I never used it to get high either, I never escalated dosage (never went over 7g) but it is the common pattern for people. I'd go a few days without it and start to get huge mood crashes, crying for no reason etc. and at first did not correlate it with kratom for a while. After I did I then realised I had to come off it completely and felt total suicidal levels of depression for days and days.

Using opioids as an anti-depressant is an accident waiting to happen. Kratom has cross tolerance with all opiates and used by addicts to try and cope with their withdrawal (one of the reasons I support it not being scheduled) but it is far from the benign substance it is often made out to be, just google "kratom addiction" and see the reams of stuff it pulls up. Trying to use it as an AD is dangerous since withdrawal puts you much much further into depression, managing pain is a safer use of it.

People can have adverse reactions to any number of substances. That's no reason to ban the it and make criminals of people who successfully use it to manage pain and get over their addictions. There are literally thousands of anecdotal stories of people using it for this purpose. Don't let your bad experience with an herb make you bitter enough to take it away from the people who use it with success.

I never said anything about being anti-ban, I posted in response to someone thinking about using it for the same reasons I did and also to make people aware of the risks.

I'm not going to question your anecdotal account, but I'll just say that I've heard coming off kratom described as easy many times and I've done so without the symptoms you are describing.

I would wholeheartedly agree with your statement about using of it as an AD. The foremost use of it should be for pain relief. It does elevate my mood however I really don't see it benefiting someone in social interactions if they are not confident. I feel kind of socially turned off and even a bit twitchy but I'm a really sociable person so I can power through it and enjoy the other benefits. Utilizing it to battle depression is just not smart.

Yeah, I tried it 3 times and everytime I got violently ill. I thought it was random illness the first 2 times, then I figured out it was the Kratom the 3rd time.

Quality post. As someone in healthcare who manages patients with chronic pain, things like this are the reason more and more people turn to abusing opioids. This is a REAL problem and some of the reason the heroin epidemic is occurring. More and more research is coming out suggesting chronic pain is due to nervous system sensitization and not pain originating at the tissue level. People sensitize their nervous system more with opiates and its a vicious cycle.

Anyone who claims they are for "less government" better sign this petition. These organizations classify harmless materials as drugs just so they can keep their jobs by having more things to lock -people up for.

I suspect most of these 'calls to poison control' have been related to this.

The plant material is pretty hard on your digestive system for a long period, some people make tea instead (even more foul to have to get it down you though, ugh). Kratom is weird, just slightly over a proven dose and it would make me puke which makes finding the right dose a bit of trial and error. Worse still is that the puke-threshold and strength of the effects vary between the strains, a few strains gave me nausea at any dose. Typically I ate some ginger to eliminate chances of nausea, because once it came and good effects disappeared and I'd be left with 6+hrs of yuck.

The puke-threshold is actually a good thing for kratom because it stops people using large amounts getting big opiate-type highs or ODing. It is like a built in safety valve. It also stops abuse of it for people using it to help withdraw from opiates and keep their drug reharb on track, someone I know that used it to do this and only needed 2-3g to starve off ******** withdrawal.

[QUOTE=zknarc post_id=1465220581]I suspect most of these 'calls to poison control' have been related to this.

The plant material is pretty hard on your digestive system for a long period, some people make tea instead (even more foul to have to get it down you though, ugh). Kratom is weird, just slightly over a proven dose and it would make me puke which makes finding the right dose a bit of trial and error. Worse still is that the puke-threshold and strength of the effects vary between the strains, a few strains gave me nausea at any dose. Typically I ate some ginger to eliminate chances of nausea, because once it came and good effects disappeared and I'd be left with 6+hrs of yuck.

The puke-threshold is actually a good thing for kratom because it stops people using large amounts getting big opiate-type highs or ODing. It is like a built in safety valve. It also stops abuse of it for people using it to help withdraw from opiates and keep their drug reharb on track, someone I know that used it to do this and only needed 2-3g to starve off ******** withdrawal.[/QUOTE][QUOTE=FlexLex post_id=1465219831]Quality post. As someone in healthcare who manages patients with chronic pain, things like this are the reason more and more people turn to abusing opioids. This is a REAL problem and some of the reason the heroin epidemic is occurring. More and more research is coming out suggesting chronic pain is due to nervous system sensitization and not pain originating at the tissue level. People sensitize their nervous system more with opiates and its a vicious cycle.

