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The timely and positive response from the DEA
2nd CRE Letter to the DEA (September 12, 2016)
1sr CRE Letter to the DEA (September 8, 2016)
CRE has submitted a Request for Information to DEA regarding its listing of kratom as a Schedule I narcotic. The information so requested is the DEA letter to HHS as mentioned in the Federal Register which announced the aforementioned listing, which states:
The Administrator [DEA} transmitted notice of his intent to place mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine in schedule I on a temporary basis to the Assistant Secretary[HHS] by letter dated May 6, 2016.
CRE, serving in its role as regulatory watchdog, ensures that regulators comply with the Data Quality Act, a statute which requires that regulatory actions be based upon sound scientific principals.
The information contained in the DEA letter to HHS is of critical importance in assessing the merits of the agency’s science. CRE was surprised that the said letter is not immediately accessible on the DEA website nor was it made available in the DEA listing of kratom as a Schedule I narcotic as noted in the Federal Register notice.
In that federal regulators review CRE websites, CRE recommends that interested parties increase their leverage by broadcasting this post to other stakeholders.
Please see cre-letter-to-dea-officials
This is a shame what the DEA is doing and how big pharma can still but the american people, if there is no one getting hurt from kratom, no one has died from kratom alone, and there is no crime from kratom, and the benefits out way any harm, why the fire to take something away so harsh, this will not only be wrong and a complete overreach of the agency, but the financial impact on a 300 million dollar industry will affect 12k Jobs. for no good reason, based off pressure from HHS to DEA for political favors, not human and American interest!
The more posts we receive, the more the site becomes “populated” and attracts visits by the regulators.
Thank you!
Center for Regulatory Effectiveness
Have enough yet CRE?? Did you expect such a response? This is amazing!!
And we’ve only just begun! Kratom does save lives. It has science, REAL science, on its side. And it has legions of responsible, intellligent adults all over this great country who demand the right to tell their story of a benign, healing herb that helps them maintain their quality of life WITHOUT being forced into the clutches of the pharmaceutical industry.
The DEA offers no science to back their claims. That’s because their is no science. The science overwhelmingly supports kratom as a safe, reliable, natural source of wellness. Let us hope the DEA and Congress, health officials, the President, and everyone who deigns to decide how we should live our lives and raise our families, see these testimonies and once and for all STOP THIS SENSELESS BAN.
You don’t even need to “feel” for all of these good people writing here. You simply need to listen, review the scientific research, and admit that, in this case, you were wrong.
I am eager to see what science the DEA submitted to HHS officials. By law, it should be available to the public. We have a right to know exactly what “data” is behind a decision that will harm countless thousands of good people, strip them of their rights, and possibly lead to their deaths. I suspect, as you likely do, that their is no “data.” Only a self-righteous ideology that a bureaucrcy must save us all from ourselves. As if we sre children.
Please respond, CRE.. Do you need more testimonies? Really, it is no problem at all!
Thank you James! What perfect points you made! I think Big Pharma acts like they are going to *lose millions* just from people taking a natural herb/plant (Kratom). Big Pharma is obviously a multi-billion dollar industry in which keeping Kratom LEGAL will have no impact on them! I am utterly astounded & appalled at what is happening. There are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of testimonies from Kratom users regarding how the Asian plant has literally saved their lives in so many numerous ways. For example, I was on life support from my Crohn’s Disease & nearly died. I do NOT want to be doped up & numb from pharmaceutical narcotics! If we lose Kratom, I could potentially end up on life support again & die! But yet, greed overcomes the health of millions! I just do not understand this! What a travesty. Again, millions of people have relied on this amazing herb/plant for so many medical reasons & it has saved thousands of lives. I mean, does the DEA all want us numb & back on dope?! I’m sure they don’t want that. Here the DEA has been fighting a tremendous drug war…and all the banning is going to do is create a much larger drug war! It breaks my heart. This is just so utterly heartbreaking for all of us. I read a story about how a young man took his own life when he found out about the proposed *emergency ban* because he knew he could not live without this Kratom. It may just be “one life”…but it is still a life that was taken! There are going to be so many thousands of people who will no longer be able to work, let alone function. There are going to be many people turning back to heroin. There are going to be thousands more deaths related to narcotic overdoses. Just a travesty. I cannot believe what is happening in this country right now!
I am able to for the first time in my life, have a day without debilitating pain and depression. I had several accidents in my 20’s, degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia, arthritis, multiple back surgeries, need surgery on my neck and foot, and Kratom helped me get off a ten year habit of morphine. It was remarkably easy to get off, and today I am a new person. I can get out of bed and walk my dog. I can talk to strangers with ease again. I am no longer a walking zombie. I have lost weight. This leaf has never caused me to be “high”, it just helps me think clearly without the jittery effects of caffeine. I also have two sleep disorders, PTSD and didn’t want to stay on pain pills my entire life. I don’t want to be a burden to my grown children, and want to start volunteering in my community again. aaathere needs to be research on this plant here, and making it schedule 1 will prevent that. Look at the jumble of laws we have with Marijuana. Don’t take away a helpful herb purely to make people go back to opiates. We need to not let greed be what drives this country, especially when there is such concern for addiction problems and OD’s from heroin use. Please do something to prevent this!
Thank you
How does the DEA think it has the authority to issue a ban?
What is really going on here? Someone needs to step in and set them straight. We did not appoint the DEA as lawmakers.
They are up to no good. The DEA thinks it has the power to turn us into drug lords, drug dealers and dopers, in two weeks.
We are teachers, doctors, pharmacists, mothers, fathers and veteran that fought for this country.
My 50-year old son is withdrawing from a serious addiction to opioid medicines and Kratom has been a miracle substance that minimizes the horrible adverse withdrawal effects – vomiting and his inability to function normally – and is an effective painkiller for his bone-crushing accident 24 years ago.
Stopping Kratom is a legal travesty for tens of thousands, a tragedy for my son and absolutely heartbreaking to those who love him.
There isn’t any crime for Kratom but there very well may be if they ban it
PLEASE save our medocine
For the same reasons as always!!! It’s all about the money!!! Our ridiculous government can not profit from a cure, only on from a drug!!!
Kratom is not a cure. Nor is it a drug so don’t label a healing herb with those terms, that only harms it.
True… Kratom is very mild
Here is an article dated today 9/11/16 showing their is known medicinal value based on traditional use in Thailand for centuries and a new patent being registered by Japanese researchers which Thailand is opposing.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1083272/fight-erupts-over-kratom-patent
“… Kratom is part of the country’s biodiversity and a traditional medicine. He said kratom has been used to “stimulate freshness and kill pain since ancient times … but the Japanese researchers laid claim to the plant’s benefits through a Thai-Japanese research project and patented it. “
Amen! Well said! Thank you! I believe I read somewhere that the Secretary has the final say & can prevent Kratom from being a Scheduled 1 Narcotic!
Well stated!
I was diagnosed in the top 3% of the worst menopause symptoms, auto immune disorder, fibromyalgia. My mother tried committing suicide 5 times going through menopause. I have been to 5 doctors over 10 years and have been put in over 30 different prescriptions that made me worse, suicidal for sure. I finally found Kratom that really helps with all of the symptoms, plus many vets count on this to get them through the day. I have prescriptions for codeine and other pain killers too and cannot take it either because it makes me much more depressed and makes me sick. The effects of Kratom does not effect you LIKE POT, CODEINE,ZANAX, etc, giving you that drugged feeling. It gives you better focus, more positive outlook on life, helps with pain and you never get sick from it unless you take it too much. They have received about 100 calls through out the years with complaints that some people have had serious back lashes from i BUT NO DEATHS! Well most of those people used it with illegal drugs. MAKING THOSE COMPLAINTS UNWARRANTED. HELLO! THIS IS A PUSH FROM THE DRUG COMPANIES BECAUSE THEY CANNOT PATENT IT, JUST LIKE THERE IS A CURE FOR CANCER AND THE DRUG COMPANIES DISMISSED IT BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT PATENT IT WHICH MEANS THERE IS NOT ENOUGH MONEY IN IT FOR THESE GREEDY, SELFISH, HEARTLESS PEOPLE, THINKING ONLY ABOUT THEM SELVES. THEY WANT YOU TO TAKE THEIR SYNTHETICS WHICH IS MOST CASES ARE BAD FOR YOU. YOU NEVER HEAR ABOUT ANYONE WHO WAS KILLED IN A HEAD ON CRASH THAT USED KRATOM. PLUS THEY ARE ABOUT 100 PEOPLE A DAY THAT DIE FROM PRESCRIBED MEDICINES. PRESCRIBED MEDICINES STILL REMAIN IN 4TH PLACE OF TOP TEN CAUSES OF DEATH. I AM GOING TO be FORCED TO GO BACK ON PRESCRIPTIONS THAT COULD CAUSE ME TO COMMIT SUICIDE.
The DEA is getting paid off to do this WHY else would they do it when it helps so many people with hardly any side effects except for those who abuse it by using it with illegal drugs or even prescribed drugs. OBVIOUSLY they are Hilary supporters.
I have heard there is a legal herb that works close to the marijuana effect without giving you that anxiety and dropped mood like the marijuana does after about 4 hours of using it. I do not smoke pot and hate that feeling from it when I tried it 30 years ago, but I am willing to give this a try since it is all natural with no side effects and is perfectly legal. People pray with me because God can turn this around. This is God given herb to help people out of their pits of life has put them in because of circumstances out of their control.
At least the DEA can perhaps allow a prescription for it from your doctor just like some people smoke medicinal marijuana and they can control the amount you can take by giving you a 30 day supply depending on the severity of your problems.
Exactly what DEA is aiming for is to control kratom to the end the drug companies make it so a doctor has to prescribe it.
At that point kratom becomes a great source of revenue for the government for taxes and to the doctors and the drug companies as they will be able to brand it and package it.
When that happens kratom will become quite a bit more costly than it is now for the folks that need it.
Exactly. Government would love to take control over kratom but first they need to make a stink over it so it will look like they need to control it. Only$$$ is the issue!!!!
Don’t give up hope! I Know how bad the pain/depression, etc etc etc can be, Believe me!
But Someone, SOMEWHERE, has Got to have some COMPASSION and God will make a way!
DON’T GIVE UP!
Both Sham and Shame…
Tell me about it I was on oxycotin 80 for my screwed up back and worked in coal mine the government lowered my dose tremendously and it didnt come close to covering my pain. I couldn’t work anymore, they denied me disability I started using Delta 8 THC I buy at gas station. It helped, now there outlawing it. My next option is suicide. Worked my whole life so terrible.
Just another prime example of government overreach and wrongful regulation without the DEA/HHS et al actually doing their jobs. Just another “smash and grab” of Americans’ Rights by the government. This single, obtuse action by the DEA will directly cause unnecessary and avoidable deaths and destruction to real Americans. Possibly even worse, in these very tense and difficult times where community and law enforcement relations are so tenuous, the DEA and DOJ’s flexing its power will necessarily cause further distrust and damage. The DEA is only going to cause the good and honorable law enforcement personnel to have to use their extreme power to breakdown the doors of soccer moms and vulnerable
The DEA’s “temporary rule” will further fuel anti-federalism sentiment as many states have been active and well-informed on kratom and have already taken action. In particular, consider Florida where the Florida Department of Law Enforcement completely debunked many of the DEA’s false statements in its Fed Reg Notice. http://speciosa.org/official-statewide-intelligence-drug-report-kratom-and-the-impact-to-florida/
Very well stated comment United We Stand. Especially important: the statement that law enforcement will have to use their extreme power against US citizens who are not by nature “criminals” and the vulnerable – who are in pain, and/or with severe PTSD, anxiety, depression. The 22 veterans who are said to commit suicide daily? What about all the veterans who are currently able to function with the help of Kratom for their chronic, relentless pain and PTSD? What about those who have given their testimony that Kratom has given them their lives back? Those who have Already said they’d rather die than go back on opiates or live like they did before discovering Kratom. Anti-federalism is one thing – what about the average “soccer mom” (like me) who is growing ever more disillusioned with the “land of the free, and the home of the brave” due to this heavy-handed, precipitous action by a government agency? It almost seems personal. Or maybe, the DEA is just knee-jerk ignorant about this natural, NOT synthetic substance, and acted without adequate background information. Again, sounds incompetent – or personal.
People need to do some real research for themselves- don’t bite on the sensationalist media stories that are not researched at all- see for yourselves how truly harmless this leaf is- not a single death recorded from Kratom alone- every single death linked to Kratom was in conjunction with other drugs- I urge you all to make up your own minds about this matter- I have no doubts you will see the blatant overreach and that this is yet another freedom trampled on by the self-righteous- look for yourselves- don’t stand for it! We should have the final say in matters regarding our own bodies
My Son takes kratom for his anxiety and I have been suffering with chronic neck pain for 20 years taking prescription medication which has not really helped with my pain, I have difficulty doing daily housework and have to pace myself. I have been working at my job for 14 years now and the older I’m getting the worse my chronic pain gets. I have just learned about kratom and want to try it. I want to be able to do my daily housework and remain with my job for longer so I hope I can get that chance and be able to maintain. There are so many people who WANT to work and have to rely on their prescription medicine to be able to work and if taking this kratom is going to help people so that they can work, why would you want to take that away? With my job taking medical marijuana would get me fired so I can’t and it’s difficult the older I’m getting, I want to stay working and be able to do my job and if kratom is going to help not just me but others who are just trying to maintain a job and a life then why would you want to take that away??
I feel completely betrayed by my government. I’m a retired teacher, a vet, and a grandmother. I was hoping to enjoy my retirement, but the DEA, by banning kratom, is making that impossible, as this herb is the only think that really helps my severe restless leg syndrome. The DEA is going to make me a felon.
Oh, and by the way, when I was teaching high school English, had a student ever turned in a paper with so little accreditation, he would have failed.
That’s the point entirely. No citations, only knee-jerk reactions. It’s all a money, power-grab game.
I am an excellent teacher with a master’s degree in education, two beautiful sons, a loving wife, a great house in suburbia. I never miss a day of work because my students need me and I love my job.
I am not a “hippy” or a “druggy” or some head-shop Deadhead. I pay taxes, I take care of the people I love and even those I don’t particularly like, but I do it all with energy and a smile because my life is good. I thank God for all of this when I go to church with my family on Sunday. I love the arts and theatre. I donate money to several charities fighting cancer. I volunteer when I can. I help coach my sons’ sports teams (their seemingly endless sports teams!)
In addition, every morning after I shower, I mix about a half teaspoon of kratom leaf into some boiling water, stir in some honey, and grab the paper for about 20 minutes before work. This does not “cure” me of anything, but it sure does help my back stop screaming at me. I stand all day teaching children just like yours. I give them everything I have, despite the back spasms that have haunted me for nearly 20 years. I’ve had pills from doctors, MRI’s, more pills from doctors. And I’m done with that. Kratom works for me. Keep your pills.
I have been using this amazing leaf for almost 8 years now. Eight years … Never more than a half teaspoon in the morning, one more at night. Never need more. Never crave it. Never rob convenience stores to get it. Never am found passed out in a car with my child in the back seat while I require emergency resucitation because of a needle stuck in my arm that had some kind of elephant tranqulizer in it.
And guess what? I am healthy. I run three miles three days per week. I work out. I look damn good. Ask my wife. 🙂 In fact, I challenge anyone in the D.C. offices of the DEA to a pushup match, because I will win. You have to stay fit to keep up with kids, any good teacher and father will tell you this.
Kratom has made all of this possible. It has saved my life. Period. End of story.
If we are so obsessed with cherry-picking shady anecdotal evidence to try to demonize a natural herb, we better damn well listen to the thousands upon thousands of kratom success stories being shared all over the world right now. It is real. Banning it is not only ridiculous and rash, it is cruel. So many veterans, moms, dads … grandmas, grandpas … good people all. And we are going to make them all felons.
To what end, I ask you? What exactly will this accomplish? The dangerous drugs you are fighting in your highly,-funded drug war are the very drugs kratom helps people avoid. Doesn’t anyone see this? Will ANYONE in Congress step up? All I hear are crickets and the fear of innocent good people being immorally turned into felons at the whim of a bloated bureaucracy.
James, I hope you are sharing your story with your members of Congress. Well said.
THAT needs to be retold, and retold!!! ☺️
Dear James,
Please share your compelling words with all congress members an
Dr. DeSalvo- Blessings to you!
Nothing could be added or taken away from the comment James made. It says it all!
Best comment of the day goes to….James!!! Thank you!
Couldn’t have said it better James. I am a 48yr old mother of a 16yr old that has been through a lot. I have physical pain as well as depression and lethargy. I have been to a doctor and they have wanted to put me on pain meds and antidepressants, which I did take for a while when I had insurance and money. Once I didn’t, the system turned it’s back on me to suffer alone, I found Kratom and it saved me. I told all who suffers from pain about it and now I feel bad because friends and family have found relief and now it’s being taken away. I’m sure there will be suicides and people with mental health issues. I am a working, productive member of society and should be able to use a plant that has been used for thousands of years. (Do you see what artificial sweeteners do to a persons mind and body?)
Well said, James. I couldn’t agree more. It’s just another way to make law abiding people criminals for money. It all comes down to money.
Very well said. You make excellent points.
Wow James, excellent. Thank you and yes please send that on to members of congress.
James, Very well said. Do you have a local newspaper you could send this to as a letter to the editor? You are such a great example of how kratom helps people like us who suffer chronic pain and have found relief with kratom.
Well said James!
I cried when heard about the proposed ban. I have had fibromyalgia and migraines headaches for 20 years after a hit and run car accident. This year a new friend introduced me to kratom and it is the only thing that helps. I was addicted to OxyContin and I have ulcers with too much NSAIDs use. Kratom gets rid of the migraines if I catch them early, It also makes the fibromyalgia pain go away and the stomach pain. I have suffered for too long and I finally been blessed with this wonderful plant that God gave us! I am praying that the government puts the people first for once and not their pockets!
James. Can I borrow parts of this to prepare my letter to congress? I will absolutely site you..
+1
absolutely!! round of applause….I’m also a parent and teacher. I’ve been on dozens of medications for chronic back pain and depression in the last 20 of 40 years of life. I’ve endured multiple life or death health traumas involving myself and my son. I found Kratom when I became sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was just looking to try food and herbs as a natural way of becoming healthier. In the last few years because of Kratom, I have been able to keep up with my family and friends on a day out. I no longer feel like I may fall asleep at the wheel when I’ve been out for the day. I no longer have severe mood episodes triggered by pain flare ups. It helped me emotionally cope with my son’s open heart surgeries and spending long hours at the hospital. Suddenly, on an uneducated whim of the DEA, or carefully plotted conspiracy funded by Big Pharma, I will be considered a felon for that in about a week.
I’m so scared. I was bed ridden most of the time before I found kratom. On disability and now I am able to work. I am not a junkie, just a regular girl who is in so much pain I cannot take it. Kratom doesn’t cure my problem but it makes me be able to care for my child like I should. I didn’t choose this pain and I hope someone in the dea will have empathy for people who choose to be healthy instead of miserable. I almost took my life from this pain. Please someone listen to us.
enough is enough. Kratom is a God given plant to help people and the way the government makes it sound it’s worse then herion. Kratom has changed my life. It has reduced my pain and enlightened my mood and has helped me to become a better person. It is not some man made lab drug that is killing people. I would think with the opiod crisis and the chronic pain people suffer the government would be more interested in testing this plant and finding out it’s possibilities than rounding it up and making everyone a criminal that possesses it. There are parents in OD with their 4yr old child in the back seat in a car and they are taking these steps against a plant. It seems to me that their priorities are messed up. The government would be wise to step back and rethink what they are doing before it is to late. There’s still time to fix this. Don’t make a fools decision.
The DEA is not interested in public health and safety in regards to the ban on Kratom. Pharmaceutical Companies have begun to patent the main alkaloids found in Kratom and will be developing and marketing new drugs based on them. The ban is completely unnecessary and unacceptable. The pharmacology industry should be able to make a new drug based off of the alkaloids and prescribed them regardless. Since the drugs will be far more potent and should not be in competition with the plant. Furthermore there is not enough evidence of harm to justify a ban. Kratom is not an opioid or opiate. It is a member of the coffee family and does not cause the health issues that opiods create. There is no respiratory depression that is common in opiates. You can not consume enough of the plant matter to overdose. It does not cause any”high” or intoxication. The banning of Kratom will cause several hundred and possibly thousands of lives. Outside of death it will negatively impact the quality of life for millions of Americans and cause further strain on the economy and healthcare industry. Please use some common sense and keep Kratom legal for adults( 21yr+ ). Allow individual states their sovereignty to decide on the legality of Kratom.
I am sad to see the federal government moving in this direction. This plant has been a true life saver for me. I’m 69 years old and still working because of it! I have no dependency issues at all I just find pain relief for serious back problems and shoulder problems. Now I can easily afford it online it’s not covered by any insurance and so the out-of-pocket expenses are very manageable.
I am begging the DEA to leave this natural supplement alone and allow us who enjoy the benefits of it to continue as we have done!
#KatomUnited #BotanicalEducationAlliance #KratomTeaParty #RawLeafKratom #iamkratom #iamkratomunited #savekratom #kratomsavedmylife
I’m 43 years old and I was struck by a drunk driver in traffic in 1992. I suffered soft tissue neck damage and begin to live at chiropractors offices. Subsequently, I was a victim of a violent crime where my pelvis was crushed and I suffered frequent sciatica, and it became impossible for me to lift my leg without using my hand to move my leg. Due to all the injuries I have had, I developed complications and issues with fibromyalgia, fainting spells and narcolepsy. I used to work for FedEx and AGE. I was a package handler and an Insurance Issue Clerk for the military before, but I ended up in a wheelchair after multiple surgeries. I was never addicted to pain medicine given to me by the doctor, but no matter that they continued to give me it incapacitated me and made me incapable of daily duties and taking care of myself. No matter what the doctor gave me it did not effectively relieve me from the pain I suffer. I developed depression, anxiety and PTSD. One day, I heard about kratom on the internet. I ordered some and it saved my life, so I created and run Kratom United – an organization for others like me and those with other conditions who consume kratom on a daily basis in order to function in life. Before I found kratom I would sleep three to seven days in a row. I was tied to the couch or bed from lack of energy, chronic pain and debilitating depression. I have been on a variety of medications. It would take hours to list them all but here are the names of some of them; Viibryd, Prednisone, Fentanyl Patch, OxyContin, Norco, Percocet, Endocet, Opana, Trazodone, Amitriptyline and Carisoprodol. Over the past 20 years, I also tried various other forms of therapy in addition to medication; physical therapy, chiropractic care, exercise, therapeutic injection treatment and hydrotherapy but still I suffered! I became so incapacitated I could no longer work and three years ago I was granted Disability.
