DEA’s Latest Ban Plan: Kratom

www.addictionnow.com/2016/09/29/deas-latest-ban-plan-kratom/

Kratom is an unusual, natural substance consumed in Asian countries including Thailand and Malaysia, since the early 1800s, to help treat anxiety and depression, alleviate fatigue, promote strength, relieve chronic pain, PTSD symptoms, diarrhea and combat lack of energy.

Kratom – thom, biak, ketum, kakuam or thang –  is mostly consumed orally in gel capsule form, but its leaves (from kratom trees) can also be crushed and chewed, smoked or brewed with tea. At low doses, it has a similar, stimulating effect one would get from drinking a strong cup of coffee. At higher doses it is a powerful sedative and painkiller, and arguably an addictive one.

DEA Ban

Because of claims the substance can be addictive and abused, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced they intend to make Kratom a Schedule I drug – grouped with LSD, heroin, marijuana, and ecstasy.

Around the same time last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted the public that it will be detaining supplements that contain Kratom without any physical examination.

The federal agencies are yet to evaluate the substance but claim there’s no legitimate medical use for Kratom in the United States, and that it has caused psychosis, hallucinations and other dangerous side effects in its users.

The DEA also linked 15 deaths to the use of Kratom in the last two years, but 14 of those 15 people who died also had other drugs in their systems. That’s a very small number when you take in consideration millions of doses are being consumed regularly around the US. The number of people who allegedly died after consuming Kratom doesn’t even come close to the number of kids who die every year from being trapped inside hot vehicles.

Pros vs. Cons

One of the best assessments available so far regarding the drug’s effects can be found in a study published last year in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. After stating that there hasn’t been any rigorous scientific research regarding Kratom and humans, the study analyzed hundreds of profiles from a popular website for drug users and drug researchers. Researchers then… 

gathered a list of negative side effects including stomach pain, headaches, itching, and nausea, alongside a list of positive effects like relaxation, increased energy, and enhanced sociability.

The study showed that Kratom alone has an extremely low overdose risk, which catches the attention of health care providers working to combat the  rising numbers of overdose deaths.

The most revealing information about Kratom in the study was its great ability to relieve pain, which gives a natural alternative to those who seek highly addictive and potentially deadly painkillers.

Proponents point to Kratom’s success as a method of treatment

The American Kratom Association was founded last year to protect the rights of Americans using the substance, to inform the general public about Kratom’s benefits and to raise awareness while representing a community of responsible consumers who share successful stories about using Kratom.

The increasing number of enthusiasts includes doctors, lawyers and law enforcement officers, and other professionals who found hope through the use of Kratom. Some use the new association as a platform to talk about how they’ve been cured from their lifelong addictions while others talk about how they’ve gained the ability to deal with depression, OCD, ADD/ADHD, migraines, debilitating cases of Lupus, Fibromyalgia, and Lyme Disease – among other serious illnesses – since they started using the natural analgesic. There’s still a lot to learn about Kratom, but it does seem to be a much better alternative than other popular maintenance medications for opiate addiction, such as methadone and buprenorphine, both known for causing death.

Many agree that banning Kratom would clearly affect many Americans who have  found it to be a good alternative to cure their addiction to heroin, among other opiates and legal narcotics.

Chronic pain advocate, consultant and licensed pharmacist for about 50 years Steven R. Ariens said he knows of a patient who has been on Kratom for six years and will be back on a wheelchair unable to move from pain after the federal ban. 

Best Interest (or not)

Kratom is legal in 44 states, but the ban could take place on the last day of September, although it is evident there isn’t a great deal of information or research regarding the medical benefits of the tree leaf product.

People using Kratom will not only be criminally charged if they continue to use it after the ban, but they would also have a hard time getting informed about the substance. Once the DEA lists a substance as Schedule I, medical research and scientific studies hardly ever take place since it becomes much more difficult for researchers to gain access to such substances – and that rarely changes.

“There’ll be no lift from the DEA because they profit from the ban,” Ariens said.

With the data gathered so far, and all the positive anecdotal evidence, one would wonder if banning the natural substance is potentially more harmful than beneficial. Is it in our best interest to have a regulating agency crippling its own need for scientific research? If we aim to protect people or aid recoveries, shouldn’t we be making room for more flexibility in the way that controlled drugs are studied?

Filed under: General Problems