Anyone who claims they are for "less government" better sign this petition. These organizations classify harmless materials as drugs just so they can keep their jobs by having more things to lock -people up for.[/QUOTE][QUOTE=devin45k post_id=1465170921]Yeah, I tried it 3 times and everytime I got violently ill. I thought it was random illness the first 2 times, then I figured out it was the Kratom the 3rd time.[/QUOTE]Some people have what's known as a "codeine allergy" where they can't take any oral opioid drugs because they lack or have too much of the the P450 and/or CYP2D6 enzyme required to metabolism opiates/opioids and can't take any type of opiates/opioids products (codeine, hydrocodone, oxycontin, oxycodone, morphine, demerol or other drugs of that class (there are a lot of them)[URL=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid#Classification]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid#Classification[/URL]

So, if you're every in an accident and the doctor prescribes you an opioid/opiate such as any of those, you may want to tell him you are possibly very sensitive and/or full blown allergic to codeine and they will give you an alternative. Second, if you ever have to be put under sedation for any reason you will want to tell the anesthesiologist the same thing. I'm not sure if there is a test to determine whether you are allergic to codeine or not without putting you into incredible discomfort, but I would assume there is.

[QUOTE]CYP2D6 converts codeine into morphine, which then undergoes glucuronidation. Life-threatening intoxication, including respiratory depression requiring intubation, can develop over a matter of days in patients who have multiple functional alleles of CYP2D6, resulting in ultra-rapid metabolism of opioids such as codeine into morphine.[/QUOTE][URL=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeine#Pharmacokinetics]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeine#Pharmacokinetics[/URL]

[QUOTE]Adverse drug reactions are a major cause of death in hospitalized patients.1 Differences among persons in the level of cytochrome P-450–dependent monooxygenase activity may lead to differences in the efficacy and toxicity of drugs metabolized by this enzyme system.2-4
Cytochrome P-450 is the product of a multigene family, and its activity may reflect drug–drug interaction. Genetic variants of the cytochrome P-450 enzyme CYP3A4 are relatively common, but to our knowledge none of them have been shown to cause a phenotypic change in drug metabolism. In contrast, various genotypes of the CYP2D6 subfamily of cytochrome P-450 enzymes correlate with phenotypic subgroups with differing rates of drug metabolism.5,6 A person with two nonfunctional alleles at CYP2D6 is considered to have poor drug metabolism, whereas a person with one or two functional alleles is considered to have extensive metabolism, and one who has duplicated or amplified active CYP2D6 genes is considered to have ultrarapid metabolism.7 About 7 to 10 percent of whites have poor CYP2D6 metabolism, whereas 1 to 7 percent of whites and more than 25 percent of Ethiopians have gene duplications and are classified as having ultrarapid metabolism. CYP2D6 catalyzes hydroxylation or demethylation of more than 20 percent of drugs, including codeine.[/QUOTE]Source: Codeine Intoxication Associated with Ultrarapid CYP2D6 Metabolism - The New England Journal of Medicine[URL=http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa041888#t=article]http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056...1888#t=article[/URL]