I am very upset that legislators are told false information. I want you to know the facts; it has no respiratory depression, not one death from kratom alone, it is not on the DEA’s list of banned substances. I am now off all 13 medications and I have a better quality life ; I actually have a life I can participate in now. Before kratom, I would pass out or have black outs from all the medications I was prescribed. Today I remember everything from the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep. I am a daughter again. I do chores around the house. I can go to family functions. Sadly, in the past I was asked not to attend because my medications made me an embarrassment to my family. If doctors and states ban kratom, I will be back on all the medication. Being a zombie because of prescription medications and still being in pain is no way to live, no quality of life. Please keep kratom legal. I have a group of over 2,500 kratom consumers terrified between chronic pain and recovering members of society the fear is death, quality of life and relapse. And I’d like to add 13th 12pm the #KratomMarch we are #KratomStrong and we will make a stand for out civil liberties! #KratomDCMarch
This is a slap in the face of those chronically ill and those in the military who have sacrificed for our right to help our selves. KRATOM does not hurt anyone its the synthetics people are replicating that are hurting people. Peanuts are more dangerous than kratom. The dea should be ashamed of his attack on the American people. Not to mention those who wil suffer in Indonesia. We the People are Kratom
Wife has been using kratom for 2 years in lieu of hydrocodone. She experienced no withdrawal from the doctor prescribed medicine and now she will have to go back onto it. I’m going to need help raising my kids since she will have to stop work and become a zombie again. No thought to how kratom can help people like her. I’m disgusted with the DEA and that’s coming from a retired police officer.
I really feel the same way, except I’m the wife.
Kratom, in its pure form, is not a drug, it is not an opiate and it needs further studies for its possible medicinal value, not banned. It’s my belief that the DEA is overstepping their boundaries here. They are an enforcement agency and as such, should not be writing policy. This ban needs to not happen and further tests need to be done on this plant. It could be a very valuable asset to our health care.
Well said, Nancy! On point!
We the people have a right to help our own bodies! !! While you dea are wasting time on innocent Kratom healers real drugs like meth are killing our streets. Kratom is nothing like meth, heroin, or any of those drugs . Do the research. We the people have tsken kratom our whole lives yiu csnt kie to us.
You cant lie to us
I was a victim of a serial rapist while I was 8 months pregnant with my youngest, and suffer from PTSD. The drugs they want to give me make me feel lethargic and unable to care for my children’s busy lives. Kratom helps me deal with the anxiety while being completely active and coherent in their lives. It doesn’t hurt that I have endometriosis and when my cycle roles around I can take Kratom instead of a narcotic and do not need to be impaired during that time anymore! I am a soccer mom with kids in private school, we are a cookie cutter family and I have been through some things, and I have carried on because I researched a botanical that might help and it did!
I have endometriosis! I have had 7 surgeries and a hysterectomy. I’m only 26 and I will never be able to carry my own baby. I suffer from chronic pain And was so dependent on narcotics. I can proudly say I am off all pain meds because of Kratom.
You said the reason why kratom is being banned. Instead of taking a narcotic you take kratom. This doesn’t profit anyone in our government so it must be rid of, until they figure out how to profit from it!
I’m 35, I have Fibro, Lupus, Costo, Chronic Migraines, I need surgery on my neck and back due to injuries from a 2013 car crash. Prescribed Norco and Fentanyl that did little for my pain. Though left drugged and bedridden, that was my life. That was to be my life forever. I was introduced to Kratom after an insurance change left me going cold turkey off my pain meds. I didn’t have high hopes for kratom. Though it made withdrawals easy, after when I took it for my pain I found that not only was my pain managed, I had energy, I felt better. The drugs I was on did more damage than I ever realized. After years and years being chained to prescription drugs I felt free for the first time ever. Getting to know my family again, we took a vacation. I have never said that before. My son can hug me now whenever he wants. No longer afraid he will hurt me. I am a mother again. I am a functioning member of society. Even better, I no longer feel I need disability. Well that is until this news came. If the ban happens, I need disability. If it happens my son doesn’t get those hugs. I don’t get to leave my bed anymore. This is not the America I thought I was a part of.
This ban is absolutely not in the best interest of the public…the reasons for it are a conglomeration of lies. The FDA & DEA are not even trying to hide their lack of concern for their own citizens anymore. Let’s not forget the lessons of history…the French monarchy took advantage of their citizens until they were overthrown and we know how that ended for those in power…
I’m so very frustrated that this is happening. In my few years of being in this community, I have seen kratom help thousands of people better their quality of life, and be productive members of society. it is a shame that freedom is being taken away from the people, and practically overnight with no regard to people’s feelings, opinions, comments, etc. We have a right to freedom of speech, and freedom to choose what we put in our bodies, and it seems DEA is stripping us completely of those. If this ban goes through, od and suicide numbers will skyrocket and it will be detrimental so many people. And that, in itself, is very upsetting.
I was told in 2009 that i had fibromyalgia. Not long after that i was bed ridden. I had no quality of life at all. All the doctors i had been to were giving me this pill and that pill. Nothing was helping me at all. When i could get up, i was not my self. I was foggy headed. Not only was i now told i had fibromyalgia, but my MRI showed i had degenerated disk disease. Plus my spinal cord had a cyst wrapped around it.
Then in January of 2016 a very good friend of mine told me about kratom. I done a whole lot of research. So i ordered me so kratom powder. Kratom was and still is the best pain relief i have ever had. I DO NOT get drugged off of kratom. I am very clear headed. No foggy feeling. I am not cured in any way. Yet I’m not bed ridden either. I now have a quality of life. I can go out to eat, wash my own dishes. Even clean my house.
It really makes me sad that our own government would worry about a natural leaf, than stuff that is killing people. Kratom has never killed anyone. Yet the DEA,FDA, and who knows who else is more worried about getting rid of kratom than worrying about the opoid epidemic that we have here in America.
I am a 23 year old high school teacher. I graduated from the University of South Carolina magna cum laude and with honors. I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2014. I have been on 3 separate SSRI’s and refuse to take benzodiazepine’s because of the negative effects. No pharmaceutical drug has been effective in treating my condition, and my ability to function normally has been impaired by this disease.
I was introduced to kratom as a way to combat my symptoms, and all I can say is that it has completely transformed my life. I am able to approach social situations with uncanny ease, I can calm myself when I am stuck in an anxiety loop, and, probably the most positive effect, is that I can finally get restful, good sleep. Before kratom, I rarely was able to get to sleep in less than an hour, and would wake up an average of 3 to 4 times a night. Kratom has almost completely eliminated these symptoms.
Without this herbal supplement, my professional life, my personal life, and my quality of life would dramatically decrease. The pharmaceutical alternatives are either innefectual or come with negative side effects too great to ignore. I urge the DEA to rethink this move to schedule the kratom plant, as the ramifications of it coming into effect would negatively affect my, and many others, lives.
My story is a little different. I was a nurse when I developed chronic pain. The doctors began giving me massive amounts of narcotics to treat my pain, but soon it was never enough. They never told me that I might become addicted to them, they never warned me of what addiction might do to my life. I never had a drug problem before taking hydrocodone. It soon became my everything. I thought of it night and day, it had locked my mind in a deep hole and I just couldn’t get out. I started taking more and more and eventually buying them off the streets. Of course, I got caught. I lost everything, my husband, my kids, my career. I went to jail for 97 days and came out to nothing. The nursing board never offered me treatment, they wanted to make an example out of me, atleast that what the DEA agents said when they came to my work to tell me they were issuing a warrant for my arrest.Everyone was treating me like some junkie off the streets, which I was not. I was a professional, a mother of 2, I worked critical care, I’d saved hundreds of lives! But here I was labeled and abandoned by my doctor’s who had turned me into this. I could no longer get pills prescribed so I had to turn to street drugs. Meth and heroine were best at relieving pain but I wouldn’t turn down anything I mean afterall I was now a no good druggie with a record, what did I have to loose? The next few years are a blur of drugs and struggle. When I found kratom I thought this sucks. It didn’t give me a high that I was used to. But it took care of the pain. And after a month of using it, I was finally seeing clearly again. No more drugs, no more pain. I have never looked back. Now I have my kids back, and added a new addition 3 years ago. I got married last year and even purchased a home this year. I volunteer at church and focus on the jail campus because I know what hopelessness is. I’ve helped numerous people beat all kinds of addictions and get their lives back using kratom. It’s in my blood to help people afterall I was a very excellent nurse. I cry for the ones I haven’t helped yet. I worry about what this means for me too? Will the pain put me back into a downward spiral. As a nurse we take an oath to do no harm. What oath do the DEA take? What exctly is your purpose? To protect the public from harm? Then why are tide pods still available, but your banning kratom? I’d like to think it’s just because you’re unaware of the good it is doing. I’d like to think that, but I fear your motives are different. I wish I’d found kratom sooner. I wish I’d never gone to that pain management clinic, but my biggest hope is that no one ever has to go through what I did, that’s why I recommend kratom to every single person I meet. You can ask for scientific research but nothing beats a thousand years of experience! Leave my kratom alone!!
Congratulations on your new addition and you are not a ‘junkie’. Drugs do not discriminate. I too became addicted to opiates. All my life. Pretty much lost everything. Arrested. The whole 9 yards. It wasn’t until kratom that I was able to get and stay clean. Congratulations on your sobriety.
We must keep kratom legal
Kratom is a plant unless unadulterated. Leaves are pick, air dried, and ground that’s it. No chemicals. No synthetic anything. There is NO HIGH, as it acts an opiate agonistt and antagonist. It’s self regulating, thus no overdoses. You just vomit. The only withdrawals I have ever experienced is slight anxiety, like when I give up caffeine or sugar, and a return of my severe chronic pain from an autoimmune disorder and several other incurable progressive issues.
I’m a 47 yr old high school teacher and mother of two. I’ve always been really active on my own and with my kids. As years went by my fatigue and widespread pain free until I barely got out of bed. I was diagnosed with osteo arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and Fibromyalgia. All of this on top of the IBS, displaced cervical discs, degenerated discs, TMJ Disorder, and migraines that I had been being diagnosed with since the 8th grade. We tried the Cymbalta, Lyrica, and gabapentin (Norco for only the worst of days). With each, I got worse instead of better. Within six months I had packed on 60lbs and could barely function through the basic necessities of daily living. I seriously gave thought to removing myself from this planet. I ran across someone who told me about Kratom for pain and fatigue. I researched it and eventually gave it a try. I was amazed at the pain relief, energy boost, anxiety relief, and mood boost that it gave me. I used it to take myself off of one pharmaceutical at a time. It took months and the withdrawals from Cymbalta, Lyrica, and Gabapentin were horrid. The only pharmaceuticals that I still use are Enbrel injections, muscle relaxers, and the very rare Norco. Kratom has given me my life back. I’m a functioning interactive mom and high school teacher again. I gain no “euphoria” or “high” with Kratom. There’s no intellectual muddiness, like with opiates or the antidepressants previously prescribed. The only side effect, if I take too much, is nausea. I switch strains each dose to keep my tolerance low, at 3-6 grams. I take it only when I have to, in order to be able to move. I still feel pain 24/7 but it’s tolerable most days and I gladly smile again. We MUST keep Kratom legal so that I can keep my life.
Connie Fuller
http://news.olemiss.edu/new-hope-for-addicts/
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_SMhCuwVcKjbEhKVTZHd1RBTTA/view
I am a 34 year old mother of three children under the age of 5. I have a Master’s Degree in education and undergrad in Finance. I fully support the use of Kratom because I believe it is a safe and very effective alternative to harmful medications. My father (who was a Vietnam Vet and Purple Heart recipient) passed away a year and a half ago. I blame myself for not researching alternative medicines for him, as I watched him suffer in the last few years of his life. Much of it was due to the illnesses he acquired while at war. He was 100% disabled. But what was even more difficult, was watching him deteriorate (especially mentally), because of the cocktail of prescription medications they kept pushing on him. If I had only researched more on the medicinal benefits of Kratom, I could have at least prolonged the quality of his life. The Kratom plant has been around for thousands of years in other countries, and there is not one solid reported death on Kratom ALONE. The 15 deaths that the DEA reports, have all been mixed with hard drugs or harmful prescription medications. Tylenol is essentially more dangerous than the Kratom plant. Here are some other facts that I hope you choose to read so that we can spread factual knowledge rather than speculation:
· Kratom is a tree native to Southeast Asia, whose leaves have been used as a natural medicine for thousands of years.
· In small doses it provides an energy boost – it’s a botanical cousin of coffee, but in higher doses have a sedative and analgesic (pain relieving) effect
· Its main use is as an effective natural pain reliever and anti-depressant
· Hundreds of testimonials have been written about kratom’s efficacy in treating:
chronic pain, diabetes, fatigue, depression, lack of energy, withdrawal symptoms of opiate and alcohol addiction
· Users report that it is “less addictive than coffee”, with those in middle-age being
the most frequent and enthusiastic proponents of kratom’s benefits.
This age-old medicine is being lumped in with dangerous, unknown synthetic substances, and is under threat of criminalization. If this criminalization occurs, countless sufferers of illness and pain could lose access to a vital natural remedy that they have been using safely for years. Like any plant or medicine, when one regularly ingests excessive amounts of a substance there is a potential for harm. This is true of countless products available for sale in pharmacies and liquor stores today, but few would argue that this means they should be outlawed. If kratom is abused – taken daily in very high doses – it can be mildly addictive, and can also cause “nervousness, sleeplessness, loss of libido, constipation and the darkening of skin complexion”. However, there have been no recorded deaths due to the use of kratom, which highlights its safety.
Public health should be not seen through a lens so narrow that it that disregards practically all alternatives to Western medicine and pharmaceutical drugs. We call upon citizens, policymakers, and politicians to support the reform of archaic drug policy for the benefit of society, and to respect people’s innate right to use all natural plants and herbs.
Thank you for your time and my prayer is that you help join the fight to regulate not prohibit the use of this natural herbal medicine.
Shea Anderson
(34 year old Mother of Three, Masters in Education and Finance)
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease almost 10 years ago. Had 18 inches of intestine and part of my colon removed. My bladder and intestines also fused together with fistula and I had to have that separated and repaired. I’ve been on and off of various pharmaceuticals that at best did nothing for me at all, at worst they made me feel awful. After six years of this I just gave up. Then about a year and a half ago a family member told me about Kratom. I gave it a try and it changed my world. The agonizing stomach pain I was in went away and I went from having a dozen+ bowel movements a day to having two to three. And for the last year and a half I’ve felt better than I have in the last 8 years prior to that.
Before Kratom I would be in so much pain that there were times that I thought I was loosing my mind. Couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, there were times when I couldn’t even leave my house because I was running to the bathroom every 10 minutes. Since I’ve started drinking Kratom tea, I’ve gotten my life back. Or at least did, until the DEA decided to take it away from me. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. What kind of monster forces people into choosing to be a felon or living your life in pain and suffering? And as many people that are being effected by this, this is a crime against humanity as far as I’m concerned.
Kradom helps so many people my boyfriend suffers from chronic pain fatigue now that we found kradom he feels better it gives him energy helps him cope with his pain, this Natural plant is not a drug it’s classifieds as an Herb. We need this plant it’s important to us don’t take it away from us that’s not fair at all. Thank you
I’m so confused on how people with chronic pain or anxiety that otherwise would require a prescription for a narcotic which is now nearly impossible to get, is supposed to have any quality of life. I started taking Kratom to help my debilitating pain and anxiety when it was impossible to get a dr to prescribe any help to me in the form of pain meds because of all the regulations set on them, even though I have a legitimate diagnosis. Drs are scared to prescribe to those who are in need, and now the one thing that has saved us from these ailments in form of a non synthetic substance is going to be banned too. There will be an increase in suicdes, and drug overdoses.. The things that was supposedly being avoided by opiate regulation. But rather than research being done, the FDA is going to just take our God given plant away, and leave us all just in desperation. No quality of life, and finding any means possible to lessen our pain. So by making a coffee bean relative a felony to obtain, people will in the end go back to street drugs because they can’t get help from Drs. So a felony for a different felony. Who wins but big pharma and their pocketbook. They only regulated opiated by prescription to start the suboxone clinics and get methadone on the rise anyway. American people are not cared for by their government.. Money talks and that is all this seems to be about. #iamkratom
I am a fibromyalgia sufferer, Ive had this for over 16 years. In the beginning i tried every drug the drs through at me (at times feeling like a lab rat!), anti depressants, muscle relaxers, fibro specific medications. None of them helped me, but what did happen was i got a lot of the nasty side effects! I was on vicodin for awhile until it tore up my stomach and gave me gastritis. At that point I had to come off of those. Then i became bedridden! Im a mom of 4 and had a little one that needed me. Some days i didnt want to go on. Looking for support I went to a Fibromyalgia forum where another sufferer told me about kratom.
Well i looked up this herb and being fearful to take anything I knew nothing about I had my husband do research. I researched this herb for months. After researching I ordered some. There it sat for a few weeks. When I decided to take it I didnt realize my nightmare was over! I was able to get up and play with my child! I dont get nauseated on it, my mind is clear and im not impaired at all.
As a responsible ADULT I research what I put into my body, and I do not feel an agency can deny me a PLANT that has helped me get out of bed. When I read they were banning Kratom I cried. Not because its my drug, because it gave me my LIFE back.
PLEASE do not put my childs mother back in bed!
If the DEA bans the medicinal herb Kratom on Sept. 30th, 2016, lives will be destroyed and people will die. Many people say kratom has helped them with mental illness issues like anxiety and depression, while some have put their lives back together from nasty addictions to both pharmaceuticals and street drugs. The drug epidemic is only intensifying and drugs are getting deadlier. As you know, there is a bad heroin problem here in Massachusetts and many times the drugs are laced with a potent and deadly opiate called Fentanyl which almost certainly is a death sentence. People are literally dropping like flies.
Before I took kratom for my anxiety, I was on highly addictive and destructive Rx medications like Klonopin and Adderall. Then I turned to opiates. In treating my opiate dependency, they put me on Suboxone, which was just as debilitating and addictive with terrible withdrawals. Adderall put me into a psychosis. Klonopin took away my anxiety, but it killed my motivation and had a disastrous effect on my brain activity and I was plagued by memory problems, not to mention a heavy dependency on it. I ended up getting off them eventually but my anxiety problems persisted.
Before I opted to get back on them, I researched into an herb called kratom. When I bought this herb, I was not looking for a recreational high, and I don’t find it to be addictive and it does not make me incoherent. Quite the contrary. I don’t consider it anything like the addictive pharmaceuticals I was taking before. I do not have memory problems or feel “drunk” or “high” on kratom anymore than I would from coffee, but it put my life back together in ways no Rx medication could. I am back in school now to get my certificate in Graphic Design, I have a garden of exotic plants I love growing, I am making music and finishing up a first album. I write and own my own website for the plants I grow. I am motivated and doing so many productive things again when before I would isolate, have no desire to accomplish anything, or sleep too much from being on opiates and sedatives. Kratom is not a destructive drug of abuse because I have none of these problems while taking kratom. My cognition is full of clarity and sound judgement.
There are now swarms of us getting active on social media under the hashtag #IAmKratom with memes showing us as accomplishing, successful people. There are literally thousands of us, and we are sticking together and trying to support each other because many people have come so far and put their lives back together. They are afraid that when the ban goes into effect, their lives will destabilize and fall apart, some will turn to street drugs again, suicides will increase. So we have been very writing our senators and congressmen, calling the DEA and other agencies dealing with public health. We are supported by the American Kratom Association, the Botanical Education Alliance, among others. We have posted Youtube video testimonials under #IAmKratom telling of how much Kratom has helped us.
The ban they are placing on Kratom is through a law that was designed for dangerous synthetic designer drugs and they have falsely used this regulation to try and ban this medicinal herb. Please stand up for our rights as citizens to live a healthy and productive life, free from the terrible drug epidemic and burden of mental illness. Don’t let the federal government pass regulations under the guise of making our streets safer when it puts many people in danger and will destroy lives.
We will NOT sit idly by and let this CORRUPT Federal agency sell us out and destroy our right to a happy productive life to hand it off to Big Pharma!!! THIS IS CRIMINAL AND YOU SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!!!!!!
Thank you for doing what you can to make this letter public. I’m very curious to see what the DEA said to the HHS to justify the ban as I’m aware of no deaths where kratom was the sole contributor and the science seems to point to kratom not affecting the respiratory system in a negative way like traditional opiates to cause an overdose.
There is no logical reason why the DEA would put a plant that has traditional use in it’s native region as a medicine on the list of schedule 1 substances. At the very least that’s where they overreacted. America has some of the highest rates of drug overdose (and incarceration) on the planet and here we are having a discussion about banning a plant that is known by many to not cause overdose and help them quit drugs that do. It’s almost as if the last 40+ years of the war on drugs weren’t about actually helping people and instead about throwing people in prison.
I am a 31 year old wife, mother and active member of my community. My oldest child has Autism. I am also a chronic pain patient who suffers from Degenerative Disc Disease, Lumbar Annual Tears, Bi-Lateral Femoral-Acetabular Impingement, Nail Patella Syndrome, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Chiari Malformation, Endometriosis and more. I have had over 10 surgeries to try to correct, treat or improve the causes of pain and symptoms. I suffered from severe insomnia, depression and anxiety for close to a decade due to my chronic illness and disability.
After 10 years of treatment which included injections, surgery, physical therapy, chiropractic care, behavioral therapy, counseling, massage therapy and being prescribed a litany of medications that included: opiates (Fentanyl and Opana among them), anti-depressants, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories and anti-epileptics, I was becoming more and more sick. I was suicidal, feeling that my life needed to end because I had become such a burden and was worthless.
19 months ago, I discovered Kratom during research for methods of naturally relieving pain. After researching for quite some time, and feeling like I had nothing to lose, I decided to try it.
A “normal” pain level had been a 7 for me…even with medications I never dropped below a 6, so I was not expecting much. Yet, 20 minutes after trying Kratom, my pain had dissipated, and I was at a 2.
Since that day, I have gone on to being completely off all medications. I can now work and be an active member of society. All while feeling completely clear headed and surprising doctors with my perfect blood work. While I still live in chronic daily pain, it is much more manageable. I have more energy and I am no longer depressed, anxious or suicidal.
The move to ban Kratom is one that frightens me. What will my life be forced to become? What about my children? My husband? These are things I do not want to think about, as the possible ramifications this ban could have is terrifying. Felon or Dead?
We are supposed to be the Land of the Free…but my freedom to live a happy, healthy life is in jeopardy.
I have fibro, severe back problems, with 3 surgeries. thyroid problems, copd anxiety and arthritis and have been taking kratom for over 2 years and it has been helping me more than any meds I was on before. I have reacted to so many different drugs because of all my allergies and don’t want to quit the kratom because it helps me so much.. I am too young to die because my family would miss me so much and I am not ready yet!!
