Is Kratom the New Marijuana for Prohibitionists?

DEA Tries To Ban Kratom and Gets Stopped By Congress from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

I think Doug Benson said it the best; “I would like to congratulate drugs for winning the war on drugs” and it is never been truer for cannabis. With cannabis legal in more than half of the States in the US in one form or another, and with more States about to jump in on the action in November, it is safe to say that cannabis legality in the US is a matter of “when” not “if”.

The American Public is adamant about legalization. They are sick and tired of the war on drugs and especially when it comes to marijuana. With millions having prison records and millions more on probation for minor drug offenses to the outright denial of the medical potential of the plant, the people have spoken. “We want our reefer” they are exclaiming in unison.

Now cannabis prohibition has had an eighty-year long run and wreaked havoc on the nation and the world as a whole. But what will happen to the DEA if we legalize drugs?

If drugs are legal and regulated by other agencies, would the DEA still hold value in society? For most people the answer is quite simple; No!

But knowing the DEA, they will find another drug to demonize and it seems this year they have revealed their “next” demonized plant.

kratom plant

What the hell is Kratom?

While many people are still unaware of what Kratom is, others have found it to be the perfect substitute for opiates. Originating from South East Asia, this plant has been used for thousands of years as medicine and as a recreational drug.

While the use of this substance is fairly new in places such as the US, there have been a few cases of adverse reactions to the substance, however we’re talking about 15 people in the span of two years. Compare that to the fact that every day over 1,000 people are being treated for the misuse of opiod prescription medication to put things in perspective.

Of course, we shouldn’t just accept any drug as “good” and for every substance, including cannabis, more research is always welcome.

However, people who were addicted to opiates found that Kratom was the perfect substitute to decrease pain while also decreasing their addiction. Some people have weaned off completely from prescription meds using Kratom.

dea

What the DEA is going to do about it

Now that Cannabis prohibition is going the way fo the Dodo, Kratom could very well become the next focal point for the agency.

Written on August 30th, 2016, the DEA released this statement on their website:

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) today announced its intention to place the active materials in the kratom plant into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act in order to avoid an imminent hazard to public safety. Mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine are found in kratom, which is a tropical tree indigenous to Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, and other areas of Southeast Asia. The announcement was made in the U.S. Federal Register and can be found by following this link. (DEA, 2016)

In addition to their own statistics;

From February 2014 to July 2016, over 55,000 kilograms of kratom material were encountered by law enforcement at various ports of entry within the United States. Additionally, another 57,000+ kilograms of kratom material offered for import into the United States between 2014 and 2016 are awaiting an FDA admissibility decision. (DEA, 2016)

While the Kratom market is not nearly as large as the cannabis market, if people did become aware of the fact that a plant could provide the same pain relief as prescription opioids, and understanding that the DEA is nothing more than the strong arm of the Pharmaceutical industry…it is highly likely that the next plant to go the way of cannabis…could be Kratom.

If one war ends, we’ll start another…so is the way of the DEA

UPDATE

Due to public pressure and articles like this, the US Congress has asked the DEA to hold off on banning another plant that has medical qualities that help people. As of October 4, 2016 the DEA has delayed the resheduling of Kratom to schedule 1 and will seek more information before moving forward. Good work, everyone!

kratom in congress