[QUOTE]Approximately 7% of Caucasians, 3% of Blacks, and 1% of Asians are poor metabolizers (PMs) of CYP2D6, an enzyme of the hepatic P450 micro****l enzyme system. These individuals produce no CYP2D6 or undetectable levels of it, thus preventing them from metabolizing drugs that are substrates of this enzyme. The remainder of individuals in these
populations produce functional levels of CYP2D6 and are labeled extensive metabolizers (EMs).1-8 To date, over 30 drugs, including antiarrhythmics, antidepressants, neuroleptics, beta receptor antagonists, codeine, and the derivatives of codeine, hydrocodone and oxycodone, are known to be metabolized by CYP2D62-4 (Table 1). Given that codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone are all prodrugs (inactive drugs that must be metabolized to active drugs within the body) people who are PMs of CYP2D6 will experience little to no
analgesia fr m these medications since they lack the enzyme to metabolize these drugs (Table 2). Likewise, a patient who takes codeine or its derivatives in combination with a high-affinity substrate or potent inhibitor of CYP2D6 will experience attenuated analgesia, whether this person is a PM or an EM.4,5 PMs of CYP2D6 are homozygous for the 29B auto****l recessive mutation of the CYP2D6 gene located on chromosome 22.146 The resultant genotype (29B/29B) leads to no immunodetectable levels of hepaticCYP2D6 enzyme production.4 In individuals without the homozygous mutation of this gene, codeine is successfully 0-demethylated by CYP2D6 to
morphine, the active metabolite of codeine that exerts analgesia. 416 Without CYP2D6, codeine provides little to no analgesia.7 The same holds true for hydrocodone and oxycodone: only through their bioconversion to their active metabolites (hydromorphone and oxymorphone, respectively) do they induce analgesia.2'4'6

[...]

Although reversible, this inhibition may last up to 1 wk after these drugs have been discontinued as a result of their relatively long half-lives.45 In situations in which codeine
and another drug have relatively equal affinities for CYP2D6, one may expect compromised pain relief rather than total absence of pain relief, as may be the case with sertraline. Finally, under circumstances in which codeine has a greater affinity for CYP2D6 than other drugs metabolized by this enzyme, codeine will potentially inhibit their metabolism, possibly resulting in their toxicity.

[...]

In conclusion, a small percentage of patients who are prescribed codeine and its derivatives, hydrocodone and oxycodone, will experience little to no analgesia for no other reason than because they are PMs of CYP2D6. Presumably, an even larger percentage of patients who are prescribed these analgesics will be taking drugs that are other substrates or potent inhibitors
of CYP2D6, such as quinidine, paroxetine, or fluoxetine. These patients, too, will experience little to no pain relief upon administration of codeine, hydrocodone,
or oxycodone. Under these circumstances, it is advisable to prescribe to the patient another analgesic, such as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, propoxyphene (Darvocet), or a drug already in its active form, such as hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Knowledge of potential drug interactions and toxicities ahead of time will only serve to better assist the care provider in rendering the safest and most effective treatment for patients.[/QUOTE]Source: The Effects of the Genetic Absence and Inhibition of CYP2D6 on the Metabolism of Codeine and Its Derivatives, Hydrocodone and Oxycodone[URL=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2148980/pdf/anesthprog00232-0028.pdf]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/art...00232-0028.pdf[/URL][PDF]

And as you can see from this study, it was demonstrated that kratom is indeed an inhibitor of P450 and CYP2D6

[QUOTE]Results:

Assessment using recombinant enzymes showed that mitragynine gave the strongest inhibitory effect on CYP2D6 with an IC50 value of 0.450.33 mM, followed by CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 with IC50 values of 9.704.80 and 41.326.74 μM respectively. Positive inhibitors appropriate for CYP2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4 which are sulfaphenazole, quinidine and ketoconazole were used respectively. Vmax values of CYP2C9, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 were 0.0005, 0.01155 and 0.0137 μM luciferin formed/pmol/min respectively. Km values of CYP2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4 were 32.65, 56.01, and 103.30 μM respectively. Mitragynine noncompetitively inhibits CYP2C9 and CYP2D6 activities with the Ki values of 61.48 and 12.86 μM respectively. On the other hand, mitragynine inhibits CYP3A4 competitively with a Ki value of 379.18 μM.

Conclusions:

The findings of this study reveal that mitragynine might inhibit cytochrome P450 enzyme activities, specifically CYP2D6. Therefore, administration of mitragynine together with herbal or modern drugs which follow the same metabolic pathway may contribute to herb-drug interactions.[/QUOTE]Source: Inhibitory effect of mitragynine on human cytochrome P450 enzyme activities[URL=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3807987/]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3807987/[/URL]

I'm curious - why did you post this thread now, rather than before the "Dear Colleague" letter was signed by members of the HoR?