In 2009 I fell from a 32′ high window and broke my back, crushed my spinal chord 75% of the way, broke my tailbone and slight fractures in my pelvic bone. I became paralyzed lying in the hospital bed for 2 months. Finally my toes started moving, then eventually I gain the ability to walk again. However, with that great privilege cam an emense amount of pain. My doctor knowingly prescribed me harsh opioids of which my body and mind became addicted. After going through withdrawals because of my desire to get off of these deadly drugs, I finally found relief. Kratom was that relief. It gave me the needed pain relief, sleep and escape from the terrible anxiety and depression that I developed. No longer dos I feel the desire or need to find opiates. Today I love with manageable pain due to Kratom. Kratom literally saved my life. If this ban goes into effect, I WILL need to get pain management treatment and likely with the use of pain killers. My life that I thought I had saved will be torn apart as I become physically and mentally addicted to the pills. Please do not let this ban happen. Please! Whoever is reading this that possibly can help fight this terrible law, please take mine and other’s stories into account. We are going to be addicts again and lose the best hope we had with Kratom. Thank you for reading my story.
Kratom is an awesome supplement that really helps with my chronic pain caused by spinal problems. I’ve been taking kratom for two years now with no adverse affects. It helps with both my pain and the depression caused by chronic pain. I’ve never gotten any type of high from kratom and I’ve never had any of the side effects that go along with opioid use such as dizziness, nausea, confusion or respiratory depression, as it isn’t an opioid. I would much rather use kratom to help my pain and depression than take lots of pills that affect your mood and ability to function. God gave us plants to help with the problems that arrive in life and I would be greatly disappointed if it was taken away. Many people use kratom to help with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, ptsd, etc. Not one death has ever been attributed to kratom alone and it isn’t a danger to anyone, even in high doses. It doesn’t cause dependency, side effects or any kind of altered state of mind. Please don’t take away this herb that is so helpful to so many. Thousands of people have successfully used kratom to permanently stop taking prescription opioids or using street drugs. I would say with today’s opioid and street drug abuse epidemic kratom would be very helpful in preventing further overdose when used to wean off of other drugs. It doesn’t treat or cure any illnesses but can certainly help with the symptoms of pain, depression or withdrawal. Please don’t take it away from us!
the d.e.a. has no justifiable reason for this kratom is not a drug
I just made a video, explaining why I need Kratom and how important it is to my life – it’s the difference between “living “and “existing, in agonizing pain.” I suffer from severe fibro pain, panic disorder, and ptsd. The doctors prescriptions do not help the pain and I’m now allergic to the meds I took for the panic disorder. Kratom helps with all of my health issues, without side effects, and I scared what life will be like without it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JeQMA1vGeE
The DEA says they are taking action on Kratom because of “dire circumstances”. The DEA are in existence to enforce, not to make law. That is Congress’s job to do. Kratom is a safe supplement to my way of life. I have researched and I have seen what it does for my health. I have read testimony after testimony how it has helped so many others also. I don’t have to take as much medication as I have to previously because of Kratom I am thinking with today’s opiod problem, Kratom would be embraced instead of ostracized and slandered. But where is money in the truth?
Another example of “the government” trying to contol the lives of Americans. We are forced to buy “their insurance, see their doctors & take their medication”. Time to stand up for the right to choose natural alternatives to manage our health, without fear of arrest!
Andrew Kruegel, a researcher at Columbia University, has been examining the chemistry of the active alkaloids in kratom, and earlier this year published his work.
Kruegel’s research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on May 18, 2016 — 12 days after the DEA reportedly notified the HHS of their intent to schedule those very same alkaloids.
Kruegel and his team found that (quoting from the medical news website “Stat”):
“When an opioid binds to a receptor, it can trigger a few different responses in a cell. One is thought to be responsible for causing pain relief. Another is thought to be responsible for the negative side effects, such as respiratory depression, which is responsible for many opioid deaths.
“Standard opioids, such as morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl, set both of these protein cascades into motion.
“By using fluorescent molecules to watch the proteins in action, Kruegel’s team could see that the main components of kratom mostly stimulated the painkilling response, but didn’t have as much of an effect on the proteins that caused the side effects.”
Simply put, kratom’s alkaloids seem to have the unique ability to block pain receptors without also blocking the proteins that make you breathe. Kratom is an amazing plant.
I believe that any organization wishing to challenge the DEA’s proposed scheduling of kratom should seriously consider a discussion with Andrew Kruegel and his Columbia research team. They may have a difference of opinion with the DEA’s assertion that kratom is a dangerous drug with no medical use in the United States.
This is the abstract from Kruegel’s research. I recommend you read it.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.6b00360#/doi/full/10.1021/jacs.6b00360
Best of luck to you all. These stories are heartbreaking, but inspiring.
The DEA is trying to sneak this ban passed everyone, but I bet they had no idea how passionate the kratom community is about our beloved plant! #Iamkratom #SAVEKRATOM
Amen!
This doesn’t make any sense. A schedule 1 drug means there’s no medicinal benefit and it’s a danger to society. Kratom clearly has been an alternative to truly dangerous, addictive and debilitating pharmaceuticals. Kratom (mitragyna specioca) is in the coffee family. It has been used for millennia in Asia. Americans are becoming aware of it’s benefits such as aiding with chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. What the DEA is attempting is wrong. A decision like this should be up to science, the American people, and Congress. Public comment is always necessary. The natural tea leaf is no harm to society and could pose as only a positive alternative for many. The DEA is overstepping their boundaries one time too many and the public is clearly not tolerating it.
There is no backing by scientific research on Kratom. The deaths they are referring to are deaths from people who mixed drugs with a harmless plant and now they blame it on this natural plant . The DEA and the media have a misconception about Kratom that it is a legal high or spice , this is just not true. There is no high with Kratom. This plant benefits millions on Americans. I just hate that there is not proof or backing as to why they want to schedule Kratom as a drug ( even though it’s not a drug) this is just another example as to how powerful our agencies are. I would understand if there were deaths and dangers with Kratom but there are none . The DEA has more deadly substances on the market in their radar that are not banned , they should focus on the dangerous items and let Kratom be. Regulations on Kratom I can understand but not a complete ban.
Does the DEA even have a clue regarding the true-science behind Kratom? I thought these people were supposed to have a little bit of smarts. It never ceases to amaze me how people can twist reality for the purpose of furthering their immoral agenda. #Iamkratom
This would be devastating to me. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at age 26. I’m now 53, and over the course of these 25 , I’ve been prescribed every standard prescription that every other rheumatoid sufferer takes as well. To no avail. I had my first total knee replacement before I turned 40 and the second completed 5 years ago. I had to beg for something for pain, after enduring this very difficult knee replacements even while in the hospital. I was on a walker and really had no quality of life.Depression consummed me for years . I was an outdoors person that loved hiking , playing ball, boating and just walking. Chronic pain and disease crushes your spirit, the pain is barbaric to endure. I’ve been able have my legs back, even though the pain is still great. Now my job is to take care of my husband as he declines with multiple sclerosis. I must be his legs and my own and get twin teens off to college and their down life. I need to focus , I need to move, i need my clarity to help my family and myself. Kratom has given me back freedom to take care of myself . To put my life back the way it was is very scary to me. I will lose my own independence again, this would be devastating.
Without kratom, I’d have died a little over 2 years ago from suicide due to constant, agonizing chronic pain, severe depression, anxiety and the inability to get off of prescription narcotics. I almost drove into a tree the day before my doctor told me about kratom.
I use kratom to control my chronic pain from failed surgery on 3 levels of my spine, spinal stenosis, spinal arthritis, scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs in all levels of my spine, permanent muscle and nerve damage, peripheral neuropathy, fatty tissue fibrosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, bursitis in my hips/ankles/wrists, costochondritis, pain and nerve issues related to a congenital chest wall defect called concave pectorus excavatum, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, Bipolar Disorder Type II rapid cycling, generalized anxiety and panic disorder. These are the conditions I am diagnosed with and I have worsening neurological symptoms.
I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a daughter. I am a 30 year-old working American and having kratom taken away without any real evidence of danger to our population is asinine.
On Sept. 30, if the DEA has it’s way, there will be hundreds of thousands of hard-working Americans instantly turned into either criminals or cripples if this miracle plant is suddenly transformed into a Schedule 1 drug. I feel like our nation’s leaders and agencies have a constitutional obligation to consult the people, especially before any major decision is made, that will effect such a large group of people. We are a democracy, are we not? There are over 28 different alkaloids in the kratom leaf that promote a HEALTHY lifestyle and have everyday uses, including: analgesic, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-mutagenic, anti-leukemic, anti inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-leukemic, just to name a few. Please take the time to read more about the science of this amazing plant on the provided link. Besides the fact that the DEA is trying to cause pained people an exponentially greater amount of pain, I believe it is totally wrong to ban a PLANT from responsible adults, who have finally found a way to enjoy life without the debilitating effects of pharmaceutical poisons.
http://ensobotanicals.com/kratom/#About_Kratom
Kratom has helped me live a more productive life. I have anxiety and depression from PMDD. I also have chronic back pain and Kratom helps to reduce the pain. When I take Kratom I feel little to no pain in my back and I am motivated throughout the day. To me Kratom is just like coffee but without the jitters. I live a happy life now but before finding Kratom my PMDD made me super depressed and I didn’t want to be alive. We cannot let the DEA take this amazing plant away from so many people that are benefitting from it.
I’m still in shock over the DEA’s decision to make an herbal remedy a Schedule 1 drug that carries a federal penalty just for possession. I just can not wrap my mind around it. I’m a 57 yo small business owner. I vote, I pay taxes and I use kratom. And now, because some men/women, who probably have never even tried it want to make me a felon for using it? If they had tried it they would know for certain that it does not get you high, it does not cause psychosis, it does not depress your respiratory system, and it does not kill you. If you take too much your body will reject it by causing you to throw it up and you will have a headache but you will not die. And you will probably never take too much again because it is not pleasant. I use it for pain relief. It works better than any prescription or over the counter pain relief I have tried. I use other herbals as well. Are they next?
This ban will make felons of so many law abiding tax paying citizens. It’s just ridiculous. People who are sick of the terrible side effects of prescriptions or just can’t find anything else that helps them. These are mothers, father’s, grandparents, veterans and all walks of life. This is such an overreach on the part of there DEA. I hope something can be done to stop the ban.
I am heartbroken at the thought or idea of this imminent ban of Kratom. I am a mom working two jobs to take care of my family and suffer from both RA and fibromyalgia. I was taking tramadol and oxy for years untily doctors became too scared to continue prescribing it due to the beyond strict regulations. I was forced to seek alternatives ways to alleviate my pain while staying productive through feeling so debilitated, depressed and at times bedridden.
my life has changed completely since discovering the natural pain relieving benefits of kratom. it eased my withdrawals when I was forced to stop pain medication cold, which was in an unsafe manner. I did a ton of research on my own before trying it and the testimonials and personal experiences I read (which were hundreds and there are thousands) were so positively staggering, I chose to give it a try.
it was the best decision I ever made for myself and my body. I was always told to exercise in addition to pain meds, but truly didn’t have the energy or stamina. with Kratom, I sleep well and wake up and exercise for the first time in my life before going to work.
I have been able to ween off of my anxiety meds as well, because I found and internal comfort and peace. I don’t live in pain. I am happy to to go to work. I can’t wait to come home and be a present mom and wife for my family. they need me.
please don’t make this wonderful and God-given plant a schedule 1 drug. it is a travesty and uneducated to even think about classifying this herb alongside the likes of heroin, cocaine, and LSD. please do your part and your research. this ban is WRONG, and as I stated above, truly heartbreaking. the thought of going back to addictive pain and anxiety medications is horrifying.
The DEA has NO grounds nor basis to place this as a schedule 1″drug”. It’s just that the pharmaceutical companies stand to lose a lot of money by not force-feeding their opioids on helpless thousands of people who are getting better with the use of this wonderful god-given plant.
The DEA is over reaching their authority by classifying kratom as “imminent danger” so they can make it a schedule one controlled substance. That would mean kratom has zero medicinal value. The problem with that, as of September 30, 2016, everyday people (mothers, veterans, lawyers, doctors, students, law enforcement, fathers.. ) that work hard, pay taxes, are productive members of society would then suddenly become felons by living their normal daily lives. It saddens me that the people who are supposed to have our best interest at heart would take away the one thing that gave these wonderful people (myself included) back the quality of life that otherwise they could have only dreamed of. Our choice to use this leaf to combat & help alleviate some of the discomfort over prescription drugs, should be just that- our choice! Every day thousands of people die from prescription drugs & NOT ONE death is because of kratom… doesn’t seem so “imminent”, huh? Don’t ban this plant! Please. The war on drugs isn’t working.
I am a college educated 34 year old mother of 3 children aged 4 and under. I suffer from stage IV Endometriosis. I get agonizing menstrual cramps every single day of the month. I also suffer from back pain, migraines, and anxiety. I have had 3 surgeries to attempt to make symptoms better, but endometriosis has no cure and in my case, only gets worse over time. I was taking large quantities of over the counter pain medication to try and ease the pain. It didn’t touch it. I will not take prescription pain killers because I watched them kill my father after a decades-long battle with addiction. I found kratom when searching for a natural pain reliever that wouldn’t be harmful to my body. I have had had more days that I can count that I used to be unable to move from pain, riddled with guilt for hurting too bad to properly take care of my own children. I’ve had to look my babies in the eyes more times than I care to think about and say, “not today, mommas hurting.”
Those days are few and far between now. Kratom makes my pain and other symptoms more manageable. It gives me energy too, which I’m thankful for as a stay at home mom. Taking kratom away would not only lessen my quality of life, but my kids lives too. I don’t want to hurt so bad that I can’t get out of bed. I want my natural, effective plant that helps me. Please don’t take our quality of life away. Prayers to all #iamkratom
We are facing an opiate/pharmaceutical abuse epidemic here in the United states, where we are the number one pharmaceutical consumers in the entire world. “In 2014 over 2 million people were said to have been abusing, or dependent upon their prescription medications” according to the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/overdose.html . This number doesnt begin to address or take into account the number of people apart of the hidden population that abuse or are dependent upon non prescribed medication. The DEAs decision to criminalize a plant that has been used for thousandsof years by the indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia is criminal – but what is to be expected in a society run by corporations such as the pharmaceutical giants who seem to posses more rights than the American people. This all natural plant has been used for 1000’s of years and suddenly in 2016 its an “emergency” situation and a threat to public health? Why is that? No one has died from using kratom- despite the media’s attempts to demonize this plant. Anyone who has any first hand experience knows how versatile its uses are and how benign any potential side effects may be. It is a tool to be respected.
I’m a US Army Veteran. I was injured in the line of duty. After going through a 12 year battle with pain pills from all the surgeries. I was able to get clean. I still lived in pain everyday. Then I found Kratom. Kratom has saved my life, made is possible for me to have a job and get back the things in life that I love doing. Taking kratom and making it a schedule 1 does not make any sense and it’s cruel. So many people will go back to using other forms of pain management. That’s not an option for me. I will have to live every day in pain and eventually become a burden to the state and people who love me. I don’t want that kind of life. I want to be able to do my own shopping, take walks go go my job and do a good job. Be there for my family. Please I’m asking to just do more research before you rip this God given plant from us.
There will be blood on the hands of these overzealous prohibitionists and those in the pharmaceutical industry who control them. Natural pure Kratom leaf has reduced my desire for prescribed opiate pain killers and allowed me to not become dependent on highly addictive and dangerous pills. I understand that 46 people die everyday in the current opiate epidemic. And the government wants to ban Kratom saying it has no recognized medical use! And the pharmaceutical industry has patents on making pills out of Kratom! Shame! Shame! Shame1
During the opium war’s when china’s government sold opium to its own people kratom was outlawed ONLY because of the money being lost. Money proved more important than health and safety as thousands became addicts and died in an epidemic virtually the same as the opiate epidemic currently in America. Kratom proved to be a safe cure for addicts amongst relieving a host of other ailments such as pain, depression, fatigue, anxiety ECT… Is 100 % natural and has no more potential for addiction than the cup of coffee practically everyone drinks in the morning. Nevermind the risks of legal drugs such as alcohol or laboratory made concoctions that doctors pedal. It also does not completely inebriate the user like most other drugs or alcohol. You will never hear about kratom overdosing on its own. No kratom blackout’s, nobody waking up with a kratom hangover and an a large period of time they can’t account for. And most importantly of all it has gotten many, many people off drugs that kill like heroin. And kept legal will undoubtedly continue to do so. All of this you would have to be blind or ignorant not to see. So many people are just going to go back to hard drugs, REAL drugs. A lot of them will die or hurt others. Why would anyone want to ban a cure for addiction.? THIS BAN IS GOING TO LITERALLY KILL MANY GOOD PEOPLE from every walk of life. I cannot put it more clearly. Back to my original point. I can see no rational reason to ban it other than because big pharma is loosing money and people are not needing their dangerous drugs anymore. This truly is a corrupt country.
Well said Shawn!! Alcohol is a million times worse! This feels like another prohibition! Japan has a patent on kratom…do you think some pharma company in America wants to invest in this patent?
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1083272/fight-erupts-over-kratom-patent
The DEA, HHS, FDA, CDC, lobbies like Big Pharma, substance abuse centers, correctional centers and a host of other unscrupulous entities know exactly what they’re doing. They are all in collusion to maximize profits no matter what the damage is to others. Besides being in the back pockets of lobbyists, getting greedier and richer, government agencies constantly need to justify their existence. Add to this the yellow journalism spewed forth from many media outlets and the politicians trying to make a name for themselves. This blatant corruption should get the attention of elected officials, yet these individuals might feel it is like committing political suicide to get involved…and most want to feather their nests and political futures as well. Federal prosecutors need to launch an in-depth probe into the flagrant corruption of these merciless, soulless conspirators. Why would government patents be granted on the alkaloids of Kratom (and marijuana) if there were no medical benefit? In the public courtroom the DEA, FDA, CDC, HHS and its lobbyists are all guilty of lies, deception, cowardice, conspiracy, fraud, and ultimately voluntary manslaughter. Someone has to have the guts to investigate, indict and prosecute these reprobates. The insurance lobby should stand up for Kratom, as they would save billions, even trillions of dollars in needless doctor visits, drug treatment centers, etc. and with pharmaceutical poisons such as anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants, opioids and sleeping pills. I pray that honesty and common sense will prevail.
TRUTH! Very well stated. I too pray that honesty and common sense will prevail.
Loved this. Most Americans are aware that our government is a bunch of lying, rich, over privileged people who don’t give a rip about us.
Time People stop voting them in-time we rise up=march in protest! Call the newspapers and get their attention!
I am a 44 year old womanl with a desiccated, degenerative disc at L5-S1 and a FAI cam impingement in my right hip. To alleviate pain, I have tried three epidurals, physical therapy, chiropractic (to no avail) and have been prescribed addictive painkillers including norco and vicodin. Two years ago I found Kratom and that, combined with a consistent workout regimen with a qualified personal trainer, has kept my pain in check better than Big Pharma ever has. I have zero desire to ever go back to taking addictive pain medicine and highly resent the DEA (of all entities) forcing my hand in the matter. It is, quite frankly, a negligent, irresponsible and despicable abuse of their power to classify Kratom as Schedule 1 based on conjecture and sensationalism. It is unfortunate that the DEA does not appear to have the best interests of people like me in mind. Rather, they would prefer me to use addictive synthetic painkillers over an innocuous herb that allows me to be positive, productive and pain-free.
The fact that there has been scientifically studied medicinal potential from numerous sources, and Countries makes the move to Schedule I impossible. Also, lower toxicity than Coffee? Another exemption for scheduling. Thus is a leaf, pure. And simple. No recorded deaths in centuries! Keep this supplement available to the people. It only makes sense.
The DEA wants to control how we feel, how we think, and how we heal! Kratom has saved my life! I feel like a normal person when I take Kratom. When I don’t my mind is riddled in every direction. I can’t think straight which then triggers the anxiety! Owning a business when you suffer from anxiety and depression does not work well together! I’m in control of my thoughts and my feelings.That will be very hard to do if this STUPID ban takes place while I’m at work! I also suffer from a lot of pain, I’m a professional circus performer and boy oh boy circus takes a toll on the body! Bruises, burns, severe muscle soreness not to mention keeping your mind healthy.
The reason why I have massive depression and anxiety is because my pituitary gland does not work! My hormones are out of control as well as all of the different chemicals in the brain.
I tried everything to help with my symptoms, my doctor then told me about Kratom! NOT A PRESCRIPTION!
Within 30 minutes of trying Kratom for the first time my mind was clear, my pain was gone!
I have been taking Kratom for 6 years and it changed my life!
I honestly don’t even know where to begin to describe how violated I feel by the DEA trying to take away my right to a perfectly safe alternative to addictive, prescription drugs. It’s a slap in the face to the American people that the DEA is allowed to outright lie about kratom to make it illegal. Florida Department of Law Enforcement recently issued a report saying kratom “does not currently constitute a significant risk to the safety & welfare of Florida residents….no pervasive health issues have been attributed to the ingestion of kratom”.
As for the CDC’s numbers on calls regarding krarom; 660 calls were received between 2010-2015. Poison Control received 6,843 calls about children ingesting laundry pods….so total kratom calls equalled 0.004%.
I have been living a productive life since I started taking kratom, and am no longer a slave to addictive anxiety medicines. Making this plant illegal will seriously diminish my quality of life and it scares me to death. I urge you to please stop the DEA in it’s blatant overreach and listen to the American people Thank you for your time.
First the cdc makes new “guidelines” for opiates and it indicates they are no longer for chronic pain. These are then Made into law in some states. This gives the DEA More room to go after Some of the few DRS that are still willing to help pain patients. Then theSurgen General sends a massive letter campaign to 2.3 million DRS urging them to not use opiates so they can “turn the tide” on the opiate Epidemic. Now thousands of pain patients are undertreated or no longer treated at all.The addiction treatment centers now have a whole new group of people to push even more dangerous drugs on. Yes I say drugs because that is exactly what RX’sare.As all of this is going on you have a large group of Chronic Pain Patients who were abandoned and turned to Kratom that never would have looked before. People our Medical system abandoned Due to the CDC and fear of the DEA. I am one of those abandoned Patients. I am 30, was on Pain killers for the past 10 years,5 of which through a pain Management doctor then She decided after the CDC guidelines that I’M too young to be on opiates. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and other issues such as degenerative discs, constant hip and Rib dislocations, and chronic Myofasicial Pain. Cant even find a Specialist near me or any that have less than ayear wait to help treat EDS. My pain level with meds was a 5 to a 7. Without it was a 6 to a 9. So painful that at my Birthday dinner I laid on the Floor in a fetal position in tears Because the pain was that bad without medication.Shortly after I found kratom. Before my first Oder even came the DEA Filed its intent to Ban this PLANT.
I tried the herb when it came and I was SO surprised and happy I found relief. Finally relief from the unrelenting pain. I could do household chores again, I didn’t have to rely on my mother coming over to help me with my son on my high pain days, I wasn’t leaving work early and I was being more active and present in my 21 month olds life. My son is my universe and I finally felt like I was ablessed to be the mommy he deserved instead of being in tears from pain. Don’t get me wrong, I still hurt but that pain ranges from a 2 to a 4…. better pain relief than I ever got from pharmaceutical drugs. And instead of using a drug I was taking a natural herb, drinking a tea not taking a pill!
