Kratom status, kratom to overcome the opioid crisis
The U.S. government has twice tried to classify kratom as a controlled substance, but public outcry and pushback from Congress thwarted those efforts.
Kratom, a plant indigenous to Southeast Asia, produces narcotic-like effects when smoked or taken in liquid or capsule form. Its advocates say the substance is a promising replacement for opioids that could help wean people addicted to those drugs, which killed nearly 70,000 people in the U.S. in 2020.
Those claims have yet to be fully vetted by scientists. The U.S. government has twice tried to restrict kratom’s use by classifying it as a controlled substance, arguing it has high potential for abuse and no known medical benefit. But public outcry and pushback from Congress thwarted those efforts.
While the FDA and HHS are holding off on urging the WHO to schedule kratom, their public comment notice signaled that their view of the botanical continues to be dim.
“Kratom is an increasingly popular drug of abuse and readily available on the recreational drug market in the United States,” the FDA said.
The FDA has long been critical of kratom, warning consumers to avoid it and seizing imported supplements containing the substance. The agency has put several kratom distributors on notice for marketing it as a treatment for opioid addiction or pain, claims that are not backed up by science.
Two compounds in kratom interact with the brain’s opioid receptors, which has raised concerns about whether people may become dependent on its use.
But scientists like Garcia-Romeu say kratom’s effects are different than that of opioids, noting that the drug doesn’t slow breathing to the extent traditional opioids do.
“It’s a double-edged sword that has abuse potential, but it also has medical potential,” he said.
we are in a very easy state to make choices although we know that the government will not set something to be OK if the government does not benefit from this policy.
