Kratom and the DEA
Kratom is an herbal medicine that helps people ease their addictions off of hard drugs. Countless people have attested to its benefits and how it helps change their lives. While it does have dependency properties similar to caffeine, it has not been scientifically proven to cause adverse effects on the person despite occasional stomach pain. The powder itself resembles matcha and is often ingested as a tea or mixed in with food such as yogurt.
The DEA, Drug Enforcement Administration, is seeking to classify Kratom as a class 1 narcotic among such ranks as Heroin, LSD, and Cocaine. Despite there being no evidence that Kratom has similar sensations or dependencies. The DEA are not explaining themselves, their reasoning, or their research.
The Kratom March – Several thousand people marched on D.C. in protest of the DEA’s motive. After the march had happened on September 13, they released a petition with over 100,000 signatures in protest of the kratom classification.
Forbes – David DiSalvo has done extensive research and multiple articles on Kratom since the DEA’s announcement. David has shown in his studies that he doesn’t think Kratom should be classified as a drug at all. He constantly covers and supports the pro-kratom movement.
Business Insider – BI covered Kratom in a personal experience piece. The author, Sam Rega, tried kratom himself and assured the readers that the drug is nothing like marijuana, salvia, or bath salts. Sam further states that he doesn’t like that there are varying effects between different doses and strains, and there is a lack of regulation for kratom which is evident in multiple typos and inconsistencies in bottles.
CNN – The network extensively covers the chronicle of Kratom from it’s beginnings to now. While it doesn’t take a side in the debate, it acknowledges the multiple studies that investigate kratom. All of the studies show that no harmful side effects occur that should deem it as a class 1.