Knowing my life is about to be ripped away from me again (happened once when removed from pain pills for an opinion about my age and that disqualifing me even though 5 years earlier it wasn’t an issue) I am so Angry. Drs aren’t helping pain patients anymore, they are all too scared of the DEA. Good luck finding someone who understand EDS means pain even though chronic pain in one or more joints is a part of the diagnostic criteria for this rare genetic condition….. so what options are left for someone like me. I can’t live in unending pain. I may be alive but I won’t be living. I would lose my job because of missing too much time and I would become a burden on our failing system insread of remaining a productive member of society. Yes In Ohio Medical marijuana was just passed But wont be fully functional for 2 more years…. so PLEASE tell me what exactly am I to do when the DEA bans a plant, a tea, that is less dangerous than Ibuprofen, Tylenol, alcohol, tobacco, and opiates, yet more effective than any of these man made drugs at easing symptoms for me. It is my life that will be damaged along with hundreds of thousands of others because the DEA has a hard on for anything that takes money out of the rehab centers and pharmaceutical companies pockets.
Canada just legalized prescription grade herion to combat opiate addiction where methadone and suboxone failed at treatment. They are being more treatment centered in there drug policy and yet the United States of America, supposedly the greatest nArion on earth is adding ANOTHER name to the scheduled 1 substance list. Kratom is not a drug. It’s a plant. Kratom is safe, it is just as addicti e as coffee. Less addictive than cigarettes. Kratom doesn’t pose an immediate threat to anyone. The reason for the rise in people ingesting this herd is because of the amount of people abandoned by their drs due to other CDC and DEA fear mongering. Please place this ban on hold and do some real research and then decide but don’t destroy thousands of lives for the two to three years when you then learn how safe it is and how wrong you were.
I believe part of the DEA reasoning behind this ban was that a large increase in Kratom imports. This gave them reason to believe it is being abused. With all the testimonials from people that Kratom is helping, it should be easy to see that Kratom is not being abused. It is helping people, as they pass on the information, it helps others. Hence the demand. People including myself greatly benefit from using this herb. Prior to my finding Kratom to help ease the pain of my several herniated disks, degenerative disk disease, stenosis, arthritis and neuropathic pain. I had taken so much ibuprofen, severely bloody stool was almost an everyday thing. Then came Norco, tramadol, prednisone and neurontin. Epidural injections. Somehow these medications seemed to make things worse after a while. I went as far as I could with doctors, I felt as if I had hit a dead end. Life was miserable. Started looking into herbal medicine a natural alternative. Tried a few things with little success. Found Kratom, was skeptical, thought it was basically a placebo thing. It has helped me so much, my quality of life is much better. I still have pain, but it’s manageable. Mother nature has provided for us what modern medicine couldn’t. Those that try to keep natures gifts from helping people, as I’m sure it was intended to, will have to answer to your maker. Woe is you.
It absolutely makes no sense for the DEA to make kratom a schedule 1 “drug”. It’s completely harmless and in the same family as coffee. It has helped numerous people with PTSD, pain relief, opiate withdraw, anxiety, depression, etc. I’ve been taking for kratom for 3 years now and it has completely changed my life. I’ve been on addictive anxiety and depressant prescriptions that would just cause more harm than good. Kratom helped me cope with my anxiety and depression and has done so many wonders for me. So many hard working, good Americans will suffer so much if kratom gets banned, it would cause more harm than good. Theirs countless stories of how amazing kratom is and how it has impacted so many lives to every day Americans. Please stop the DEA from banning this wonderful plant!
Unlike heroin and prescription painkillers, kratom does not cause respiratory depression. It is a non-lethal alternative to opioids and preliminary research shows that kratom can help end dangerous addictions. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that an emergency order to make kratom Schedule I is necessary. Kratom is not an imminent threat to the public. Research from the University of Mississippi shows kratom can be a positive for public health: http://news.olemiss.edu/new-hope-for-addicts/
I am a mom, wife, and massage therapist. I have been doing massage for 22 years. In the last few years, I developed what is called ulnar compartmentalization syndrome in both of my arms. This is a condition in which the lateral borders of my forearms go numb, and the numbness turns to excruciating pain at night. This was happening every single night for a year. I thought my massage career was over and was terrified about how I could provide for my family, because no job I could find would replace the income I was earning doing massage. The cost of living where I live is astronomical, and I was just not sure what I was going to do. Surgery was not even an option because I could not be out of work that long. Then I came across Kratom. Kratom made my ulnar compartmentalization syndrome virtually disappear. I have not had a single episode of waking at night with numbness and pain. As an amazing side effect, my chronic depression and anxiety also vanished. It has been a godsend to me, because I could not take anti-depressants, as they gave me suicidal thoughts. I have not missed a day of work in 8 years, I am a volunteer at my child’s school, never missed a single event of my daughter’s in her 16 years of life, and am a responsible, productive, tax-paying member of society. I am raising a child that is a high-achieving, hard working, kind and moral person. To classify me as felonious because of this herb that has benefited my life is outrageous and absurd.
I am a 37 year old single mother of two beautiful young daughters . I’ve worked as a cosmotologist since 2002 . I was prescribed oxycodone from my primary doctor for back pain and sciatica . After being on oxycodone for a few years i realized the downward spiral my life was taking from the prescriptions pills . I found a natural plant in the same family as coffee called kratom . After researching information about kratom , I decided to give it a try . The pain pills I was taking really beat up my body , along with a number of other negative side effects . Kratom helps me ease my back pain while I stand on my feet upwards to 12 hours a day to briing home a paycheck so I can support my children who NEED their mother . My daughters need the best version of ME , not loaded on oxycodone . Kratom helps me , just like a good cup of coffee would help someone with energy . The DEA seems to be focusing their power in the wrong direction trying to emergency schedule 1 this Natural herb that has HELPED so many people . If this ban goes thru many American people WILL suffer .
It is obvious by the lack of cited evidence, the patents that the pharm companies have laying in wait, and the utter lack of response to thousands of American tax-paying citizen voices that the rumors are more than that–they are cold hard facts. Our government is obviously ready and willing to sacrifice each and every one of us to make a buck. Whether you enjoy a new quality of life absent of terrible, crippling pain because of this plant or you used it to escape addiction, or whatever reason brought you to find this precious healing herb, it is time to stand up and say no more! No more pain, addiction, overdose, or deaths, no more of Big Pharma feeding on the blood of the American people. Time to take back our rights!
This motion to classify the Kratom Alkaloids is a clear cut example of Federal over each. Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and other states have taken up legislation to ban Kratom, after researching and communicating with the community they found that there was no reason to do anything other than create an age limit on purchases. The DEA is showing us that the Federal Government does not care about what States or Citizens belive and that they can make the rules for everyone weather we like it or not.
With the complexities that each stage faces I would imagine that Democrats, Republicans, Libetarians, and all other parties would join together to stop the DEA and allow each state to decide what is best for its people. Colorado has legal weed, yet we’re about to allow the DEA to create a Law that stops anyone from having a cup of tea and treats anyone with that cup of tea like they have a cup full of Heroin? No! Let’s stop the DEA from dictating what the laws the states may have and allow our elected representatives handle any legislation that may need to be passed.
The DEA should not have the power to enact these laws that are only in place to protect the pharmaceutical company and to keep the monopoly they created throughout the industry, all the while having a great deal of influence on the legislation that surrounded the industry. Americans are well within their inalienable to choose what medicine they put in their bodies, and this includes natural alternatives such as cannabis, kratom, psilocybin mushrooms and many more . Not all pharmaceuticals are bad, however there is a lot of poison being prescribed hiding under the definition of medicine, and this is the real imminent danger to society. Drugs such as fentanyl and oxycodone are prescribed by physicians which ultimately lead the patient down the road to addiction or just end up killing the patient, slowly typically, but rapid deaths from accidental overdoses happen as well. Every year tens of thousands of people die from drugs that the DEA deems as safe, and yet are trying to ban a plant that has been used for thousands of years by the indigenous people where it is from, resulting in not a single death directly related to kratom. This is much like cannabis, which poses no threat to the public, but rather a threat to these cartel like drug companies whose mission it is to stop any competition in it’s tracks. They use the DEA as their muscle for the operation destroying peoples lives in the process. Also interesting to note is that the makers of fentanyl just donated 500k to OPPOSE the legalizing of cannabis in AZ. As Americans, we can not stand to let this non-representative bureaucratic agency dictate and control our lives any longer, especially in reference to how we choose to treat any ailments we may have. We are not on your drugs anymore, and because of that, we are awake and have the drive once again to be able to put an end to this.
I am a 34 year old father to a precocious and high energy 7 year old. He keeps me busy. But I also have scoliosis and extreme nerve pain that completely takes me down. I was on pharmaceuticals for a long time. But they had a negative affect on my physical and emotional health. I said no more because I knew there had to be something safer and more gentle on my system. Then I found Kratom. This plant helps me through the pain. It’s not a cure by any means. But it helps me. And it desn’t make me all spaced out and loopy like the lab made pills did. I receive no high. It’s not the kind of substance that the DEA is making it out to be. Not even close. Besides kratom’s benefits for me, I believe this botanical could help our society on the whole. Look at this opioid/heroin epidemic. It’s insane. Something needs to be done and Kratom can serve as a great tool to help stop this tragedyt that’s unfolding before us.
I am a mother of 3, a wife, and a student. My husband introduced me to kratom a few years ago. I was skeptical at first, but after dealing with withdrawals from hydrocodone and being in severe pain, I gave it a shot. Kratom helped ease my withdrawal symptoms from my LEGALLY prescribed drug, and helped aid in easing my sciatic nerve pain. There is absolutely no reason for this herb to even be considered on the same level as heroin. Hydrocodone, oxycodone, fentanyl are the real drugs of concern here. There is data showing just how many deaths these legal addictive prescription drugs cause. Not only deaths, but how many families are ruined and how much crime is committed just to be able to obtain more. I know from experience, my mom has been on opiates for about ten years now. I’ve seen how she has changed, her whole life revolves around these so called legal drugs. It’s really a shame. I’ve never had a negative experience with kratom, nor do I fiend for it. I’ve turned much of my immediate family onto this wonderful plant, and it’s a beautiful thing watching people getting their lives back. It’s our body, our choice. This will be a major stepping stone to solving out epidemic in America. If kratom is outlawed, then the government is truly corrupt. If the people (and science)are ignored and not included in decisions made, then the government will find a lot more serious issues in their hands with people getting fed up.
Kratom has helped me cope with a herniated, ruptured, bulging lumbar disk at the L5-S1. The herniation causes back pain but more significantly: Sciatica pain in my right leg. Radiculopathy. It feels like burning and electrocution.The meds given to me do not work. And each has its own laundry list of negative “side effects” that make me want to abstain from them. The only drug that helped at all has been Lyrica/pregabalin, which has stopped working like it used to. I’m on a high dose. It has horrific withdrawl symptoms, so I’ll have to get off it slowly. Just getting to my pain management Doctor is difficult, and driving is daunting with such a foggy head from Lyrica.The Epidural Steroid Injection I received was a minor help however Epidural Steroid Injections ARE NOT FDA APPROVED. Look it up. But there’s no penalty for this NON-FDA APPROVED procedure being performed daily, multiple times on each patient. They actually prevent natural disk healing. Kratom helps so much more than anything else, with the only drawbacks being the taste-which I’m now used to-when I swallow plain leaf, and a little constipation and a little dry mouth if I don’t drink sufficient amounts of water. I never get intoxicated or euphoric from Kratom (10 years ago I was hooked on opiate painkillers and I’ve done them all, so I know the difference between Kratom’s mental effects and prescription opiates’ mental effects. I wish I had Kratom when I detoxed from those deadly pills.) Apparently opiate addicts are forced to choose between $uboxone/$ubutex and a harsh withdrawl, or stay hooked for life. If you can call opiate addiction a life. Kratom boosts my mood a little, nothing so profound that I’d call it a “high.” Kratom has been lumped in with bath salts and synthetic cannabinoids and other so called research chemicals due to a popularity spike of all of the above around the same time. Kratom stands alone as safe, effective, and not debilitating. I’m not robbing anyone or pawning jewelry for an ounce of Kratom. I only take plain leaf, I do not know what’s really in or missing from the “extracts.” I take Kratom as nature intended.I’ve been able to cut back on coffee, quit SSRI drugs, and I’m slowly getting myself off of other psychiatric meds (that keep me sick) with the aid of Kratom. I’ve tried over 10 vendors. Multiple strains from each. I settled on a consistent affordable one who I trust. I never had any adverse reaction to Kratom. Kratom doesn’t trigger me to go relapse back onto Opiates or any other drug. I don’t feel like I’m a drug user because I take Kratom. Anyone who wants a high from kratom will be let down. Maybe that’s why vendors resort to making extracts. To make an unappealing plant seem appealing to teens who want a legal high. If a law was passed to ban extracts, I wouldn’t care too much. And I have no issue with an age restriction. There was no age restriction when I was put on Clonazepam at age 16. Now I’m working on getting off of it. With that said, I never experienced drug-kratom interactions. I have had drug-drug interactions with meds I was prescribed by 1 Dr. Such as Serotonin Syndrome from getting trazodone and SSRIs like Citalopram and sertraline at the same time. Doctors would never take the very pills they prescribe. If Kratom is supposedly worthy of being banned, why not ban Phenibut, a legal anxiolytic drug that causes withdrawl symptoms on par with benzo detox plus psychosis. The DEA has never ever been concerned about Phenibut. How many poison control calls and E.R. visits have been caused by phenibut abuse? I’d bet a whole lot. Read the phenibut addiction horror stories online. Kratom withdrawl will give me an upset stomach and diarrhea at worst, which I’m willing to potentially deal with if it means I can alleviate the bulk of my sciatica pain. Doctors atlre terrified to prescribe opiates to anyone for any reason now thanks to this year’s CDC Report on Opiate Prescribing Guidelines. If you have end-stage cancer, you might be able to get opiates for pain. Otherwise don’t count on it. I don’t want to get dependent on opiates again anyway, but they are not an option for me. I will not do surgery. Not that I could afford surgery. Kratom gives me a mood lift to have a positive attitude in spite of any discomfort. It is not a threat to anyone anywhere. Kratom should be left alone and remain an option for anyone in pain, or suffering with a mental disorder. It isn’t “self-medicating” any more than buying a bottle of poisonous Tylenol is self-medicating. I am a Kratom user and I’m better off for having it. I can sleep at night now. If I want to sleep all day, I can take a Flexeril/cyclobenzaprine. No thanks. I don’t want anticholinergic effects. Too unpleasant. Let heroin addicts and opiate addicts have kratom so they can get clean and get their lives back together without resorting to Suboxone, which is another addiction unto itself. Again, I’ve tried all of these opioids at some point, and Kratom is not an opioid. Saying so is deliberately deceptive and confilusing. May Kratom remain legal. I’ll fight for this natural right tooth and nail. I’m going down fighting. And I KNOW I AM NOT ALONE. #IAMKRATOM
I am with you!
James P, thank you for your testimony, well stated. The DEA should read it.
I grew up playing football, baseball, soccer, motocross, surfing, skateboarding, downhill skiing, hunting, and fishing from the time I started to walk. I played hard. I went to Europe and toured twice, on two US soccer teams. I am now closing quickly in on 50 yrs old and I still play hard. I ride a mtn bike nearly 55,000 vertical feet a month. I ski nearly 100 days a season and I ski as hard as any 20yr old out there clocking over 80mph daily on the slopes. My son has been training to be an Olympic skier and I train with him. 8 years ago while training on the giant slalom course, I took a pretty good crash. Well, the next morning I could barely get out of bed and my wrist suffered a harsh blow to the point where I could barely move it. I reluctantly reached for the Advil bottle and realized the Costco sized bottle was empty as I used to eat ibuprofen for my daily aches and pains from playing hard. Unfortunately, the Advil had pretty much burned a hole in my guts but, I accepted that as it helped the pain, granted it felt like I had needles poking the inside of my guts when I did take it.. So, I am out of Advil and remembered a friend had sent me a natural pain killer called kratom that I was ready to try. 30 minutes after ingesting this herbal remedy, my pain was almost non existent, my stomach didn’t hurt, I had energy, and my brain functioned in a non- convoluted manner unlike how prescription pain pills make me stupid. I absolutely could not believe what was transpiring. Here I am 8 years later and it works just as well as it did on day one. I have had vicodin in my safe for the entire span of these last 8 years and I haven’t taken a single one of them as they hurt my stomach too. I own two successful business. My son is an amazing person who just turned 18. My wife is a family practitioner and owned a successful psychotropic Clinical trial business with a masters in pharmacology. My best friend sits on the national board of pharmacy.
They will both tell you there is a tremendous medicinal value to kratom as will I. This ban proves to me that we are living in very very very corrupt times. With nearly 20,000 new laws AGAINST businesses in the last 7 years and now Kratom being another, I am thoroughly disgusted and disappointed in our govt and the policies that have come forward in the last 7 years. For every new law passed or ban enacted, this govt turns law abiding, productive citizens into common criminals. I am FED up and I am not going to take this sitting down anymore. I will go on record to say State Senator Jared Peterson uses kratom and the pain clinic he goes to said he should because it works better than anything else for him, granted now he is in a clinical trail for what I believe to be synthesized kratom. How ironic that I found a Japanese company that applied for a patent for synthesized kratom about 4 years ago online and now, it has been wiped off the face of the internet. My head is steaming just thinking about this. I will stand on the congressional floor and swear on a bible to any of the above. Keep Kratom legal as it has improved my life and allows me to be as active as I was when I was 18.
What people who have never had chronic pain before don’t understand is that taking nothing is not an option. If this ban goes through I will have to choose between going back to dangerous pills, living my life in pain again, or keep taking kratom and be labeled a criminal. I am a successful business owner and a good person. Through no fault of my own, I suffered a bad accident and live with the pain every day. I found Kratom a year ago and it was like a curtain was lifted. Now just when I finally feel like my life is under control and I am happy again, the very people who are supposed to protect my rights are stripping them from me. I honestly don’t feel free anymore. Why was this decided with so little time for us to respond and comment? In fact, I believe Mr. Rosenberg said that we have no right to comment. The government and the DEA exist to serve us, not the other way around. All this ban will do is cause people who have suffered all their lives to suffer even more. It is inhumane and immoral, and it needs to be stopped. Please help us.
The science behind this is flawed. They call it an opioid which it is not. Kratom saves lives, has minimal potential for abuse (I’ve known about it for 15 years and only started using it when I developed an addiction to opioids, as a way out), and is safer than most pharmaceuticals and other herbal remedies.
This is a financial move to thicken the pockets of big pharm. I just lost another friend, through overdose, to addiction. Where did it all start? Her doctors office!
I love that we are uniting for a truly worthwhile and life changing cause. Together we can make a difference despite TPTB. The whole is more than the sum of it’s parts. We are of different party affiliations, genders, socio-economic statuses, religions (or lack of), level of education, sexual orientation, ages, cultures, and backgrounds. Yet, here we are, uniting, demanding and commanding change. We have and utilize our collective power, knowledge, passion and abilities however we can.
When (not if) we make this happen, this regaining of our right and freedom to utilize Kratom , let’s remember our power to unite for positive change in other areas.
Keep up the pressure, the letters, emails, tweets and Facebook posts, phonecalls,etc. We are relentless. #iamkratom #savekratom
They’re just a bunch of letters (DEA, etc). We are people. We are united. We are a powerful force.
Kratom is a natural tree that grows from the ground like other trees. It has saved my life and kept me sober from all drugs including alcohol for 2 years now. I’ve never been happier. But this ban on Kratom is wrong and blasphemy. We the people doesn’t exist in a corporate owned country. Kratom saves lives and the DEA is just going to ruin more lives. The DEA are evil murderers who spread nothing but propaganda and who work with big pharma and the Illuminati. No one should have to suffer for the DEA’s outrageous decisions. It’s ridiculous and outright unnecessary to ban any plant that is given to us from God. If you can Kratom you might as well ban coffee and green tea too. I know the DEA is not banning Kratom because they’re ignorant of it. They’re banning it because they are working for big pharma and the Illuminati for population control. This is all set up to get people to cause chaos so they can bring in the new world order and they’re also banning Kratom because they don’t want big pharma to lose a little bit of money on their opiates and they want more people arrested and in jail so they can make more money. This is not really the DEA’s decision this is big pharma paying them and the Illuminati bankers telling them to ban it. If it’s healthy and cures people and helps them with all of their problems then it’s a big threat. They don’t want people living healthy lives and living happy. All they care about is money, mind control and population control. That’s the reason why marijuana, a natural healing plant, is illegal because it cures cancer, stops seizures, cures anxiety and depression and autism and tons of other illnesses etc. Kratom should be available legally to anyone just how coffee and energy drinks are. Kratom is harmless and has never killed anyone just like marijuana. Medical marijuana is being prescribed to people yet marijuana is still classified as a schedule 1 drug? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? It just shows the American people that you don’t care about them at all and that all you care about is money and power. The American government is corrupt and tyrannical! No one should have to be killed or go to jail for using harmless plants like Kratom and cannabis, that’s absurd! Big pharma will still make millions of dollars a year if Kratom and marijuana was legal regardless. It’s getting to the point where this is not about money and just greed but about having control and being able to tell us what we can and can’t do. Our freedoms are being stripped away from us everyday. Sooner or later the American people will all wake up and say they had enough and stand up to this corrupt system and shut it down completely! This ban on Kratom has been an eye opener to thousands and thousands of people and they’re starting to see that our government is corrupt and evil and they’re taking this way too far. We the people have a voice and we have a choice. It’s about us and what we decide not about what a couple of people come out and decide. There is more of us then there are of the government and DEA. Keep Kratom legal and and leave it alone. It’s the only thing besides marijuana keeping this country standing strong. If it gets banned this country will fall and thousands will die from big pharma’s dangerous drugs (poison).#IAMKRATOM #KRATOMSAVESLIVES
I feel helpless against the DEA, but if someone were to stand up in Congress and call out the BS, it could be done with a number – a statistic. Someone needs to estimate how many US Kratom consumers with pain and health issues will return to pharmaceutical pain killers and what is Big Pharma’s probable revenue gain. Compare this with the money Big Pharma has spent on lobbyists to ban it, and call out their ROI. The DEA also makes money by adding more “drugs” to police. The only reason they are doing this is for the money – they don’t care about human suffering. I’d like to see the Kratom community gather anecdotes of before and after the ban. I wish you well, but we know the s%!t is going to hit the fan. Perhaps the ban will create a greater emergency than the one the DEA claims that existed before. Keep writing and sharing your stories and make it easy for the media to reach the logical conclusion. Sorry for the anonymous post – I’m a single dad with sole custody of three kids and need to be very careful.
I am a hardworking, dedicated American citizen. I have never been arrested for a crime. I’ve never even been suspected of a crime. Barely even a speeding ticket in the past 20 years. I volunteer time every month toward charitable causes and organizations and kratom has kept me alive for the past 8 years.
That’s a fact, not my opinion. I suffered from atrial fibrillation for many years. At one point I was on 2 beta blockers, digoxin and a blood thinner. And part of having Afib is having to rush off to an emergency room at a moment’s notice whenever your heart goes out of sinus rhythm.