I don't remember exactly, but it was around the same time. But I've been using kratom for years.

so you admit to being on drugs?

kratom ≠ drugs

if it was not a drug why do ppl get withdrawls on it ? and yes ive used it before its like a poverty painkiller but very easy to extract high doses of it and get high as hell

Do you define a drug as something that gives you withdrawals? Forget the label "drugs" and focus on it's medicinal value. If people abuse it to get high and then when they try to come off it, they get withdrawal, they are abusing a medicinal substance as a recreational "drug" just as if someone took oxycodone or Vicodin to get high beyond a medicinal dosage and wound up with the same problem.

I use kratom as a tea for daily pain that I can't treat otherwise because I don't have insurance, because my state refused Obamacare money for purely political reasons. I suggest you go back and read my first two posts from this thread and watch the included the videos. You might find yourself enlightened on the topic.

In. Been using Kratom for a while as a treatment for depression and chronic sinus infection symptoms.

Bumping

Well written posts don't need cliffs, nice work

if it had anything to do with big pharma, then big pharma would simply extract the active ingredients, and sell their own concentrated more effective version of it, just like they have with over 70% of all the medication they have today. 70%, because thats the portion of all modern medicine that has been derived from 'ancient natural remedies' and plants.

the perfect example; when scientists examined willow bark to figure out why it seemed to have medical properties, they found one ingredient that was doing it. so they extracted it and decided to sell it. They called it Asprin.

tldr; nothing to do with big pharma; everything to do with big government. Overfunded overstaffed organisations with far greater mandates than what they ought to have, and still overreaching. They want to ban it so that they can arrest more people, dish out more fines, and feel more important by telling us all what we can and cant do. The more stuff is illegal, the more work they have, so the more funding they get. Same as it's always been. govt are kunts

i heard kratom fuqs up the liver or kidneys is this true pogue?

[QUOTE=bigmane123 post_id=1465780531]i heard kratom fuqs up the liver or kidneys is this true pogue?[/QUOTE]Honestly, I don't know the answer to that question. I searched Google and here is the first link that comes up:
[URL=https://livertox.nlm.nih.gov/Kratom.htm]https://livertox.nlm.nih.gov/Kratom.htm[/URL]

I have heard that kratom can both hepatotoxic and possibly renal toxic if taken in high enough doses or combined with other drugs.

The liver seems to be the the most susceptible, given that its the organ that the kraom is going to pass through when ingested orally. Unfortunately, I'm not sure there are many studies on the effects of either of these issues to make a good judgement on either of them.

Here's the full text of a study looking at the hepatotoxicity of kava, khat, and kratom (why they chose to combine these into one single study, I don't know). But here is what it says about the effects of kratom on the liver:

[QUOTE]Chronic recreational use of kratom has been associated with rare instances of acute liver injury.

[...]

Although kratom seems to be safe when administered at 1–10 mg/kg doses (which represents a sub-chronic dose), after prolonged exposure to a 100 mg/kg dose, as demonstrated in the experiments on Sprague-Dawley rats conducted by Sabetghadam et al. [53], it causes biochemical and hematological changes with histopathological alterations in several tissues (liver, kidney and brain). In the same paper, the authors reported that kratom users consume about 67.5–75 mg of kratom per day and that no adverse effects were shown while only after prolonged exposure to a higher dose of kratom, clinical signs of toxicity were highlighted [41]. Only a few papers [54] report liver damages or hepatotoxic sequelae related to kratom use, and also in these cases, the authors highlighted the difficulties of a correlation between kratom consumption and hepatic injuries, which was more likely to be associated with the extraction process of the alkaloids or to the presence of contaminants in the herbal products [52]. Moreover, causality has not yet been accurately established for kratom, as CIOMS scale (RUCAM) has not been applied to suspected cases. Further information is available in the drug user web fora [55]; although these are not official sources, they could represent an incentive for researchers to enhance their knowledge of its metabolism and its adverse effects in humans.

[...]

