Public health issue I was previously unaware of. Two quick thoughts upon first read. We have a continuing issue with chronic pain that leads to this abuse, much like opioids. And the combination of legalized bribery through “free speech” and general anti-regulatory fervor is killing us. Good journalism. Kudos for the times. Could see another Pulitzer A Tampa Bay Times investigation found that more than 580 people in Florida have died from kratom-related overdoses during the past decade — even as the industry has touted the safety of its products. Most of the deaths were caused by a fatal mixture of kratom and at least one other substance, but 46 people overdosed solely on the herb. The federal government tried to ban the substance in 2016 after an uptick in calls to poison control centers. But the American Kratom Association, consumers, scientists and dozens of lawmakers objected to the restrictions, which would have curtailed kratom research and made possession a crime. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration abandoned its plan to temporarily make mitragynine, kratom’s main chemical compound, a Schedule 1 substance like heroin or LSD. The scientists turned to the kratom association and sites like Reddit to recruit study participants. They found that 4 in 10 consumed the plant to stop or limit opioid use. The vast majority said kratom effectively alleviated withdrawal symptoms. Pain, though, was the most common reason people took the herb. And almost two-thirds said they were treating depression. Hundreds died using kratom in Florida Hundreds died using kratom in Florida - Tampa Bay Times
Interesting. I tried it several years ago along with several adult beverages. I believe I took some Kava with it, too. Was a mild buzz for me, but I just had one drink of it at a coffee shop type place, so I assume it was a low "dose." Never occurred to me to seek it out again, but I was curious, it was legal, etc.
I've tried it a handful of times. It was OK. Pretty mild. I'd have a eat like 8 capsules to get a small buzz. I've always heard that that opiate addicts would take it to keep the withdrawals at bay. Never having been an opposite addict, I can't say for sure.
According to the peace, they give no guidance on dosages, and some applications provide an intense dosage, and they also don't give any warnings on interactions with other drugs, which can increase the danger.
I think it has it's uses with oversight. I could see kratom being better than people lining up at the Methadone clinics, but that's just me. Interesting that of 580 OD deaths in Florida over the last decade, all but 48 were found to have other substances in their systems other than Kratom. I don't have a medical background, but in it's face, it seems safer than prescription opiods.
What you say makes sense. This is my first introduction to it as a public policy issue. At a minimum, there should be some guidance on advertising and labeling
Follow up reporting, focused on industry lobbying and challenges to the FDA, which have successfully neutered the regulator. These quotes drive me crazy. C. McClain “Mac” Haddow, a former Reagan administration official who serves as the American Kratom Association’s lead lobbyist, said the association’s bills would improve safety. The bills outlaw kratom that has been synthetically enhanced or spiked with drugs. Most also say kratom should come packaged with a label that tells consumers how to responsibly use it. The group’s manufacturing guidelines help kratom companies at a time when the FDA is abdicating its duty to regulate the industry, Haddow said. Highly concentrated products, he added, could be banned if they were proven to cause deaths. But Haddow blamed dangers associated with kratom on irresponsible consumer behavior. “Can we regulate stupid?” Haddow said. “I can’t do that — no one can.” First, blaming the FDA for “abdicating” its responsibility to regulate is akin to the kid that kills his parents requesting mercy as an orphan. As the article shows, the industry has consistently used the playbook to block and intimidate the FDA into inaction. And the last quote is straight up Sackler. Kratom products go unregulated Kratom products go unregulated - Tampa Bay Times
Third in the series, on the trail and the significant efforts to cover the trail and conceal point of origin The very construction of it is like a set of nesting dolls: company after company after company. The brand relies on at least 16 companies and eight trade names, the Times found. One company registered in Wyoming holds trademarks. Another receives incoming kratom in Georgia. Another in Colorado makes extracts. Another Wyoming company furthers kratom-related research. At both locations, company addresses had to be cut off incoming packages and placed in a separate area for disposal, they said. The labels couldn’t be thrown away with the rest of the shipment trash. “They didn’t want any addresses on anything,” said Alex Gomez, 32, who worked as a quality assurance and control manager for five months before leaving in July. “It’s just one of those things that you’re like, again, ‘Why the need for secrecy?’ Like, you think someone’s gonna be rummaging through your trash? Is that what you’re worried about?” Following the kratom trail Following the kratom trail - Tampa Bay Times