My life was hell. I was depressed, I was tethered to my bed out of fear of passing out or having a blood clot and being whisked off for cardioversion at any given time. The anxiety of having it created more problems for me personally and professionally. I missed a lot of work. One of the drugs I was taking (digoxin) can build up in your bloodstream and create a toxicity so I had to get my blood tested to check the active levels.
I was afraid to travel, I was afraid to drive. I also had a history of ulcers and bowel inflammation that complicated my health in other ways. I was a mess. And it wasn’t my fault but I knew I was responsible for my own life and to try to manage my illnesses as best as I could.
That’s when I found kratom after a few google searches back in 2007. I did my research on it based on what was available, got as much information as possible on the active alkaloids, realized that there are at least 2 natural betablockers in the plant and decided to give it a try.
In the past 8 years, I have produced more work than the previous 20 years, without doubt. I HAVE BEEN IN SINUS RHYTHM FOR THESE PAST 8 YEARS (that means I haven’t had a single episode of atrial fibrillation that has been recorded or noted). I have not had an ulcer. My flare-ups of bowel inflammation are gone. My doctor has even noted that I am rarely even in to see him anymore.
I’m not suggesting that kratom is a panacea. I am, however, stating beyond any shadow of a doubt that this natural botanical SAVED MY LIFE. It has allowed me to continue being productive. I own my own successful business that I built from the ground up. I travel regularly (Dear DEA, please note: After 8 years of taking kratom daily, I haven’t been in a SINGLE auto accident, not even a small fender-bender) and my success has allowed me to help others in many, many ways.
And now the DEA has recklessly relegated me to what will amount as a felon next month? I’ve gone from hardworking entrepreneur, taxpayer, volunteer without any criminal record and for simply taking a natural plant to manage my illnesses, I’m nothing more than a street criminal to these folks?
Absolutely ZERO compassion. Absolutely zero logic and reasoning involved in this ridiculous, reckless decision. There are no grounds to support their claims but I DO have claims to support mine and decades of medical records to back it up. But they don’t want to hear it…they would rather treat me like a heroin addict or a meth junkie. Me…a guy who works 12 hours per day, who has tried to help his community, his state and his nation a better place by helping those who cannot help themselves. And as of the beginning of October, I’ll just be seen in the eyes of the government as a simple junkie using a schedule 1 “drug.”
Going back to how my life was before kratom isn’t an option, no matter how badly they would like to see me suffer from issues I’ve struggled to manage. And like so many other DEA decisions, this one will be looked back upon years from now and it WILL produce a body count from those who who, like me, are desperate to maintain a healthy, normal lifestyle and simply cannot do that without the use of kratom.
Shopes wrote a well researched article debunking the DEA’s primary claims justifying their proposed ban. For example, the DEA’s claim regarding a cluster of 9 deaths in Sweden referenced in their “Background Information and Evaluation of ‘Three Factor Analysis’ for Temporary Scheduling” document; a 2011 study of those fatalities concluded that an adulterant, O-desmethyltramadol, found in ‘Krypton’ was the primary cause of these fatalities.
“We believe that the addition of the potent mu-receptor agonist O-desmethyltramadol to powdered leaves from Kratom contributed to the unintentional death of the nine cases presented”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21513619
The remaining fatalities in the DEA’s data primarily involve co-administration of dangerous cocktails such as fentanyl, benzodiazepines, and / or anti-psychotics. It is telling that the DEA’s data does not make a convincing argument for Kratom being dangerous in its own right. An argument, I might add, that can be made for legal drugs such as alcohol which CDC studies suggest kill 2,200 people in the US per year due to overdose. If the data available on the dangers of alcohol is insufficient for DEA scheduling then it is hard to explain how the dubious studies the DEA provides merit scheduling for Kratom.
http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/alcohol-poisoning-deaths/index.html
While Kratom may be relatively new in Western cultures that does not mean there is no history worthy of review. Like coffee and tea, Kratom has a long history of human consumption to speak to its safety. The DEA’s data does little to refute this fact. In the words of Pascal Tanguay, director of a Washington D.C. based drug harm reduction organization:
“There’s never been a single death associated with kratom. People have been chewing this for thousands of years with no cases of overdose, psychosis, murder, violent crime. Never in all of recorded history.”
https://www.minnpost.com/global-post/2013/09/thailand-s-cure-meth-addiction-leafy-jungle-stimulant
The remainder of the DEA’s claims seem to rely heavily on poison control calls, a misleading statistic when provided without context as the DEA has done.
“An average of 110 cases a year may sound like a lot, but it’s not. It represents about 0.004 percent of the 3 million or so calls received by poison control centers each year. By comparison, exposures involving analgesics accounted for nearly 300,000 calls in 2014, while cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning solutions, antidepressants, and antihistamines each accounted for more than 100,000. The DEA not only fails to put the number of kratom-related calls in perspective; it does not mention that two-thirds of the cases were deemed “minor” or “moderate,” while only 7 percent (eight per year) were described as “life-threatening.” The CDC noted a single death in six years, “reported in a person who was exposed to the medications paroxetine (an antidepressant) and lamotrigine (an anticonvulsant and mood stabilizer) in addition to kratom.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsullum/2016/09/01/the-deas-crazy-kratom-ban-dresses-pharmacological-phobias-in-scientific-garb/
I feel that it is clear that, regarding the information which the DEA has made publicly available, it is hard to argue there is much quality to their data at all. They have intentionally ignored facts which did not fit their narrative of Kratom as a dangerous substance requiring scheduling (let alone emergency scheduling). While I do believe there is an argument to be made here for regulation (proper labeling of product contents, age restrictions, warning labels regarding co-administration with prescription medications, etc…) I do not feel the DEA’s data makes a compelling case for federal scheduling.
I would implore anyone interested to review the Snopes article in its entirety.
http://www.snopes.com/kratom-banned-by-the-dea/
I take kratom for severe nerve pain and it’s what gets me through my day which would otherwise be torture without it. It isn’t a dangerous plant and it is helping so many normal people with their issues. Banning it isn’t saving people, it’s killing them. We’re normal people, not druggies.
I was prescribed zoloft for depression which turned me into a zombie ,I acquired very bad very bad migraines as a side effect of Zoloft, I heard about KRATOM 5 years ago and my migraines ceased and I started exercising daily and got into the best shape I have ever been. I ceased using Zoloft and continu4ed with the Kratom. I went back to college and finished my degree. Kratom does not impair me, intoxicate me or do anything to me that would make me unfit to function normally. I have a friend that was addicted to cocaine who was able to ween off of it thanx to KRATOM. I was devastated when I read the NEWS about the DEA banning KRATOM even though the DEA is not a legislative body. This ban by the DEA has Special interest’s hands all over it. THE DEA has violated the public trust with this action and I do hope to see THE DEA offiical responsible for the BAN held accountable.
Kratom helps my back pain. I refuse to take opiates when a plant helps me with fewer side effects and fewer risks. This war on nature has to end. It has no moral, religious,scientific, or statistical evidence on it’s side. Im just a normal person that wants the so-called freedom everyone talks about throughout your whole life when you’re growing up. Right now it feels like a lie. How can anyone support a policy like this that leads to death and suffering?
This would be a great disservice to our country not to mention the war on drugs. It is a tea leaf that helps me w severe back pain, anxiety & depression much better than I’d ever dreamed and with nearly zero side effects. It doesn’t cure me but it helps me be more a productive member of society. The Rx’s were destroying what quality of life I have left. The infuriating thing is the DEA is in bed with BigPharma and money trumps life. This plant couid be a great tool in the war on drugs & addiction/overdose and they know this! There are patents for the two alkaloids mentioned already. Ole Miss Pharmacology School has studied it with great results, here’s the link: http://news.olemiss.edu/new-hope-for-addicts/ Another study is being done and while it’s still in progress, they have great results thus far http://m.bangkokpost.com/vdo/vdo_detail?id=743668&refer=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2F. Kratom needs to remain available to us in unadulterated leaf form and with an age restriction, that’s it.
I am a middle school principal. I have an 11yr old daughter. A beautiful wife. I’ve been taking Kratom every day for three years to treat my anxiety. Because of Kratom, I’ve never been better.
Shocked that the dea can make me a ‘criminal’ and take me away from my family because I take Kratom. So sad. Please listen to the people who use it to better their lives and make the right decision.
I am writing to you to express my extreme dismay and concern over the possibility that the
natural plant Kratom is being considered by the DEA for banning, as a dangerous drug of
addiction. As a mother of three, I am willing to offer my personal testimony to kratom, and how it has improved my life. Let me explain some of the actions and known effects of Kratom (Mitragyna
Speciosa):
· Kratom is a tree native to Southeast Asia, whose leaves have been used as a
natural medicine for thousands of years.
· In small doses it provides an energy boost – it’s a botanical cousin of coffee, but in
higher doses have a sedative and analgesic (pain relieving) effect
· Its main use is as an effective natural pain reliever and anti-depressant
· Hundreds of testimonials have been written about kratom’s efficacy in treating:
-chronic pain, diabetes, fatigue, depression, lack of energy, withdrawal symptoms of opiate and alcohol addiction
· Kratom is non-addictive, and has few side effects
· Users report that it is “less addictive than coffee”, with those in middle-age being
the most frequent and enthusiastic proponents of kratom’s benefits.
Despite all these wonderful effects, this plant is in danger of being banned in the US by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Ironically their reason for banning this wonderfully safe medicine is that it poses a ‘health risk’. Kratom is used recreationally by some people, and recent scares surrounding the synthetic drug ‘bath-salts’ have led to increased scrutiny on a number of legal substances and plants. This age-old medicine is being lumped in with dangerous, unknown synthetic substances, and is under threat of criminalization. If this criminalization occurs, countless sufferers of illness and pain could lose access to a vital natural remedy that they have been using safely for years. Like any plant or medicine, when one regularly ingests excessive amounts of a substance there is a potential for harm. This is true of countless products available for sale in pharmacies and liquor stores today, but few would argue that this means they should be outlawed. If kratom is abused – taken daily in very high doses – it can be mildly addictive, and can also cause “nervousness, sleeplessness, loss of libido, constipation and the darkening of skin complexion”. However, there have been no recorded deaths due to the use of kratom, which highlights its safety.
A case can certainly be made for the restriction of sale of kratom to minors, and responsible vendors have called for self-policing and an industry code of conduct. Senator A.G. Crowe recently withdrew a proposal to outlaw the sale of kratom in Louisiana after hundreds of people signed a petition against the plan, however he plans to put forward legislation to instate a minimum age of 18 for anybody purchasing the leaf – a move that is presumably not opposed by the majority of those who responsibly use kratom. We have seen time and time again that prohibition simply worsens the social impact of drug use, causing further health risks for users and providing criminal gangs with money that could instead be directed towards tax coffers.
Public health should be not seen through a lens so narrow that it that disregards practically all alternatives to Western medicine and pharmaceutical drugs. We call upon citizens, policymakers, and politicians to support the reform of archaic drug policy for the benefit of society, and to respect people’s innate right to use all natural plants and herbs.
Thank you for your time and my prayer is that you help join the fight to regulate not prohibit the use of this natural herbal medicine.
Anonymous
(34 year old Mother of Three, Masters in Education and Finance)
I have treatment resistant depression and agoraphobia. Several different doctors with drug cocktails were unable to find the right balance of uppers and downers and in-betweeners to keep me going. My children grew up with “Mommy’s sick”. 4 years ago a friend brought me Kratom. Swore it was all natural, herbal, no chemicals, no side effects. It was tea, just try it. No different than St. Johns Wort which has been in use dating back to ancient Greece, Kratom had a similar, though not quite as long, use in history without side effects or issues. Fast forward 4 years and thanks to Kratom I am a productive member of society. I own a successful business, I rollerblade, bike, cook, bake, laugh and love. At 50 I’ve been given a new lease on life. I’ve never been in trouble with the law. I’ve never taken a real drug. I’ve never been high a day in my life. I’ve never been violent. Every year my physical comes out perfect including my blood work. Kratom is a natural supplement that does no harm. There has not been 1 death attributed to Kratom alone. Not a single overdose. No acts of violence. There are hundreds of thousands who use this supplement every day and society has not seen any intrusion. If you take Kratom away from me, turn me into a criminal because I’d like a cup of tea in the morning you are doing ALL Americans a huge disservice. I appreciate the efforts of the DEA and FDA to keep me safe. I do not need to be kept safe from Kratom. It’s crushed up leaves. But when you turn me into a criminal and force me to stop taking Kratom all I’ve built in the last 4 years will slowly fade away as the crippling depression returns. I will lose the life I’ve built. My business will shutter, I’ll hang up my roller blades. My bike tires will go flat. And my grandson will hear these words for the first time, “Grandma’s sick”. #Iamkratom
You KNOW there is medicinal benefit in this plant. That is why there are several patents on it. We KNOW this reeks of big pharma/big govt collusion. Big Pharma wants to profit off our pain and suffering and they dont want us having access to this safe natural plant that has been used for thousands of years.
It’s not a medicine, treatment or cure. it is only a helpful herb with some positive benefits for many people,
Really more of an herb like coffee or chocolate with pain relieving effects
Because of kratom, i no longer take opioids for pain, benzos for anxiety, and much fewer SSRIs for depression. It is literally a life saver, because my life didn’t feel much like it was worth living. I was SO HAPPY to find a safe solution to my problems (and it’s absolutely safe).
If this plant is scheduled without even an option of a doctor’s prescription, I don’t know what I’ll do. Please don’t do this.
I am a 41-year-old woman with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease), failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, and neuropathy. My doctors cannot remove the metal rods in my thoracic and lumbar spine because of my brittle bone disease. I am in severe chronic pain. I spent years on prescription pain meds. I was a useless person, a zombie. Kratom helps my pain, and I don’t take prescription pain meds anymore because of it. I take one large dose of kratom a day. It doesn’t completely take my pain away, but it helps enough (and without all the side effects of prescription pain meds) that I prefer it to prescription pain meds. Please don’t ban kratom. Please don’t make me go back on prescription pain meds.
I’ve been taking kratom on and off for 2 yrs now and I have never had any type of bad experience with kratom. I deal with fibromyalgia chronic fatigue and a few other things that keep me almost bed ridden if im on pain pills. Kratom has helped me get off those pain pills and I don’t need them as much as I thought i did. Even when I was pregnant I took kratom once in a whIle and she never had any problems when born. She was healthy and still is 9 months later, she’s super smart actually. Kratom should be our human right to take if we please! It’s a natural thing and for the government to take away our rights to natural medicine is bs! I have seen so many lives saved bc kratom helped so many get off drugs and are able to live normal lives like we are untitled to! Why make a life changing life saving plant become legal! I am one of the thousands out there that is grateful for kratom and for you people to take that away is not even humane! Let us be and let us be free like this country claims! #iamkratom
I am a 62 year old wife, mother and grandmother and a retired government employee. I suffer from degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis and Psoriatic Arthritis. I’ve had multiple level cervical fusion with hardware. I live with chronic pain every moment of my life, and have been taking opiod pain medication for many years. The medication eventually stopped working as effectively. I went from an active, productive lifestyle to becoming homebound. I missed family gatherings, I was unable to work, and I could no longer do the things I enjoyed.
I heard about kratom in a couple of chronic pain groups. After months of research, I decided to try it. One year later, I am able to attend my grandchildrens’ birthday parties, take care of my house and even get out and socialize with my friends from time to time – simply by taking less than a teaspoon of kratom a couple of times a day. My blood pressure is the lowest it’s been in years, and my pain is better managed.
I have never been in trouble with the law. I am not a criminal, yet the FDA will make me a felon for choosing to consume the leaf from a tree. Kratom absolutely has medicinal value as evidenced by my experience as well as the hundreds of thousands of people who choose to take it.
Kratom does not get me high. It simply reduces my pain and helps with focus, energy and mental clarity. No respiratory depression, no constipation, and not addictive. I can go without taking it with no side effects except the increase in my pain. I have not had to increase my daily dose in over a year. It’s safe, effective and has been instrumental in vastly improving my quality of life and my ability to function.
Please #savekratom. Thank you.
It’s not really medicinal. If it were it would need to be approved by the FDA and that can take many years and dollars. Most of us consider it a dietary supplement with positive benefits like coffee or chocolate
Kratom saved my live, I was really depressed and anxious and no antidepressants I’ve got pescribed could help me. I’m using Kratom since 3 years and I never had any health problems. I use it daily and even go to work with it. Nobody notices it, because it doesn’t get you “high”. It just makes me feel better and reduces my pain.
If Kratom would get banned I would have a huge problem. I don’t want to deal with my depression that is destroying my life.
I am an Herbalist and have used the botanical kratom for the past 12 years with only positive results. It is not a drug and produces no high, just a slight mood boost (much like coffee as the plants are related ) and helps ease pain . Used in conjunction with a healthy diet and lifestyle it acts as an adapotgen balancing the body and mind.
I have recommended kratom to many clients and friends for 12 years now and have had not a single issue, complaint or problem associated with responsible use.
Perhaps all the news about it being a “drug” is causing kids to experiment with it , some unscrupulous suppliers to mix it with other things to produce a high ? Which can happen with any substance, chemical or plant, however the pure plant botanical form of kratom is a gentle plant & only helps . It absolutely should remain legal for responsible adults .
There is absolutely no reason this supplement should be scheduled by the DEA. Gross government overreach. The DEA clearly made this decision based on media sensationalism and did not do any actual research. Kratom is not a “drug” and does not get you “high.” It has a history of hundreds of years of safe use in its home culture, is legal in most of the First World, and is used safely and responsibly by thousands of Americans.
The 15 deaths resulting from kratom use that the DEA keeps citing ALL involve other substances; out of the TOTAL 50 deaths worldwide EVER involving kratom, NO deaths can be attributed to kratom alone, they ALL involve alcohol or drugs in combination.
To put that into context, around 25,000 PEOPLE died of prescription drug overdoses in the United States in 2014 ALONE, the highest number ever recorded. https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates
On the same site, you’ll see, if you search for tobacco, that “Between 1964 and 2004, more than 12 million Americans died prematurely from smoking, and another 25 MILLION U.S. smokers alive today will most likely die of a smoking-related illness.”
On the same site, you’ll see, if you search for kratom, that kratom by itself is associated with ZERO DEATHS.
2015 Florida Drug Report concludes:
“A review of available law enforcement and laboratory sources in Florida demonstrates that Kratom does not currently constitute a significant risk to the safety and welfare of Florida Residents. According to the Florida Department of Health (DOH), no pervasive health issues have been attributed to the ingestion of Kratom products in Florida.”
http://krakenkratom.com/save-kratom/florida-report
Middle aged male, chronic migraine sufferer. Kratom works wonders with zero side effects. Have been in daily migraine meds, many triptans and trigger shot injections on the nerves in the back of the head. That alone causes it’s own pain as you can imagine.
NOT a junkie…. not someone searching for a high. I am a registered nurse through no fault of my own can disabled when a patient attacked me I have spent the last 12 years of my life disabled, in pain, surgery after surgery after surgery. No life to speak of friends are becoming sparse because they can’t be bothered all I want to do is have a life I’m 64 years old I’ve never done drugs I’ve never been in trouble for anything I’m a law-abiding tax-paying citizen who just wants to live my ears out pain free
If they were interested in public health they would ban the addictive drugs handed out by doctors and pharmacists. If they were really interested in public health they would partner with atf to ban alcohol. Which had been more destructive to the one using and to the general public. There is something more nefarious or sinister going on hear and a blind man could see through this ….
This is a serious matter. The DEA has overstepped their authority by banning a substance they know is not lethal on its own, and for what? To deny opoiod addicts a way out? More people die each each from cigarettes and alcohol, yet these are free to buy if you’re the right age.
Look at how Prohibition worked, look at how the War on Drugs has failed. Look at the conflict of interest between the head of the DEA and Big Pharma. The whole deal stinks of corruption and short sightedness. This is a huge detriment to American society where the DEA is not doing their jobs.
The DEA is supposed to protect us when in fact they are serving their own needs and the needs of special interests. Every opiod addict will have to go back to whatever they were using before like oxyxontin which kills far more than Kratom, and this immediately makes hundreds of thousands of Americans criminals overnight for trying to help themselves.
I was raised and lived in the Belmont/Laconia area of NH from 1972 until 2012. I knew in 2005-2006 that prescription drug abuse was rampant among the students at the local High School. My children and their friends would openly talk about it. They weren’t hard to come by they just took them from mom and dad’s medicine cabinets. That is how it starts, right under your nose.
That’s how it started for my son 7 years ago. He was working at a local pizza shop in Gilford, NH. He and his friends would work 12 hour shifts. It started out as just a way to get a little pep in your step for the long night ahead; you know a little “buzz”. The first time he snorted a ½ of Percocet he immediately vomited. But boys will be boys and they egged each other on. The second time, it hit the “Sweet Spot”. Work was fun, noting bothered him and he never had a “bad day”. He was emotionally numb and that felt pretty good to an adolescent. But what he didn’t realize was it was then, at that movement, he also lost himself and I lost my son. His girlfriend and soon to be mother of his children lost the love of her life. Soon, his only focus was finding a way not to get “sick”. He couldn’t keep a job because he was always taking time off or being late because he had to find a fix so he could feel “normal”. Do you understand that? He had to now snort Percocet’s to feel normal. At that time it would cost around $30.00 for a ½ of a “blue”. I can’t tell you how many things have been stolen, pawned, borrowed, and lost unexpectedly. The lies and deceit, the hurt and pain for those of us who love an addict is palpable. The relationships that have been ruined, the time in jail, and the costs associated with trying to fix them; I lost count of. If you are a single parent with no real resources you are own your own. Rehab is expensive, the Nathan Brody program in Laconia is a tool but not anywhere near the commitment needed to actually get them to stop. I’m his mom and even for me, he couldn’t stop. It is so easy for people to point fingers and say things like they choose to use, and what losers they are but I can tell you that most addicts were real, good and loving people before they started using and they still are but they and their brains have been hijacked. He was lost. He welcomed his first born into this world HIGH. He spent all of their money and they lost several apartments because of his addiction. I moved them in with me and that is where I saw firsthand what Opiate sickness/withdrawals will do to someone. They lived with me for several months and as always he would appear to be getting better. A month or two would go by and you could finally start to breathe again and then there would be $20.00 missing from your purse or his sisters. Or people would come by the house looking for him because he “borrowed” their PlayStation and I would know he was using again. That was my life for five and a half years.
I was at a loss. I had hit rock bottom and had lost any hope of helping my first born and chose to leave Nh behind. My own health, both mentally and physically were in jeopardy. I actually moved all the way to Oklahoma just trying to save what was left of my mind. I felt helpless and hopeless. I hoped that by my removing myself and my “help” would force him to hit bottom and he could start to reclaim his life. But when I left I also understood that it could be the last time I saw him breathing. I won’t say alive because at that point he wasn’t really alive. My son who was smart, funny, caring and sweet was gone. What was there was someone I didn’t even like. Try living with that.