[[b]They also go into great lenghts to stress that because it's a plant, there can be a variety of active alkaloids in high or low dosages depending on the yield of the plant, how it ws grown, the crop, how it was farmed, etc, etc, etc. So, you may one time get a particularlly strong batch, and other times you might get a batch with less alkaloids and thus less effects (and less liver/kidney toxicity)[/b]]

The stimulating and analgesic/depressive effects, caused by kratom consumption are mainly due to the presence of these numerous alkaloids: the modulation of the above-mentioned effects is closely related not only to the dosage of consumption but also to the strain of the leaves, since the alkaloid content varies also in relationship to the veining varieties. In nature, there are three different leave strains: the red variety, originating from Bali, is very efficient in pain relief, while the white one and green ones, originating from Malaysia, cause the onset of strong stimulant effects. Other varieties of kratom are sold on the internet like Bali kratom, Malaysian kratom, red, green or white vein Thai kratom, Maeng Da kratom, white-veined Borneo kratom, New Guinea kratom, Java kratom, Sumatra red, the Rifat strain, the bumblebee strain, and red and green Riau [52]. Furthermore, for each of these types, there are several grades of potency: the “organic commercial grade” (the least potent), the “premium” or the “instand instant”, the “super” and the “super enhanced” [87]. Little is known about the real potency of these preparations, except for the experiences reported by the users in the web fora.

Kong et al. [90] evaluated the effect of the M. speciosa extract (MSE) on human recombinant cytochrome P450 enzymes: he observed that MSE shows a high inhibitory effect on CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, whereas a moderate inhibition was found for CYP1A2 and a weak inhibition for CYP2C19. These results suggest that the use of kratom could cause dangerous consequences if consumed concomitantly with other drugs that are substrates of the same enzymes. Many adverse effects are reported in the literature by several authors, including fatal cases caused by co-consumption with other substances, like carisoprodol [88], modafinil [91], propylhexedrine [92], Datura stramonium [93], ******** [88], diphenhydramine, temazepam [94], caffeine, morphine and O-desmethyl******** [37,49,88].

[[b]Since we see that kratom interacts with the P450 enzymes in the liver it can cause it saturate or "stress it out" like many other substances. Also, as I mentioned above, combining it in a polydrug formula can cause sever liver distress and this is what has lead to the deaths from kratom - combining it with other drugs, and not the kratom itself. See here for more info on that: [URL=http://www.snopes.com/kratom-banned-by-the-dea/]http://www.snopes.com/kratom-banned-by-the-dea/[/URL] For more about P450 and it's various otehr constituents, see this Wikipedia article: [URL=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytochrome_P450]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytochrome_P450[/URL][/b]]

[b][color=red]However, there are few studies in the literature proving the toxicity of kratom in humans. Seizure episodes and withdrawal syndromes reported are mostly related to chronic consumption of kratom or to acute overdose cases [37,42,54]. The hepatotoxicity reports [54,95] are also very rare and mostly linked to long-term kratom consumption or to its excessive intake.[/color][/b]

These findings were highlighted in all the animals exposed to the maximum dosage of mitragynine, in particular in female rats. The alteration of some biochemical parameters corresponded to the structural modifications discovered in the liver. Very high levels of serum lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and urea, indices of hepatocellular damage, were observed; there was also an increase in liver weight of all the animals exposed to the maximum dose of mitragynine. The histological liver examination showed moderate destruction of polygonal lobules, dilation of sinusoids and hemorrhagic hepatocytes; there were no signs of centrilobular necrosis or inflammatory cell infiltration. An increase in triglycerides, cholesterol, AST and ALT values, albumin (indices of hepatic impairment), and the presence of histological evidence for hepatic cellular damages, were also observed by Harizal et al. [45] after acute oral administration of 1000 mg/kg of methanolic extract of M. speciosa in rats. In all the rats of the treated group, the histological analysis revealed a severe hepatotoxicity, with a major number of Kupffer cells, hemorrhagic hepatocytes, sinusoids congestion, steatosis and centrilobular necrosis. These studies show that the sub-chronic dosages (1–10 mg/kg) of mitragynine in rats, which in[b]humans corresponds to a dose of 0.1 to 1.7 mg/kg, seems to be quite safe when compared to those consumed by kratom users: in fact, the content of kratom juice regularly consumed in the northern regions of the Malaysia Peninsular, is equal to approximately 0.3 to 5.1 mg/kg per day and users do not show any side effects related to the chronic use of this substance[/b], as reported by Vicknasingam et al.[b] [41,52].[/QUOTE]So 1.7mg/kg for a 150lb (68kg) person would come out to 116mg daily. (Check my math for me, I'm a bad math student. I'm using this calculator[URL=http://reference.medscape.com/calculator/weight-dosing]http://reference.medscape.com/calculator/weight-dosing[/URL]) That seems very small, most kratom users use dosages in the gram amounts.

