s stupefying effects. In similar cases, Kratom also runs the risk of encouraging negative habit infrastructure because it is frequently used as an immediate supplement to reduce the withdrawal symptoms of habit-forming drugs and opioids. In situations like these, the vice has been diverted, but the want remains.
Without any substantial clinical research, the medicinal attributions of Kratom is derived exclusively from anecdotal evidence. This means that virtually no doctors could safely suggest the drug to supplement a burdened lifestyle. It seems obvious that jumping from no regulations to an outright ban on Kratom would have significantly impeded any clinical research that could have led to verifying the drug’s medicinal potential. There are numerous vocal communities crediting the drug for their enriched standard of living; this is a substance requiring more documented attention and verification to determine its efficacy for medicinal purposes.
The repealed ban on Kratom has brought significant mainstream attention to the drug’s sweeping consumption in affected communities. As the discussion grows, more and more voices are encouraging the rare instance wherein the DEA acknowledges a difference between dangerous and illegal. Schedule I drugs are considered to be void of prospective medical treatment in the United States, and therefore represent a high risk of abuse. Despite the fact that cannabis is legal for medical treatment in 28 states, marijuana is still considered a Schedule I drug — not Schedule II. Scheduling is an issue that has often been overlooked by the public because it was a “debate” that discouraged vocalization. Along with marijuana being misrepresented as a Schedule I drug, cocaine and methamphetamine are considered to be a Schedule II drugs.
Though the initial ban on Kratom was repealed, it was redacted on the provision that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determines that there are no immediately harmful risks to consumption of the drug. If the administration determines otherwise, then presumably the ban will be reinstated despite overwhelming citizen support for the drug. If this is the case then at least Kratom advocates can take comfort in the fact that they single handedly readjusted the industry standard that clinical research should determine wrongful consumption rather than the fear of an unknown agent.