He did manage to sober up and stayed sober for almost a year. But of course when an addict is using they often make decision that rightfully come home to roost. He was arrested for “Theft by Unauthorized Taking”. By the time this happened I was living in PA. Because of all his past run in with the police and court system he was looking at a lengthy sentence. He and his Lawyer got the Judge to agree to not put him in prison if he moved to PA with me for a year, did counseling and get, and kept a job. But that also meant he had to leave his family behind in NH for a year, he now had two children. He stayed clean, I think for about a month. You see that’s the “thing” about Opiates, if you take them you don’t feel any pain. He wanted to be numb. So, there we were again. Only this time I knew to keep my purse next to my bed and not to have anything that could be pawned so he was able to hide his use for a little while. But the same patterns quickly emerged but by this time he was snorting heroine. Heroine as you have all now figured out is available and cheap.
These days, a half of a “blue” Percocet will cost you $45.00 from a dealer while heroin cost only $5.00/bag a dose. If an addict needs to take 4 pills a day in order not to get “sick” it will cost $320.00 a day to feel normal. It is easy to see why they are switching to heroin. It is economics. I can tell you, it was the longest year of my life. He ended up admitting himself to a seven day detox in Pa. When he got out I told him I was moving back to Oklahoma and I couldn’t do anything else for him. He needed to want to be clean.
The problem was he was newly sober and was heading right back into the Lion’s Den, Laconia, NH. He did fine for a few months until a major emotional trauma. That was in July 2015. By November 2015 he called to tell me if I couldn’t get him out of there he was going to end up dead just like the other dozen or so of his friends who had overdosed. I flew him to Oklahoma the week before Thanksgiving. I held him while he convulsed, wiped his tears as he mourned the loss of his children again, forgave him while he cursed me because I wouldn’t give him the keys to my car so he could go ‘buy smokes”. I knew better.
I also knew that he needed something to help with the sickness so I started doing research into holistic withdrawal treatments. That’s when I stumbled upon Kratom. I read everything I could find about it. I joined a Facebook page dedicated to its use. I got myself educated. I was hesitant because I did fear we might be replacing one crutch with another but I am a firm believer that we as humans have been given all the medicine we need, here on earth, to fix what ails us and we have let Corporations alter what God intended into a Franken Pharmacology.
He was now 4 days into withdrawals. I ordered 4 ounces of Red Vein Kratom and gave him his first dose, about a tablespoon mixed with water. He gagged and almost threw up but he managed to keep it down and within 20 minute his legs were finally still. The color returned to his face and the strained look of withdrawal was lessening its grip. He looked at me and started crying. He didn’t have to say anything, I knew it was working. If you could see the efforts in swallowing Kratom you would know that most people would rather not! He is now 287 days clean, has a full-time job as an HVAC Journeyman, has paid off the $800.00 plane ticket that got him here and is paying his child support weekly. We can talk about his addiction now, where before it was an untouchable subject. He tells me that he no longer even thinks about heroin and that Kratom doesn’t get him high, it evens him out. He also has ADD and he is able to focus. He is back at the gym 4 days a week and starting to put weight back on. He has told me that he knows without Kratom he would have gone back to street drugs.
Drugabuse.gov states “The number of prescriptions for opioids (like hydrocodone and oxycodone products) have escalated from around 76 million in 1991 to nearly 207 million in 2013, with the United States their biggest consumer globally, accounting for almost 100 percent of the world total for hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin) and 81 percent for oxycodone (e.g., Percocet).[5] . In 2012, over five percent of the U.S. population aged 12 years or older used opioid pain relievers non-medically.”
There was that ‘one” time for so many. There are many things in our society that are addictive but the difference is that those things don’t typically rewire the brain and unlike alcohol that takes years to have crippling effects on the person’s mind and body, heroin, and opiates in general, take a person over very quickly.
Having said all of that I find it sad that people think that an organic leaf that is helping Millions of people get off and stay off Opiate should be banned. Kratom is not the monster, Opiate addiction is.
Sincerely,
Leslie E. McCarthy
Broken Arrow, OK
GOD BLESS YOU & YOUR SON!
This had me in tears because I can relate.
Hi my name is Jeff , I’m a 35-year-old farmer from central Illinois. I’m writing this letter in response to the dea’s scheduling that’s going to make kratom illegal nationwide. I’m pleading with you, please help us keep this lifesaving plant legal!!! It has helped me in so many ways. THANKFULLY I don’t have any stories about how I was addicted to heroin or any other prescription painkillers. BUT 10 years ago I was diagnosed as being a type 2 bipolar. Three months later when I was locked up in the psych ward I was diagnosed as having hyper anxiety on top of the type 2 bipolar. I’m not too sure the bipolar meds didn’t bring on the anxiety. I say that because for years I was on $1200 a month in “head” medicine. They had me on every single pill out there and for years they tried every combo of pills they could think of and with no avail. I was on four different medications at all times even the times I was locked up in the psych ward. I had a doctor tell me “some people just have to live with it”. And let’s not forget how I had to get my liver tested every other month due to the large volume of pills. When I asked the doctor he said “yes they was tearing my liver up but once again, it was something I was going to have to live with”. My life literally made me want to kill myself… Then I received a text from a friend saying nothing but “Google Kratom”. I did it right then and there and I liked what I read (back then everything online about kratom was positive before big pharm got into everybody’s pocketbook). Long story short I got some kratom two days later off the Internet. I immediately tried some and 15 minutes later every “head” problem I ever had vanished!!!!!!! The anxiety was gone, sadness disappeared and the overall feeling of a pending doom was gone as well. It was unbelievable!!! It’s been seven years since that day and I’ve never had any relapses, not even once. It’s crazy, the night and day difference in my whole lifestyle going from all the pills to a plant related to coffee. You’ll be happy to know that since then my blood pressure has dropped back down to normal and my liver test finally dropped back down to normal as well. And the best part? I turned into a happy, productive person which is something my parents and my kids haven’t seen in years. I believe Kratom’s positivity has not only been felt by me, but by them as well. So I’m pleading with you to please keep this plant legal because the only thing worse than what I’ve been through is going back to that mindset after being “happy” for so long…. please help us all!!!
I have chronic pain that makes very difficult to sit for loner than ten minutes at a time. As a result, I’ve tried just about every conventional and unconventional method of alleviating my pain so that I can be an active, engaged father to my 1 year old daughter. There are only two things I’ve found that help the pain, opiates and Kratom. I don’t want the opiate prescription I have. I don’t like being high around my daughter, the ever increasing dosage due to tolerance, or driving while on opiates (I am my daughters primary care giver). With Kratom I don’t have to worry about those things. If you take that away from me, you are forcing me into an opiate addiction and I won’t be able to be a functioning father for my daughter. Please show some compassion.
I work in the addictions industry – I am aware first-hand not only of the devastation of heroin and opioid addiction, but of how utterly difficult, if not impossible, it is to get clean in many cases – and I would say that this reeks of mere incompetence and abuse of discretion on the part of the DEA. Even if one assumes arguendo that it’s possible for some kratom to be contaminated, the number of negative events is so small as to be negligible. There have been no deaths except those in which a person had consumed lethal quantities of psychotropic drugs (legal or illegal) in addition to kratom. And even those are very few and far between. And innumerable people HAVE managed to get off of heroin and/or opioids. This is no small feat.
When this ban goes into effect, individuals are going to return to active addiction or be forced to use powerful prescription painkillers to cope. People are going to slip back into depression that makes life unlivable. People are going to die from this, and it will certainly be many more people than have suffered adverse events to date.
I would also add that this smacks of the DEA making an attempt to stay relevent. At a time when more people are realizing every day how devastating and disastrous the drug war has been, it’s important to the DEA to maintain its image as some kind of righteous defender of the people. But quite obviously in this case, the DEA is merely going to wreak more havoc on the lives of responsible people merely trying to manage their pain and illnesses responsibly. It’s very shameful
DEA, please reverse this ruling on Kratom. There are better ways of dealing with any problems in the distribution of this plant. It has helped so many people. We are adults and citizens of this wonderful country and should not be treated as criminals. Kratom has personally helped me with overcoming an addiction to pain medication which I was taking for legitimate health problems. Your organization finally made tramadol a schedule 1 drug because it eas handed out like candy and we were told it was not addictive. That was a lie. Kratom helped me ivrtcome this addiction and takes care of my pain. I don’t have to take it. The pain meds take away your choice. We have to go through terrible withdrawals to stop your legal pills. I never want to go through that again. Please leave kratom legal!
This is utterly ridiculous. Knew it would come at some point though. The DEA and government have to stick their noses into everything. You are not looking out for us.
I’m a 45 yr old pharmacist that graduated a the top of my class. I agree with all of the comments here.
I’ve been using kratom for about 12 years now. Suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia and the like. Went through years of SSRIs, benzodiazapines, and sleep meds. Also drank heavily to fight the anxiety and insomnia.
Found kratom and have been off all of these meds and alcohol ever since. Side effects to getting off all of that crap were ridiculous. Stopping kratom is nothing in comparison.
I’ve really had a good life since then. I was miserable before.
Can’t believe this is even happening. Can’t go back on all those meds and chance reverting to alcohol.
Please leave us alone. So many benefit from this. You are ruining lives.
This is unacceptable. Help us fight! https://webchat.anonops.com/ Channel name #opkratom
Kratom should not be scheduled. How much pain will be caused by the DEA’s action? Law abiding citizens will become felons. Some subset of them will be thrown in prison. Many people who use kratom for pain will be forced to live in pain or use the powerful opioids they are trying to avoid. This action will potentially ruin my life and the lives of many others.
I am writing in reference to the DEA’s intent to ban kratom. I am not a drug user and I do not have a criminal record. I am also college educated and work hard for my family. I ruptured my spjne in early 2000 and was not able to take normal pain meds due to a heart condition and severe allergy to traditional, prescribed opiates. I have since had surgery that ended my chronic pain, but kratom was a life saver for me prior to my surgery. It allowed me to continue working for my family and finish grad school. It was effective at eliminating my pain without the typical opiate type effects that would make normal everyday life nearly impossible. I have never had withdrawal symptoms or any problem stopping my use of kratom. This is a miracle plant and although I do not take it everyday, it is the only thing that I can use for pain and anxiety because of my heart condition. I was given hydrocodone at a standard presribed dose when I originally had my injury and almost died. I had a near fatal heart event. I am convinced that if I did not have the option of using the leaf from the kratom plant unaltered chemically for pain, I would have died. As stated, I do not need katom daily for pain now, but I do use it as needed for my severe social anxiety and occasional depression. Please do not make kratom illegal. You will definitely kill people with this ban.
A plant that has been used for hundreds of years is going to be made illegal. a plant that has allowed me to live without having to take overpowering and expensive pain pills that leave in a zombie state. A plant that saved my friend, suffering from addiction to those same prescription drugs and allow him to live free from taking any drug. He stopped taking kratom shortly after getting clean from opiates. Why is the dea doing this? Its not a widely used botanical. There is not much money in it when a kilo cost $75.The amount of people who have died from kratom alone is 0 and the number of people recorded who have ever died with kratom in there systems is less than half the number of deaths from peanuts in a any single year(less than 20 people have ever died with kratom in their system). But if there is no big money in kratom and its not a public health scare then why is it becoming illegal? Fun fact: Kratom was made illegal in Thai Land 80 years ago because it was interfering with their opium sales. Now, because of the dea’s decision I’m a criminal, even when I stop kratom when the ban takes effect, I’ll still have been lumped together with the likes of heroin and crack addicts, and be seen that way in the eyes of my peers as I advocate for kratom. There will be an increase in deaths because of this decision, and for everyone else that lives, their lives will be changed for the worse.
December 2015, The Florida Department of Law Enforcement published an in-depth report examining Kratom and its effects on consumer health and the state of Florida. The report concluded:
“a review of information currently available through identified law enforcement and laboratory sources in Florida indicates that Kratom does not constitute a significant risk to the safety or welfare of Florida residents. The Florida Department of Health (DOH) reports no pervasive health issues attributed to the ingestion of Kratom products in Florida.”
– See more at: https://www.botanical-education.org/florida-law-enforcement-recognizes-kratoms-positive-safety-profile/#sthash.iXFyxMvm.dpuf
this. this. this. this. this.
RESPOND TO THIS DEA
Not in the best interest of the American people. I should know. I am the American people! Looks like another government official in the pockets of Big Pharma! I’m getting really fed up with not having our best interest at heart! Just more money for Big Pharma and more pain and suffering for the American people! I’ve already lost my precious daughter, Jewel, because of Big Pharma’s irresponsibility! Not much more too lose!
The DEA “argues that public comment is unnecessary”
Even in the face of all of this — including, again, federally-funded research recommending further study — the DEA has had the audacity to declare that the conversation around kratom is over and that users should expect to be subject to arrest.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2016/08/31/dea-argues-that-public-comment-is-unnecessary-before-kratom-ban/#6469babf388b
Anxiety…take a pill
Depession…take a pill
Feel like shit take a pill
Pain take a pill
Let me live my life. Kratom has replaced multiple prescription drugs for me.
Leave me alone or make me a criminal. You won’t get taxes from me if you do that. You’ll just make the rest of the hard working taxpayers keep me in prison. That’s what you do best
I am a former teacher, now principal. I have 2 Masters degrees and am working on my doctorate. I have 3 children and a wife of 15 years. I am also a daily benefactor of kratom, and I use it instead of formerly prescribed pain and anxiety medications. I came upon kratom when I became fed up with the non stop cycle of steadily increasing tolerance to the prescriptions, and the steadily increasing fog of which I was living in. I was a drone, and my doctor wanted to prescribe additional meds. I’d had it, and a friend showed me kratom. I have kept the same dosage for the past 4 years. My wife attests I am “me” again, and it allows me to not feel totally owned by a substance, as I can go on vacation and not be frantic that I don’t have enough pills to last me. It has given me the courage and confidence to use other routes of coping, such as meditation and exercise. This was never the conversation with my doctor. Do I feel this is the voice of all doctors? No, certainly not, but the ability to be a self advocate and to seek self preservation….isn’t this a primary right of being an American? I know that these are certainly characteristics that I aim to instill in my children and students. The plan for a ban on kratom has left me with a pile of confusion and fear as to what function my government truly has for Me and my fellow Americans. Is it one of advocacy, or is it one of control? Do they care for me as an individual, or is the focus truly on the corporate level? I am not one to dwell on conspiracy theories and government/corporate bed-fellows, but this move would debilitate my faith in American government, and at a time when our people really need a sign that we are not being ignored. Making this decision – without the reliance on Science and diverse testimony – is not the America that I celebrate, and it is not the America that is going to allow future generations to believe in the founding principles that have encouraged their mothers and fathers to dedicate their lives to this society.
Drinking Kratom Tea and extract for 10 years! This absurd scheduling of Kratom is outrageous. The most enfuriating part is that this action is based on total absolute lies. DEA gets to say all by themselves that this is “going” to be a problem, we don’t like it and then snap their fingers and make you a felon overnight for it. This is soft tyrannical government. Something stinks to high heaven. Chuck Rosenberg step down!
#DEFUNDTHEDEA.
I think Kratom is harmless from subjective experience. The plant helps with pain from arthritis. It helps my wife’s menstrual cramps and sciatic nerve pain. I haven’t had any negative experiences from Kratom aside from taking too much once and feeling nausea. Lesson learned. Before accepting this should be scheduled, or the government intervening at all, I would like to see qualitative and quantitative evidence that it it a threat to public health. I don’t think it is. If scheduled as a level 1 then research is left at a standstill dye to bureaucratic procedures; e.g. the research on cannabis has been held up because of the DEA’s unwillingness to grant researchers access to legal material. If the DEA schedules this will we one day be left with only alcohol, tobacco, coffee and pills?
I use many supplements to help lead a normal life. Kratom has by far been the most effective. I too would like to see and hear more evidence to support the DEA’s position. I have never experienced any negative effects in the 3 years I have been taking the supplement.
I am a 39 year old mother of 2 girls. I suffer from DDD, stenosis, scoliosis, fibro and RA. I was on prescription pain meds for 5 years, that were heavily prescribed by a crooked Doctor. I finally discontinued use in Jan of 2015 cold turkey, but the pain, depression and anxiety that would follow was crippling. I was in so much pain physically and mentally that even leaving my house was impossible. My daughters were suffering because of this. My older daughter also became depressed as she was watching me. I felt doomed, that this was the beginning to the end. This was how I was going to live the rest of my life. In September of 2015 (almost exactly a year ago) I was introduced to Kratom. I was finally able to
live again. I was able to get off the couch, do things with my girls, I could smile and socialize. Not only did it tackle my pain, it helped my mood and energy levels. I was finally able to be the mother my girls needed. Now here I am a year later off all pharmaceuticals and I now work helping others. I have no idea what my real pain level is, as I’ve been on Kratom for a whole year. The impending ban scares me. How will I survive with the pain, anxiety and depression again? What kind of mother will I be to my girls. I pray that the DEA hears our plea, there will be many lives affected severely. This herb, tree, in the COFFEE family has saved my life. It has saved others too. Thank you for hearing our stories.
This is a blatant misuse of position to pander to the big pharma companies – who undoubtabley have deep pockets when it comes to lobbying against anything that could threaten profits! The public is very quickly losing trust in govt agencies and DO NOT believe that they are doing for the greater good. Their evidence of this plant is scant if even there. Mislabeling the plant and plugging it out to their media “friends” to create mass hysteria is just all part of the plot. The evidence is quite clear that this plant made as a tea does NOT provide a high, makes a terrible recreational drug, but instead does help with peoples debilitating pain and illnesses – of all walks of life. Including myself.
My anxiety was so bad that some days I couldn’t leave the house. I sat in the corner shaking and crying. I was afraid of everything, living in a constant state of dread. I was pushing my friends away and failing at my job. I was on an SSRI and Klonopin. Nothing really helped. Once I found Kratom, everything changed. I am able to go out with friends and actually enjoy it. I am able to do my job supporting people with developmental disabilities. When I use Kratom, I don’t feel high. I just feel okay. That’s all I want. Please don’t make me choose between being a felon and having a life. That’s just cruel.
I am writing to express my complete dismay with my United States Government. I want to tell my story and I am asking for some help.
This plant has been a miracle to me and I am going to try to make my story short and sweet the very best I can.
Quickly, let me tell you, I am 53 years old and a productive member of society. I am a fraud investigator for a health insurance company and have high standing among my peers. I make a good salary and pay taxes like a good US citizen should. I have two grown children and two grandchildren who I am regularly with and enjoy incredible relationships with.
One gigantic problem I have is an extreme disability due to panic attacks. When I was younger I was not a productive member of society because I was constantly living in fear and could not enjoy my life. I did the best I could but it was a constant struggle to wake up day to day and face the world. I was always scared. Scared of everything. Scared that my children were dying, scared that I was dying, I even thought the world could end any day. These thoughts went through my head continually making it very difficult to concentrate on work and raising my children. I went to multiple doctors and tried multiple pills that only made me sleepy and make things even worse. I tried anxiety pills, depression pills, you name it – all of them. None of them worked for me!
As luck would have it (or not) I was given a diagnosis of Endometriosis and was given pain pills such as Vicodin and Norco to fight the pain. I noticed that when I took these not only did they help the pain but somehow they helped the panic as well. However, somehow as time went on I needed more than my doctor was willing to prescribe. I then began to seriously consider breaking the law by Doctor shopping.
It was my Dr at the time who refused to give me more pain medicine that suggested I look into Kratom. Lo and behold it worked! I am completely free of painkillers as I am older now and do not experience the pain that I did due to the onset of menopause, but the panic unfortunately did not go away until I began a Kratom regimen. However, let me add even though my story does not involve pain at this point there are many people who use Kratom for that very reason.
Now, I am being told in less than 30 days that if I possess any I will be a felon and will go to jail. I can’t even imagine the panic I will feel in jail. I am so scared and I would like to know if my United States government is really going to take this away from me/us what will they do to replace it? How will they help us who have never found a pharmaceutical that truly cured/alleviated these problems? How will they help us who have stayed inside the law all these years and don’t want to start breaking it now?
I am begging you not to ban this plant or to provide to me a safe alternative before you turn me into a felon. I don’t want to lose my job , I don’t want to lose my livelihood.& job, and I really don’t want to lose my life . I am begging you please please help me. Help all of us. Do the right thing. At least, at the very least delay the ban until a safe alternative is made available. An alternative that will not turn me into a felon.
Also. to all:
Please read this article
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57d1ad7ce4b03d2d45993e0e
I use kratom daily to help me with PTSD which I got from being abused and locked in a room for many months at a time growing up. I didn’t know what was wrong for a long time and was addicted to alcohol and other drugs to try and deal with the anxiety, depression, having nightmares, being startled all the time, and other mental issues that come along with PTSD. kratom doesn’t make me high like other drugs or alcohol do, it just makes my stress a little easier to deal with because with a mental problem like this it is exacerbated by stress. There are a lot of ways it helps, and I think that saying it has no medical use at all is due to faulty research. It doesn’t get me high and I can forget to take it if I have other things to do and not go into bad withdrawals.
People with arthritis are not felons. People with depression and anxiety are not felons. People with back and knee pain are not felons. How long until you see riots at the doorstep of the DEA for this meaningless and expensive war on drugs? How many times can a federal agency overstep its reach before the chaos shows up on their front lawn? Please stop this nonsense.
I wonder if the DEA has confused some head shop/gas station products labeled as “kratom” with the real thing. Yes, those “shots” can contain pretty much anything along with a kratom extract, are marketed to appeal to youth, and these can definitely be problematic. These things are not what most of us are talking about here. People who take the plain leaf kratom responsibly should not have to pay for the greed of companies that have attempted to turn this simple, helpful plant into a “legal high.” Focus on the extracts and marketing to teens. Classic example of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Kratom has saved my life. I was addicted to opiates, have sever sciatica, Bipolar, Depression, and Anxiety. All this Ban is going to accomplish is making good people criminals. If it was addicting, why was I able to stop using it when I found out I was pregnant with 0 withdrawls… I had my baby on the 16th of July… yet I have only used kratom a handful of times when my bipolar and anxiety are high. This seems to me like a power grab. Like they want us to use prescription medication. Ridiculous!