5.1mg/kg comes out to 347mg for me.

[QUOTE]As mitragynine has proved to be extremely toxic in rats, when administered for a prolonged period at 100 mg/kg, in the future more studies must be carried out on the chronic exposure to mitragynine in more complex living systems with dosages relevant for humans, in order to ascertain the possible link between this substance and the severe hepatotoxicity observed in some of the researches here reported.[/QUOTE]Continued below...

Continued from the same study...

Kratom Hepatotoxicity Reports in LiteratureSource:Hepatotoxicity Induced by the 3Ks: Kava, Kratom and Khat
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4849036/

So, as I mentioned, there is just not very much literature to tell us if excessive use of kratom is toxic, but when combined with other drugs, especially those that involved in the P450 enzyme pathway, it can be dangerous.

i definitely enjoyed how i felt on kratom but didn't enjoy the flaming diarrhea it caused

That's unusual, because opiates/opiods are known to cause constipation in users.

Wow wtf.. schedule 1 for kratom?? How's that make any fuking sense? Sounds like big pharma has a role on this because schedule 1 is absolutely retarded.

I was going to buy a big stock of kratom a year ago to get off methadone but I was to scared that it wouldn't work and I've been spinning my wheels since.

How do these bans work with canadian laws? If the Dea bans it does canada also ban it?

ya i'm not sure if its the reaction i had but it was occasional. i was doing the scoop method and washing it with water. it caused a bit of stomach irritation maybe once out of ever 4 times. i will say it helped with some minor back pain i was going though. red madong or whatever its called was my favorite strand

Bump for more sigs

It's legal in Canada and AFAIK Canada intends to keep it legal, which is one of the perplexing issues about the action by the DEA.

Gubmint needs to get out of everyones business. If people want to use Kratom then they should be allowed to do so. I don't know anything about Kratom but I don't believe the government should dictate what anyone personally chooses to put in their body. It is absurd the level the war on "drugs" has risen to. It is comical that citizens can be prosecuted/fined/etc for personal choices regarding their own body. I could care less if it is used for legit medical purpose or just to get high, that is irrelevant to me.

So yes, for all the naysayers that said that this would never happen, the DEA rescinded their emergency scheduling - at least temporarily until public comment.

Here is a message from the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) about it:http://pastebin.com/xenMrFwu

But there is still work to do. Basically, once the DEA opens up for public comments, we need to go tohttps://www.regulations.gov/and submit a public comment on why we feel kratom shouldnotbe banned.Full text:https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-insp...2016-24659.pdf

So, as mentioned by the DPA, the DEA blinked for the first time in their history of emergency scheduling a drug. Never before have they backed down from an emergency schedule order, so this is very good news. So,DO NOT GIVE UP!

We overwhelmed our government with letters, comments, phone calls, faxes and our voices were heard. Our voices need to be heard again to ensure that kratom is not placed on the DEA's schedule list. We can do this if we organize and say to the DEA: We, as free Americans, do not accept your decision to take away a substance that is beneficial to us, beneficial to society as a whole, and is scientifically proven to be safe and effective for pain management and opiate/opioid withdrawal. Your lies about kratom have been exposed for all to see and we will not stand for this.

