Kratom is a plant that is helping millions of people suffering chronic and acute mental and physical conditions that also offers a safe way out for those battling addiction to opioids. An effort mounted by the FDA may put kratom on the same level as illegal drugs like heroin and would prevent further research which, to date, has shown kratom to be an effective painkiller that does not cause respiratory depression – the main cause of death from opiate overdose.
We stand in solidarity with the American Kratom Association and are allied in the effort to preserve access to this botanical with centuries of evidence supporting its positive applications. We need to send a loud message if we are to stop the FDA from this broad expansion of power. Natural products, botanicals, and dietary supplements should be regulated only when necessary, and only then under the limited authority granted by the Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).
See below for links to articles and resources, and for an opportunity to take action.
Kratom By The Numbers
Lawmakers Push Back Against The Latest Flimsy Campaign To Crack Down On Kratom
Is this humble plant the answer to the opioid epidemic?
The Bonvie Blog: Is Kratom as Bad as the FDA Says, or a Benign Alternative to Opioids?
The American Kratom Association and More Opportunities to Take Action
Take Action Now – Urge Congress to Support the Pocan/LoBiondo Letter – Make Sure the DEA Reviews the Science on Kratom!
Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) have agreed to encourage their congressional colleagues to co-sign a letter to the DEA on the proposed scheduling of kratom. Citizens for Health has signed on as a supporting organization.
We know the science in on our side. Kratom does not kill people. Kratom is not an opioid. Kratom does not have the same effects as an opioid, and kratom is not an analogue of an opioid.
The FDA wants to regulate kratom as a drug, and it is using inaccurate data on deaths they allege were caused by kratom use. That is not true, and the FDA’s own adverse event database proves it.
But the FDA is not letting the truth get in their way of demonizing kratom, and they are committed to dramatically expanding their regulatory control over a natural and safe botanical that has been used responsibly by consumers for decades in the United States, and for centuries in Southeast Asia.
Please contact your Representative immediately. Call the Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121. Ask to speak with the Congressperson who represents you.
When your Representative or a member of their staff answers the phone, please share the following and adjust if you are speaking with your Representative directly:
“I am calling to ask Representative [insert their name here] to support the freedom for consumers to use kratom as a part of their health and well-being regimen. Representative [insert their name here] can support kratom by signing on to the letter from Representatives Mark Pocan and Frank LoBiondo that urges the DEA to use all available science to review the FDA proposal to ban kratom and criminalize any consumer who uses it. The letter needs to be sent before the end of the current session, so Representative [insert their name here] will have to act fast to join as a co-signer! Please thank Representative [insert their name here] for their attention to this issue.”
To make your message even stronger, add a brief personal statement on why you support keeping kratom legal, and please be respectful in talking with the staffer or Representative.