I am a 45 year old business executive who wears a suit and tie everyday. I have a wife and 3 teenage children who I love dearly. I coach their sports teams and attend as many of their games as possible. This wasn’t the case 2 years ago, as I contracted a terrible case of Lyme disease which almost killed me. I was out of work for over 18 months, barely able to get out of bed during this time. I had an IV port in my chest and suffered from debilitating nerve pain. I was put on a cocktail of Neurontin, Trileptal, and Tramadol which would help only a little in the pain department, but made me groggy and tired. I then read something in Facebook about Kratom, and I was so desperate, I thought I would give it a try. The results have been life changing. I have been back to work for two years now performing at a very high-level. I’m very involved in my children’s lives. Kratom makes my severe chronic pain manageable. We need to motivate Congress to not allow this aggressive overreach to go through.m
I am a 36 year old single mom of two young boys ( one of whom has autism.. I have medical issues that are debilitating (hidrenitis supporativa stage 3 D.D.D. with spinal stenosis, severe carpal tunnel In both hands,panic disorder, migraine headaches and Fibromyalgia to name a few) and struggle every day to make it through and take care of my children and home alone.. I have been on so many different medications that I could not possibly name them all . The medications would cause side effects that makes me feel worse than before and I honestly had given up hope of finding anything to make life manageable until I found Kratom.. I have gotten back to feeling well again and have been able to play with my children and garden and going out in public with out panic attacks.. I had hope again and then this.. They are taking away people’s hope they are taking away our ability to choose a natural form managing our ailments.Our quality of life!!! Please don’t let this happen
Kratom has changed my life. As a personal experiment, I once ate 35 grams and all I did was vomit. After further research, I found that not one person has died solely due to unadulterated kratom. This plant is harmless and helpful to an extraordinary amount of people. With that, I believe that this substance should only be sold to people 18+ years of age. Please don’t take this gift from God away from us tax paying, hard-working, American citizens.
What the DEA is trying to do should be illegal. Kratom is perfectly safe, and kratom users are harming no one. We should not be beholden to the pharmaceutical industry if there are other available options. It’s my body, I should be the one to decide what to use to treat my chronic pain – NOT the government. I am terrified of what my life will look like without kratom; but I do know it will be full of pain and anguish, and I’m angry that I’m punished for no reason. I didn’t ask for this broken body. I can’t help how much pain I’m in (I’ve tried everything). I should be allowed to treat my pain as I see fit, especially with something as safe and effective as kratom, and especially since it’s not hurting anyone – it’s helping people.
How can they ban a PLANT? GOD gave us this plant for a reason and the reason was NOT for the money grubbing government to steal it from those that are suffering and need this plant to live as normal lives as possible. GOD is watching and HE will make sure that those responsible for these most selfish, unsympathetic, callous DEA actions will someday be reminded of their actions…
Kratom prevented my suicide. I have never used narcotics in my life. I was getting my PhD in chemissary at UCSD when my girlfriend was killed in a motorcycle accident that 3,000 miles away. I had nothing and antidepressantsee weren’t enough. Inpatient treatment? Insurance wasn’t enough. Kratom made it possible for me to go to work and actually function. After it had served it’s purpose, I was easily able to stop taking it.
Ban kratom? Absolutely insane. Absurd.
Im a 37 mom of two. At age 30 I herniated 2 discs in my back. An MRI also revealed spinal stenosis. Everything changed. I went from being a metal worker and teacher to being on my back and in pain all day everyday. The doctors could only give me opioids and steriods. My marriage ended as shoveled pain killers into my body just to be well enough to care for my beautiful children.
After 3 years of Vicoden and Norco everyday I had enough. I hated the depressed and moody person it made me. My family was suffering. I dedicated myself to looking for alternative treatments to the daily nerve pain and constant battle against inflammation. I found curcumin (found in tumeric) as a natural anti inflammatory. MSM and glucosamine to help with the Osteoarthritis. And Kratom instead of those horrible Norcos.
I was able to get off the perscription pain killers after 3 miserable years. I got my life back. My doctor was amazed and constantly asked if I needed more pain meds. Ive been on a small daily does of Kratom for 3 years. I started a business and joined the world again.
If Kratom is banned I face a choice: Become a criminal in order to continue existing or go back to the opioids that were ruining my life. I don’t know what I’ll do.
I am a chronic pain sufferer for over ten years , I’ve been on all kinds of medication to help the pain, the prescriptions had countless side effects, such as drowsiness, dizziness etc… I got frustrated and decided to research alternative ways to help the pain and came across kratom. I can finally feel as close to normal as possible, I can be the Mom and wife my family deserves. Thank you for letting me tell my story
Please do not ban this sacred plant. I suffer from everyday Chronic Pain from a Spinal Cord Injury back in 2012 and have used Kratom exclusively for my pain. I don’t want the government to tell me what I should use for this crippling disease in MY BODY. I am a responsible ADULT who uses this plant SAFELY not bothering a soul. If this ban goes into effect, I will not be the only one who will suffer from its absurd unjust taking of our rights to self medicate ourselves. SAVE KRATOM, it is my only hope, and the only hope for many more HUMAN BEING LIVES.
I am a 39 year old mother and computer science student. This wonderful leaf has helped me greatly. I sometimes have small amounts in my coffee and it really helps with my treatment-resistant depression and anxiety as well as pain. My depression is literally physically painful. It feels like someone hollowed out my chest and punched me in the gut. I’ve tried many pharmaceuticals since I was a teen, and I developed a terrible alcohol problem just trying to get some relief!
Kratom has never caused me any issues, and I have not formed an addiction in the year I’ve been using it. My dose has stayed steady as well. I am an honor student and a good mom, and I am very proud to say I have been alcohol-free for over a year, for the first time in 20 years! But I need this supplement. I am not a bad person, I am just in pain.
This plant has saved lives. It has never taken one when used alone. With the war on drugs I cant stress enough how this is the worst time for the DEA to try to make this a schedule 1. It helps for so many things. It has changed my life. I feel better then I have in years. I am a mother, a wife, and I work in the medical field in a very higj position. Ive never been an addict. Never been an alcoholic. Just a regular person looking for natural anxiety relief and i found it.
Kratom is essential to the health and well being of thousands of people. It is a natural plant that has saved many lives. Putting Kratom on the schedule 1 list will have devastating effects for many years. Please help us keep this plant legal. Sign the petition, write your Congressmen, spread awareness, donate to non-profit Kratom organizations. There is a March on Washington DC September 13, and I am hosting a Kratom awareness event in Savannah, Georgia on September 13 12pm at Planet 3.
I have suffered from debilitating chronic anxiety since I was about 11 years old. Everything I do, everywhere I go, from the moment I wake up till the moment I try to settle down at night to attempt to get what mostly turns out to be a few hours of poor quality sleep I am completely overshadowed by this anxiety. It controls my thoughts, all my actions, severely hinders how well I can function on a day to day basis. I find myself constantly avoiding situations because even if they seem non threatening normal everyday activities they somehow still throw my anxiety levels off the charts. I freeze up like a deer in headlights, stuck in high adrenaline fight or flight mode. And I feel like this almost constantly
I would do anything for relief from this living nightmare, this never ending hell of existance. Most days I want to crawl out of my own skin, I feel a prisoner to my own body. I can’t do ANYTHING to escape this anxiousness that constantly envelopes my mind and body . Believe me, I have tried EVERYTHING. From therapy on numerous occasions, including CBT , endless different prescription drugs at the cost of my personality, and endless illegal substances at the cost of my soul. And my health. None of it did anything to actually improve the quality of my life
That is, until I found kratom. This plant is so amazing, it has really changed my whole perspective on life. By now I have accepted that I will never be fully rid of my anxiety and it will be a life long affliction. But how happy I was to find something that truely alleviates the worst of my symptoms! Life has been good these last couple of years. I have done and accomplished things I NEVER thought were possible for me. For instance, I enrolled in school and am about to graduate this month and I am on my way to living a life I’ve always wanted
If kratom is no longer an option, my existance will be quite bleak indeed. They will have effectively snuffed out the brightest light in this poster’s otherwise gray and miserable life. They aren’t just taking away a plant. No, they are taking away HOPE for people like me. And for WHAT? Someone please give me a reason that’s good enough to explain this unjust action? This will destroy many lives I fear
This is overreach at its most nefarious. It absolutely SMACKS of pharmaceutical company lobbying and greased palms. No one has been able to prove that anyone has died from Kratom alone, but mark my words, people WILL die as the go back to their opiod drugs of choice. And the DEA with have blood on their hands…not that they care I’m sure. This is criminal.
I am a 67-year-old semi-retired woman with a history of anxiety and depression. I suffered two broken wrists in separate accidents six and then eight years ago. One was caused by a slip on the ice and the other by a very large dog pulling me down the stairs of a porch where I was watching him. I had to have surgery on both. I had already been taking Tylenol with codeine for some arthritis. By the time both wrists healed I realized I was addicted to narcotic pain pills, any kind I could get. They helped with the pain but after the wrists healed I kept taking them. I was used to how they made me feel and due to my judgement being off due to taking so many (I had to keep taking more) I got into some trouble because I forged a prescription to get them. This was completely out of character for me to do this. I went on probation, was forced to attend NA meetings, community service, jail time and mandatory counseling. I overcame my addiction, also completely stopped three other pharmaceutical meds (Paxil, Ativan and Lipitor) that were counterproductive and unhealthy. But was still depressed and anxious. I needed to pull myself back up. I discovered kratom and the energy and motivation it provided while also taking my arthritis pain away. I now work 4 part-time jobs and am happy and quite productive. I am an artist and a writer, the mother of two grown children and grandmother to one little boy. I am enjoying my retirement now, have a large group of friends that I participate in fulfilling activities with and look forward to each day. I attribute a lot of my life changes to discovering this herbal supplement. I have never been healthier, both mentally and physically. Even my liver function has improved according to tests I’ve had.
I don’t understand why kratom is being scheduled like this. It’s not harmful at all. I’ve done some research and discovered that these reports of deaths associated with kratom were due to people taking drugs along with kratom. I don’t get high on it at all. I also discovered that the tree it comes from is closely related to the coffee plant. I hear so much on the news these days about people addicted and in many cases overdosing on opiate pain pills and often turning to heroin that I am mystified as to why kratom isn’t recommended to these people as a way to get off of these dangerous drugs. I’ve also heard that many alcoholics lose their desire to drink after beginning to take kratom. It’s a natural substance. Why oh why would that be grouped with things such as LSD and heroin when there is no similarity to those drugs. I am so sad that this herbal remedy I discovered that has turned my life around is going to be made illegal and impossible to get. It makes no sense.
I’m 55 years old. I’m gainfully employed, a homeowner, a grandmother, a National Merit Scholar (way back in my school days). I’m the farthest thing from a drug addict, but prescription painkillers nearly made me one. I had an accident a few years ago and was very slow to heal. Before I realized it, I’d been taking the Vicodin my doctor prescribed for 4 months and I’d become entirely too fond of it.
I started researching for a way to give up the painkillers but still manage the pain. I opted to try kratom and it did just what I needed it to. It got me off the pain pills and back to a healthy and productive work & social life. Kratom is now my go-to when I need pain treatment, because I don’t ever want to tempt fate with prescription painkillers again.
I also have a family member who prefers kratom to the Prozac that he’d been taking for 20+ years. Kratom provides him with anti-anxiety benefits without the unpleasant side-effects of the pills. I would hate to see a safe and natural alternative to dangerous opiates and chemical mood enhancers taken away by this ill-advised scheduling
I am 27 years old and currently live with PTSD and conversion disorder. When I was 17 and again when I was 18, I nearly died from a tension pneumothorax and had to have life saving surgeries. The aesthetics were ineffective and I was completely aware the entire time. After years in therapy and having tried every medical treatment available for my psychiatric symptoms, nothing helped. I was completely non-functional and couldn’t work or enjoy life.
Eventually I heard about kratom from a friend and decided to give it a shot. The result was like night and day. I am happy to report that for the past eight years, I have been functional again. I run my own business, donate my time to multiple non profits, and am working on two Master’s degrees.
I am so, so afraid of what this coming ban means for me. In the past eight years, I have tried some of the newer treatments that have become available, in place of kratom. There is still nothing else that helps. When this ban goes into effect, I may lose my business, my ability to complete my education, and the rest of my quality of life. Disability services in this country are inadequate, and I do not know how I am going to continue going on.
What’s more, I’m very frustrated and angry. The DEA has decided that it would be “contrary to the public interest” to allow a period of public comment before the ban. They are not elected officials, so the fact that they can ban a medicinal herb that has saved my life, and then waive the public comment requirement, is outrageous. I feel so powerless having no say over this, and having my autonomy taken away from me. Why are my only choices to either become a felon or to go back to being disabled?
Since having started on kratom, I have had the very good fortune of meeting some amazing people who use this herb for other conditions. Two of them used it to help quit heroin and have a number of years of clean time in, using kratom as a maintenance option. They cannot afford suboxone, and one has a heart condition that makes methadone usage dangerous. Both, from their histories, are likely to relapse on heroin after the ban kicks in.
I understand that the DEA does an important job keeping chemicals like cocaine and methamphetamine off the streets, but this ban is a major overreach and a harmful mistake. It will adversely affect tens of thousands of people who benefit from kratom, and the justifications given in their notice of intent are poorly reasoned and even, in some cases, based on incorrect data. In this case, they are not fulfilling their role as protectors: quite the opposite. Kratom has been in use for hundreds of years and there have been no documented cases of it causing death on its own. The calls to Poison Control mentioned in their notice pale in comparison to calls about any other perfectly legal item, such as over the counter medications.
I beg anyone reading this with the power to take action, please do not let the DEA ruin lives by making this plant illegal.
Hello ,I was born with a very large tumor attached to my hip area it was to do with parents blood type Rh neg and Rh positive My medical records call it a terra toma tumor which is possible to be a Siamese twin that didn’t develope.Well they said I would never walk I had a productive childhood then things really took a turn for the worst when I started having children .I lost the first two and had a emergency csection with my son and spent 23 days in the hospital he was huge for me 10lb 6oz .That is when my obgyn asked for my baby records and said please don’t have any more children so I got pregnant didn’t listen well and had my daughter 14 months later which the whole pregnancy was monitored.Fast forward pain started getting real bad the last few yrs and I’m 58 and was approved for disability 2 yrs ago in 3 months.so I did the pain management and I felt like they were setting me up for end of life wanted me to wear Fentyl patch I said no way.So doing research I found Kratom a year ago this past April and at first it was a hit and miss and I do still take pain meds as sometimes it is easier in a busy day.Poor excuse ,it’s just I haven’t gotten organized with mixing my dosage to keep up a busy schedule.A tsp with my oJ is my way of dosing ,I have a much clearer mind on Kratom ,better attitude and it takes away my severe pain in my legs and pelvis area as that was all rebuilt at birth.Please do not ban this I’m trying to get my daughter off her meds which she is a walking Pharmacy and she didn’t advocate for herself well and is on Benzos ,pain meds ,Anti depressants, her personality has changed ,her parenting,her job performance if she still has a job after 14 yrs at Costco .She has Lupus and tons of other illness.I have numerous health issue also my last Dr appt my Dr said I could stop taking my blood pressure meds as my last 3 visits have been great.I owe that to Kratom .My Dr is not knowledgeable about Kratom but said she was going to research as she said for me to keep it up.
I only just heard about kratom for the first time a few days ago. First, I’m shocked that I’d never heard of it. Second. I’m a prime candidate for a person who would or could reap significant benefits from this plant. I’m so disgusted that the dea is basically sneaking this herb onto the books as schedule 1.um sorry for the thousands already getting help from it and sad for myself that I won’t be able to try it. I’m a chronically ill person. Lupus, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, fybromyalgia, chostochindits, ptsd, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety.. I’ve been on opiates for the pain for many years and this plant sounds like a dream for me! I’m writing in the response section, in support of kratom, it’s supporters and users and also just to add another voice in the stream of comments, because it’s clear that if enough people comment, the issue will more likely be addressed. I am not kratom… But I should be! If it stays legal, I will be!!
This ban is actually EXTREMELY dangerous and counterproductive. There is an opiate epidemic going on in this country. This herb cannot be overdosed on by itself. Two ounces of powdered leaf at one ingestion would cause severe vomiting. It’s use and dosage are self-limiting. The higher the dosage, the more the side effects. It has given many people a way out of painkiller and heroin addiction, and had outstanding benefits treating pain, anxiety, and treatment resistant depression, with fewer side effects than the other drugs usually used to treat these conditions. It is much cheaper than suboxone or methadone and was freely available. It was very AFFORDABLE. It is a much safer alternative to opiates.
It improves function more than it degrades. People are not nodding out in a corner, they are going to work and being productive members of society. It is used by those in all walks of life from laborers to doctors, lawyers, and police officers. More people will turn to heroin, which has flooded the market, due in a large part to the crackdown on prescribing painkillers.
No matter the pain condition, unless you have cancer, you cannot get prescribed any sort of opiate, because doctors are afraid the DEA will kick their door in. EVERYBODY is made to suffer because of a few bad apples. Addicts will become desperate, and extremely dangerous synthetic opiates and possibly even krokodil will make an appearance on the black market. I am afraid there will be a large number of suicides from all demographics. The imminent public health threat would actually be CREATED by removing kratom from the open market.
The costs to society by turning millions of Americans into criminals overnight will be astronomical. I have been using it myself for ten years ( mid 2006) to treat chronic treatment resistant depression, which I have had since I was 15. I am 33 years old now. This has been one of the ONLY things which has given me some relief. I have been on approximately the same dosage for seven years. Thank you for your time and attention in this matter. May God bless America.
I’d like to voice my opposition to the DEA’s Intent to Schedule the alkaloids Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, which would make Kratom (Mitragynaspeciosa), a schedule 1 controlled substance with no medicinal value. This would put kratom, a plant helping millions of people suffering chronic and acute mental and physical conditions that is also safely easing the nation’s opiate epidemic problem naturally, on the same level as illegal drugs like heroin. It would also 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.
My name is Laura and I am a 35 year old female living in Oregon. I come from a law enforcement background (my father worked for the police) and I currently work for the Department of Human Services-Child Welfare. I am also a born again Christian and I genuinely love my country.
Please listen to my story and see how this will negatively affect my life.
I have struggled with Restless Legs Syndrome for almost as long as I can remember. In 2008 I discovered an herb that can help treat my condition on a Restless Legs Syndrome forum. It is called Kratom, or Mitragyna Speciosa. It is a deciduous tree in the coffee family. It is not synthetic or made in a lab, it is just a leaf that grows on a tree. I have used it since 2008 and it has helped my life immensely.
It works better than any prescription medication I have ever taken, and I have never experienced any side effects or interactions with the other medications that I take. The only thing I experience after taking kratom is relief from my debilitating condition. I have tried Requip, Levodopa/Carbadopa, Mirapex, Benzodiazepenes, and prescription opiates to try to treat my condition. All unsuccessfully.
My Restless Legs Syndrome is so severe it cripples me when left untreated. My skin feels like it is crawling and it’s often very painful. I can’t focus on anything else when I’m having a flare up. I actually found that Requip and Mirapex made my symptoms worse (called “augmentation”), and the opiates and benzodiazepenes interfered with my judgment and made me lethargic. They are also incredibly addicting. I experience no addiction from kratom at all.
As I have taken kratom since 2008, that makes 8 years of regular use with no negative incidents at all. I take Kratom at only the lowest dose that effectively controls my symptoms, and I do not experience any psychoactive effects from it at all. All I get is relief from my condition. It does not affect my judgment or memory, or behavior. It doesn’t change my personality like opiates and benzodiazepenes do. That is why I love it. Making this substance a schedule I drug makes no sense at all.
I found out today from the American Kratom Association, that the DEA has made an emergency scheduling ruling which would make my medicine a Schedule I substance as of September 30, 2016. Unfortunately, unscrupulous vendors out to make a quick buck have mis-marketed kratom as a “legal high”, and compared it to opiates. As someone who has taken opiates, I can tell you kratom is nothing like opiates, as in I can stop taking it all of a sudden and feel no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. The only result that happens from me stopping taking it is that my Restless Legs Syndrome stops being treated effectively.
Just because some irresponsible people have abused this wonderful God-created plant, does not mean that the majority of us who use it condone that kind of abuse. One can abuse anything but the majority of people who take this plant do so for medicine, and do so responsibly, like I do.
The main people who take Kratom are like I am: hard-working, tax-paying, law-abiding, respectable citizens who love our country. Please don’t turn me into a criminal just because I want relief from Restless Legs Syndrome. I do not want the DEA to take my medicine away from me. I am all for regulation, let the government regulate it, including making an age restriction to only over age 18, or over age 21. But blanket scheduling out of nowhere is not productive.
I would not be able to function at such a high level (full time employment) or have such a high quality of life without this plant. Please reconsider this law and keep it legal for the majority of users who use it as a legitimate medicine.
Please share!!! We are the faces of Kratom, we are not bad people, not addicts & were not criminals !! We’re moms , dads, Teachers, military, grand -parents, doctors & law abiding citizens who find relief in a medicinal all natural Plant that is safer than dangerous pharmaceuticals.
https://youtu.be/iSvtJbG22p0
@Nina Ajdin is the face of Kratom they need to see!!
https://youtu.be/u3DJrcDzo5s
This is so wrong without this plant my daughter would still be doing oxy and addicted .She goes off and on as needed and at NO time has she ever had any ill effects,it has literally saved her life it helps with her chronic pain and depression due to chronic Lyme disease, which none of prescribed crap has ever helped not to mention the side effects of all those other drugs.Please I ask you to reconsider and investigate it seems pretty suspicious that this plant is being banned at the same time a new pain med is being announced and it works the same as Kratom EXCEPT its Man Made !!
This really is a shame that the DEA may get away with making Kratom a schedule I drug, and even disrespecting it, and having it in the same class as something like Meth. Kratom is in the same family as the coffee tree, and has helped thousands. Last time I checked, the definition of a schedule I drug, is one that has no medicinal value. This is simply false, as there are plenty of studies proven otherwise. People use it for pain relief, anxiety, depression, and more. It also has aided thousands with overcoming an opiate addiction, as well as alcohol.
Not everyone wants to go on big pharma’s poison pills. Some like to take a more natural approach. So, with all of this said, what is going on? Is the DEA concerned with our drug epidemic, or more concerned with pleasing their friends over at big pharma, and filling their pockets? Because I can almost guarantee banning this will make the drug epidemic much, much worse. Making Kratom a schedule I drug is unethical and plain out ridiculous. The more and more I read about it, the more it seems that the DEA is just more interested in banning Kratom, so that big pharma can get people to continue taking their poison suboxone. Suboxone is a very nasty drug, with a ridiculous half life, and will leave people emotionless, and takes months to get through withdrawals, because of the long half life and build up of the drug.
So what’s really going on here? Do we (the people) no longer have rights? Are we forced to take pills with horrible side effects, vs taking something more natural, and that has been proven to improve the overall quality of life in thousands? Please stop the agenda, postpone this nonsense, and research more, otherwise the drug epidemic is going to get worse.
I am a mother who, until a couple years ago, could not even get out of bed some days due to my fibromayalgia pain. I was on the verge of applying for disability and I thought my life was over.
When I heard about kratom, I was skeptical but I tried it. I was willing to try anything!
I have been amazed at the way it has helped me. I have never had any side-effects or addiction to it. And it has never made me feel “high”, though it does lift my mood and make life a little brighter on the tough days.
I am devastated that this is happening. My life will not be the same without kratom. I don’t want to go back to lying in bed while my family goes out to the movies or while my son is having a football game. I don’t want to spend another weekend lying there wishing I could have a normal life.