Once the period for regulations opens, we need to send them a message telling them our personal experience with kratom - how it has benefited our lives from pain, opioid addiction, helped with PTSD, depression, anxiety, or however it has helped you (if you use kratom). Explain to them the positive effects it has had on your lives and the negative effects it will have if they take it away.

Here's the main points I feel we need to make

Kratom is a botanical herb that should be regulated by the FDA as it falls under the DSHEA and not under the jurisdiction of the DEA

No one has died from just using kratom http://www.snopes.com/kratom-banned-by-the-dea/

Kratom has been used for hundreds of years by people in South East Asia as a substitute for coffee, a pain reliever, and prior to work for both. No one has been reported as dying from this usage.

We have an opioid/opiate death epidemic in this country. According to the CDC In 2014, 61% (28,647, data not shown) of drug overdose deaths involved some type of opioid, including heroin. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwr...cid=mm6450a3_w
Kratom can help fight this epidemic and if we need more science to demonstrate this, then schedule I is the wrong place to put it to demonstrate this. http://www.cato.org/blog/incoherence-schedule-i-0

We already know big pharma is fighting to keep medical marijuana legal in this country, more than likely they are doing the same to kratom. Unfortunately, there is no way prove this. However, if you visit opensecrets.org you can discover who your representative is getting their funding from. Healthcare is one of the major sources of campaign contributions to a lot of these congressmen & women. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...gal-marijuana/

American has the largest prison population in the world, y adding another drug to the DEA scheduling list will turn previously law abiding citizens into potential felons (if they are convicted) and with mandatory minimums they will be forced into prison for a long time if they are caught with schedule I substances. http://www.prisonstudies.org/country...states-america & http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl...snitch/primer/

Don't give in to defeatism!!! We can still beat this if we put in the effort to say to the DEA[color=red]STOP[color]. We also need to write another email/letter to our Senators and Congressman and let our feelings be heard. Calling them is also a very good idea.

Here are my responses to bogus responses I got about kratom from Senator Feinstein and Congressman Sam Johnson. Feel free to use these as inspiration or source material for replies to your own Senators/Congressmen (although I'd prefer you not copy them directly and modify them to fit your own situation)https://www.reddit.com/r/kratom/comm..._sam_johnsons/
https://www.reddit.com/r/kratom/comm...ns_prewritten/

Here are some other ways you can help:[ul]

Contact your local news media and tell them about kratom and ask them to do a story on it. Tell them you are available to be interviewed, and contact the American Kratom Association (AKA) (via their website http://www.americankratom.org/ or Twitter @TheKratomAssn or ******** https://www.********.com/Americankratomassociation or their two representatives on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/user/AmKratomAssoc or https://www.reddit.com/user/carpet_munch. You can also contact the Botanical Education Alliance (BEA) for help in dealing with local media https://www.botanical-education.org/ See the first page of this post for fact sheets that contain talking points about kratom that would be useful during an interview. Here is another list of talking points to use: https://www.botanical-education.org/talking-points/. Here is also a list of personal testimony (unfortunately, some of the names are retracted) of people who have used kratom and have had positive experiences: https://www.scribd.com/document/3270...o-DEA-From-AKA

Call/write/email your Congressman and Senators. You can find out where they are via this link https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials or http://www.whoismyrepresentative.com/. You will need your +4 zip code which you can find here https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction_input

Call the DEA directly https://www.dea.gov/contact.shtml

Use the information contained in these FOIA requests to the DEA about kratom to draft letters or show that they are abusing their emergency powers https://www.muckrock.com/search/?q=kratom

Picket in front of your local DEA office (if you're in a major city)

Write letters to the editors of big news websites or newspapers with these same opinions

[/ul]
Here is a thread from Reddit regarding the commenting period and what to do when it begins written by the AKA:[URL=https://www.reddit.com/r/kratom/comments/574321/aka_the_deas_decision_and_some_notes_on_updates/]https://www.reddit.com/r/kratom/comm...es_on_updates/[/URL]

If you have any more suggestions for how to help or some primary issues to comment on, please feel free to share them here.

bump