Kratom is more of an herbal supplement than a drug. It is closely analogous to kava kava, which can be found in every vitamin aisle in the united states. I GUARANTEE you will not find people dead because of kratom by itself. Irresponsible users and marketing have put all the users of this leaf in danger, with profiteers marketing it as a legal opiate,”herbal heroin”, and selling it alongside of bath salts,K2/Spice, and similar synthetic compounds.
Making Kratom a schedule one substance is an incredibly harmful mistake. If the intentions of this scheduling were good, then the government must put the scheduling on hold and do further research in what the effects of prohibition would likely be. Common sense says that the people who use this relatively harmless plant to stave off cravings for substances such as heroin and fentanyl will relapse by the thousands. We will see even more overdoses within the next year than we have ever seen before. Furthermore the people who are successfully using this plant to treat other ailments such as pain, depression and anxiety after having little or no success with prescription drugs will again begin suffering from the illnesses that they once had the ability to control. If the DEA simply sits down and makes a list of the pros and cons of Kratom prohibition it will be obvious that banning Kratom would be greatly outweighed by regulation and research. Not to mention the hurt that American voters will feel from their country harming them and removing their freedom.
I am a disabled veteran, and I am very worried about the DEA’s decision to make Kratom a Schedule I substance. I was in the infantry for many years and went on many combat tours. After those years of service, I was diagnosed with chronic PTSD and also severe and chronic pain. The VA put me on a cocktail of different drugs to combat the PTSD symptoms, and also put me on opiate painkillers to treat my chronic pain. Those drugs didn’t really help me. They made it impossible for me to concentrate, which made it impossible for me to work. I had lots of trouble leaving the house, let alone finding and keeping a job. At that time, I was at the lowest point I’ve ever been in my life. My anxiety and depression and chronic pain were making it impossible for me to live anything like a normal life. And my medications weren’t helping very much, and came with their own set of problems. After some time, I heard about Kratom, a plant from Indonesia in the same family as the coffee tree. I decided that it was worth a shot and ordered some. My life began to turn around almost immediately. I took my first bit of Kratom and within a couple of hours, my pain subsided like it never had before. After the first couple of weeks of using Kratom, I noticed that my depression and anxiety were also beginning to fade away. I have now been using Kratom daily for about five years to help with my depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. I started my own business. I provide for my family. I am pretty much a fully functioning and productive member of society, and it’s all thanks to Kratom. When I take Kratom, I pay my taxes. If the Kratom ban goes through, I really am afraid of what my life will be like. I don’t want to see myself returning to opiate painkillers, but I will likely have no other choice, because of the pain. It may very well be that I am unable to hold my regular job, or keep my business going. In fact, that seems most likely, considering my past experience with the pharmaceuticals used to treat those conditions. Without Kratom available to me to help with the depression and anxiety of PTSD and with chronic pain, my life will be a living hell.
Editorial
I’d like to voice my opposition to the DEA’s Intent to Schedule the alkaloids Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, which would make Kratom (Mitragynaspeciosa), a schedule 1 controlled substance with no medicinal value. This would put kratom, a plant helping millions of people suffering chronic and acute mental and physical conditions that is also safely easing the nation’s opiate epidemic problem naturally, on the same level as illegal drugs like heroin. It would also 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.
Kratom is a safe alternative to pharmaceutical drugs with important medicinal uses and has changed my life. I fear this action by the DEA will only lead to more tragic deaths of victims of the opiate epidemic, maybe even my own (if you think this may lead to a replace and illicit drug use). I know that my own quality of life as a productive member of society will not be the same without kratom.
With regard to this issue, I am soliciting my concern that this DEA schedule I doesn’t take place. I suffer from chronic thoracic spine pain, sciatica, and spinal stenosis and have been able to discontinue taking 3 of my medications because I use this herb. People I love also need this herb for various reasons. If this happens, I, among many others will be in a lot of trouble, the quality of our lives will be removed out from under us. Heroin addicts who no longer have the use of this herb will go back out and die.
I’m doing my best to support this cause, written to my state representatives and contacted the Justice Department signed the petition.
Thank you very much for listening.
Heidi Heath
I’m an English professor at a midwest university. Kratom was instrumental in my ability to kick an addiction to “legal” synthetic opioids. Kratom is far safer than those prescription alternatives: it is far less addictive, does not cause respiratory depression, and has a natural upper-limit on the amount one can digest at any given time. I have gone from taking 3-4 pills a day to using kratom a couple times a week. This plant (a member of the COFFEE FAMILY) made it possible for me to complete my graduate degrees and to find meaningful employment as a tenure-track professor.
Now the DEA wants to make me a criminal? Now the DEA wants to categorize that this plant as worse than crystal meth and as harmful as heroin?
At worst, they are in collusion with Big Pharma. At best, they are in clear violation of the Data Quality Act. As a professor, research is my forte. If anyone is interested, they can google my name and contact me via email or social media for a complete list of peer-reviewed research on kratom’s safety and efficacy.
Could you post that list here Seth? Peer-reviewed research will be what convinces enough politicians/officials that this ban is rash and unfounded in facts. Also, send it to the American Kratom Association? They are leading this fight on several fronts.
Kratom in short has been the sole reason why I was able to overcome suboxone addiction. This gentle herb somehow helped ease me off of suboxone. Coming off that horrible prescription was harder to do then stopping oxy or heroin. Banning Kratom will leave to options for me, suboxone and methadone. I don’t understand how these two deadly prescriptions are seen as the go to treatment. I’m a chemical and pesticide and non gmo eater with food, I now take care of myself and prefer all natural medicinal treatments for common ailments and health issues including addiction. Banning Kratom strips me of MY RIGHT TO CHOOSE!
This ban will turn hundreds of thousands of productive members of American society and turn us into felons overnight.
Please don’t take this miraculous plant away. One because it helps so many people especially ones who prefer natural treatments.
One last thing. The waiting lists for suboxone treatment and maximum patient regulations will make this an intolerable situation, as many who have managed their addiction using this plant, which is muss less addictive than the other options, will be left in the cold with nowhere to turn, except to the streets and their old way of life. In many places it is next to impossible to get into treatment, with waiting lists as long as a year. People will go from being gainfully employed contributing members of society into situations of desperation.
I use Kratom to manage chronic pain and fatigue I’ve never has an adverse reaction to Kratom nor will I you cannot get high have hallucinations nor convulsions like the media states it’s ridiculous to classify an actual herb when we have a much larger problem to conquer such as the heroin epidemic Kratom is harmless and yet has several medicinal properties according to the many pharmaceutical research papers and the patents
Kratom has helped me drastically improve my life, from day one after I found it. For many years I had a large issue with alcoholism, not that I would have called it at the time. I damaged my relationships with family and friends. I damaged my standing in the community, and I caused harm to my health, but I kept at it anyway, because I was addicted. Then, through a friend, I learned of kratom. He said “try it” and I did.
Within the month, my desire to drink almost entirely disappeared. That’s not to say that I didn’t suffer physical and mental discomfort (I did), but even though those negative feeling were present, I stopped feeling the need to drink. It’s been 5 years now with that monkey off of my back, and since then I’ve founded a small business, gotten married, and went back to school. I could have never done these things while I was drinking, and I never could have quit drinking without finding kratom.
What I ask is that when any regulatory body considers kratom, that they consider it’s harm reduction benefits along with any possible issues it may cause. I have yet to suffer from any adverse side affects since I began using kratom, but I am not so ignorant to assume that no one has ever had any issues. All I’m saying is that the harm reduction potential is much greater than this plants ability to cause harm, and I hope that will be taken into account when discussions are had about the scheduling of it’s active alkaloids.
It is so unethical to ban Kratom. It has helped in so many ways with my anxiety, ADD and alcohol abuse. It saves lives!
I have used kratom for about a year to deal with chronic pain throughout my body. This plant has done more to give me my life back than the mind-dulling opioids I was prescribed on several occasions and hated. I cannot abide the thought of this plant becoming illegal. With kratom, I can get out of bed and live a productive life; without it I would be in bed, either unmedicated and lying around in agony, or nodding off and risking respiratory depression in a haze of hydrocodone or worse.
Kratom has become a vital tool in keeping me active and capable of being a productive software developer. Keeping kratom available to those who need an alternative is the compassionate and sensible outcome.
15 years ago, after many years of truck driving and manual labor, I was diagnosed with bulging spinal disks, degenerative disk disease and diverticulitis. I was prescribed Vicodin, and other pharmaceuticals, as well as surgery and physical therapy, by my physician.
The pharmacuetucals stopped working very quickly, and nonetheless I was very dependant on them, and would suffer severe withdrawals whenever I stopped taking them. My back pain, and stomach pains became worse. No amount of pharmaceuticals would help to alleviate my pain.
I received conflicting information from Doctors regarding whether surgery could help, and the risks associated with surgery coupled with the low likelyhood that they would work, discouraged me from having surgery.
I found Kratom over 10 years ago. It allowed me to stop taking prescription opioids within a matter of weeks. Then as time went on, in a matter of months, taking Kratom daily, seemed to be helping my back pain. As the months turned to years, I began to realize that I was no longer suffering flare ups of diverticulitis.
As the years went on, I reduced my alcohol intake considerably, stopped smoking cigarettes and slowly tapered and finally quit taking anti depressant medicine. ( Zoloft).
10 years after finding Kratom, and taking it as needed, my life is so much better than it used to be. I am gainfully employed, happily married, a good father to two smart kids, and can’t believe how far my life has come.
Prescription medications practically ruined my life and nearly physically killed me. The prescription opiod epidemic in this country and around the world is the fault of greedy pharmaceutical companies, and their power over our governments. The DEA should not be allowed to outlaw a plant in its natural state, without scientific or public input. The DEA are puppets of the pharmaceutical industry as well as the private prison industry. The DEA are corrupted and should be investigated and limited in their ability to pass laws and prohibitions, for the purpose of furthering their budget and relevance.
Prohibition has been proven to do nothing more than create black markets, corruption and criminals. It does not solve our countries drug problems.
I am very concerned that the DEA is planning a ban while research to make Kratom alkaloids into a medication is taking place…they are determined to get a piece of Kratom and charge outrageous prices like they do for the opiates we use this plant to avoid! Blatant slaps in our faces! I got a normal life back again after suffering for 9 years with fibromyalgia, fatigue and degenerative arthritis… I quit taking 5 medications when I found natural Kratom!! They lost $ so they planned this attack by banning it! Help us stay healthy, alert and pain free and stop this ban!
These are such amazing stories I am proud to be part of the Kratom community. I am a mother, a wife, a sister and many other things. I am not a junky I have never broken a law and frankly I am resentful that at the end of the month taking a helpful and benign plant could make me a felon. I suffer from fibromyalgia and an autoimmune disorder as well as crippling anxiety. Kratom helps me manage my symptoms, it doesn’t cure it, it isn’t a magic bullet but it helps. It takes me from a 7-8 in pain to 3-4. I have a little more energy to take care of my son.We aren’t kids looking for a high we are adult Americans we have the right to choose to take a plant.
I was diagnosed with DDD, arthritis, depression and PTSD by the time I was 30. I was on pharmaceuticals and they completely ruined my life. I couldn’t hold down a job or be a mother to my children. At least not the mother I wanted to be. Then about a year and a half ago my cousin told me about kratom. IT SAVED MY LIFE. I have held down a job, my kids have their mom back, I have an apartment and just bought a car. Because I am pain free and my mind is at ease. If the DEA makes this natural plant that has saved so many people and families a scheduled 1. They are really going to see a I mp in suicide, over doses and of course big pharma gets their money back from the people who will have to go back to meds. Which is exactly what they want. So for me… I refuse… I will not go back to medication. Never.
I am housebound and mostly bedbound due to illness. I am immunocompromised and battling 12 systemic infections and have CFS. Kratom gives me a quality of life.
I found Kratom while desperately seeking pain control in 2014. At the time I could not walk, I was 95lbs, and had no insurance. I began taking Kratom for pain that later had me in the hospital for 6 days. Once I got into a doctor, I was prescribed hydrocodone, tramadol, flexeril, oxycodone, dicyclomine, and buspar for pain and anxiety. I took these drugs for several months but the side effects were intense. I began to have rebound pain from the opiates and had to wean off. I used kratom to get through the physical withdrawal and then dropped those other medications as well. I have been using Kratom to control my pain ever since.
What this ban means to me is the end of life as I know it. I am afraid of how much I will regress without the herb that has carried me through my darkest days. I am afraid to go back on prescription medications and experience side effects that render me completely disabled and zombie-like. I am praying that this ban does not take place. I deserve a quality of life. I am not hurting anyone with my use of Kratom, least of all myself. I will fight until my last breath for this harmless, medicinal herb.
I am 39 year old breast cancer survivor. For 4 years in was given treatment for the cancer, and then the after treatment, all came with side effects that required other medicines. For 2 years oxycodone was prescribed at the maximum amount allowed. Then the DEA got on the Dr’s about over prescribing, which made all good Dr’s scared to properly treat their patients, and even though nothing changed with my treatment in was left to deal with the painful side effects. After a lot of research I discovered Kratom, tried it and started living a life again without pain. Funny how something so natural is up for a ban, yet alcohol and tobacco and prescription pain medication is approved. It won’t be because it is a dangerous substance, it is however about money! Sadly a lot of people will suffer because of this horrible selfish decision, if it because illegal. At that point you can have my life, because it won’t be worth a damn.
2 months ago I was in bed on morphine with tears running down my cheeks from the pain of Fibromyalgia. For the last 4 years I haven’t been able to work more than 30 minutes at a time without having to rest for 2 to 3 hours afterwards. After discovering kratom last month I am able not only to control the pain without the floating foggy feeling that codeine and morphine give me, I am able to work an entire 8 to 10 hour day with focus and joy. Now that I can actually move and work all day my body is getting stronger. Atrophied muscles are beginning to come back. Before if I did physical things, whatever muscles used would hurt for days. I was bed ridden 75% of every day. Nothing else has even come close to affecting the quality of my life than kratom. Over 30 years I’ve tried everything, Lyrica, beta blockers, every narcotic that exists, legal or not, all the natural and alternative options. Kratom is the only thing that really works. It’s like turning a light switch on and off. Nothing else is even similar. I don’t look forward to my choice to be between going back to morphine and tears or becoming a felon. Why would the DEA want to ban this?
We the citizens do not appreciate the false propaganda being put out by the DEA about Kratom. We do not need to criminalize another harmless herb and peaceful citizens. Adults should be able to make informed choices on what we consume. Legalize nature! If nature is illegal, freedom does not exist. #EndTheWarOnDrugs #KeepKratomLegal #KratomSavesLives #IAmKratom
I am a fifty-four year old male with a beautiful wife and three children. I suffer from PTSD and have had daily chronic migraine headaches and chronic pain for the last thirty-three years. I was addicted to opiate painkillers for about twenty-five years until I found a natural remedy for pain and the symptoms of PTSD.
For the last six years I have enjoyed being opiate-free because of Kratom. My quality of life is so much better now. While my doctor says she can’t recommend kratom, she told me that my bloodwork and present health shows that I am benefitting from this herb and encourages me to continue in that course.
Most of the people who use Kratom are just like me. We want to control pain without the dangers of overdose. I lost my sister and my niece to legal prescription medication overdoses. They both left behind small children. Before I found Kratom I had endured several close calls with opiates prescribed to me by my doctor for migraine headaches and I don’t want to go down that path again. Kratom has been instrumental in helping many addicts recover from opioid use. If Kratom is made illegal, I believe the drug war will get much worse.
It greatly saddens me knowing that in just a few weeks, my Kratom consumption could have me fined and jailed. I have never even had a speeding ticket or any trouble with the law ever. I have been a hard-working taxpayer and a good provider all my life. I think the DEA is trying to remain relevant so it is picking winnable battles against the weak and sick citizens. Please help us survive.
Thank you,
Larry Angell
Why would u take away something so harmless & helpful. I have many illnesses. I’d given up. At 42, I was nothing but a ball of pain and depression. Kratom saved my life, gave my life back, gave me quality off life & saved my marriage of 24 years. If kratom is taken from all of the people who use it everyday just to live, I will lose faith in our country… Because to me we r no longer free. We have to do what the doctors say & they have to do what the government says. The thought of going back on all those meds makes me want to just give up. I wasn’t able to live so what’s the point. Thank you
I understand that the DEAveants to make Kratom a schedule 1 based on a number of deaths possibly due to people mixing it with other drugs. If they use this reasoning, then Tylenol should be a schedule 1; there have been far more deaths due to Tylenol overdoses c/w Kratom. I have found the drug beneficial for pain and have not abused it or developed a tolerance.
I am all about keeping this plant legal for the hundreds of thousands of people who use it to help them get through a day filled with excruciating pain.
I am a 100% disabled Veteran. while in the army I was exposed to some very unsanitary conditions and had to eat food that was contaminated with disease as a result I became very sick with a disease that is close to salmonella and clolera. I had Ulcerative colitis and Chrones like intestions. As a result to keep from having my intentions removed and forced to poop in a bag attached to my stomach o had to take high dosages of steroids for 20 years. The steroids degenerated my bones rapidly. When I was about 30 my bone density was the equivalent to if i was a women at 115 years of age. As a direct result of the steroids my bones degenerated to where I have osteoporosis, degenerative bone and disc disease, arthritis, and my back collapsed and I lost 4 1/2 in height. plus i have ulverative colitis and chrones. I was put on high dosages of pain medication.I was put on Phentynol (the same medication as prince) I was on almost 3 times the dosage they give a dying patient. I was also on methadone ( the number 1 prescription drug responsible for more deaths then any other medication) at high dosages. I have had some close calls with death even though I took my medications as directed. I had some friends die taking prescription drugs and I was going to do what O could to get off the drugs. For 6 month I tapered down off the drugs. For 6 months I had nausea and vomited and diarrhea and lost 1/3 my weight. I was in pain but I tapered to a low dose. I tried to get off the last bit of methadone but the withdrawals were too much. Several people told me about kratom. I looked into it. It is a herb that is related to coffee. It helps people get off drugs with minimal withdrawal and helps with pain. Its supposed t help with other things as well. I bought some and it arrived in the mail. I was scared to get off my last bit of opiates so I planned to do it on the weekend when my kids were at there moms house. I decided I wanted to try it just to see if it might work. I took 1 tablespoon and I started feeling better. My stomach felt better, I wasn’t in so much pain and I had no desire for opiates. I felt like me. As the days went on The pain lessened to where it is manageable. I have no need for pain meds and I gained all my weight back. AS a bonus my intestines are in a complete remision and my box that i had full of pharmaceuticals have been traded for one natural safe herb that i will not die from. My boys have there Dad back. Please dont take this amazing herb away from us. Peoples lives depend on it. By the way I heard that the 2 alkaloids in Kratom have been synthetically duplicated , and ready to sell.. The pharmaceutical companies want to market there synthetic drug and as long as the herb kratom is available it wont be marketable. Also the dangers have been tainted because people are switching from there dangerous pharmaceutical drugs to a safe herb Kratom. By banning this the pharmacy will both make money and stop loosing money.
Please review my testamoney as part of the pettition to keep the safe herb available. Peoples lives depend on it.
I’m a mother of 2, wife of a veteran, accountant, hold a bachelor’s degree, 4 credits away from sitting for the CPA exam, and i suffer from anxiety. I have seen multiple doctors and have been prescribed multiple medications, none of which have worked. Until i found kratom i thought i would have to spend the rest of my life either suffering panic attacks on a daily basis or on some horrible prescription medication that makes me feel not like myself. If you have never had a panic attack before, then you are lucky. A warm sensation starts in your feet which spreads all they way to your head. Then you start sweating. Your hands shake uncontrollably. Your heart beats so hard and fast you can hear it and see it through your shirt. Your peripheral vision starts to darken and you feel very much like you are not in control of your own body anymore. And then you wait, for what feels like an eternity, and just hope what feels like a heart attack will end soon. And usually, this is occurring while you are driving down the interstate with your children in the car. Or in the middle of an important meeting at your CPA firm. Or standing in the middle of a grocery store while your children stare at you, scared. And now the DEA wants to flex it’s unchecked muscles and take away something that has enabled me to start living a normal, healthy life. I don’t have panic attacks anymore, and I’m not out of it on prescription medication anymore. I’m terrified of September 30th, and I’m terrified of what else the government will choose to subject us to in the future.
I am a mother of 5, and small business owner. I suffer from levoscoliosos, bulging discs, and spinal arthritis. I discovered Kratom 7 years ago, while searching for a natural alternative to the pain pills (Vicoden, oxycodone) that were beginning to ruin my life. I never seemed to have enough. My energy was lacking, I felt like crap all the time, and I could hardly care for my kids. Then when I found Kratom, it all changed. It gave me my life back. It gave me the mental clarity I needed to care for my children and give them a good life, while dulling my back pain. I was able tof play with them again, and sit down with them to help with school work, take them to the park, and go for walks. All of this with NO side effects. My liver enzymes were through the roof on the Vicoden. After just one month on Kratom, they lowered drastically. After a year, I had a healthy high functioning liver again. Kratom gave me my life back! If it is taken away, not only will I suffer, my children, and my business (a residential construction company) will too.
As a sufferer of DSPD (Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder), while kratom does not help to regularize my sleeping schedule, it does help immensely with the anxiety associated with not being able to sleep when I want or need to. Kratom also helps me with chronic lumbar pain (two of my lower vertebrae are slightly worn out) and even with easily irritable bowels, kratom helped me become “regular” again. Finally, kratom stopped my binge drinking on its’ tracks. In at least four different ways, this wonderful leaf has dramatically increased my quality of life with little to no discernible side effects.
A year and a half after discovering kratom and taking it on a regular basis, I had blood and urine tests done and the results came back well within a perfectly normal, healthy range on all counts.
Yet now here comes the DEA, with a puzzling attitude at best (when you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail) and a fishy one at worst (acting like an arm of the pharmaceutical industry), amplified by a surprise, hurried emergency scheduling with no open dialogue, bad information in its’ arguments for doing so, and after the DEA offices were flooded with phone and email protests from across the country, a rude and ambiguous Tweeter retort from Melvin Patterson, showcasing a holier-than-thou lack of empathy:
Quote: “Shame on everyone who wasn’t researching it before. Now you start hearing the stories about how it’s benefiting someone suffering from arthritis, if someone can find a medical use by it, by all means, we’re in favor of it.”
No, Mr Patterson, shame on you for not inviting the public to a transparent dialogue before you sprung this dismaying surprise on the people, for jumping the gun while never openly asking for research and even also cherry-picking alarmist sound bites coupled with bad information to arrive at your decision. Even the FDA dropped kratom from its’ list of substances of interest earlier this year.
We are kratom users with empirical evidence and testimony, not researchers, and now we are in anguish, feeling powerless and caught in a crossfire, particularly opiate addicts (of both the illegal and the pharmaceutical kind) who use or have used kratom to curb their overpowering appetite for these other, much more dangerous substances. If just one struggling addict cannot count on the much safer option of kratom and ends up dying of a heroin or Oxycontin overdose, if just one recovering alcoholic ends up drinking again because he/she cannot use kratom anymore and is involved in a traffic accident with fatalities, there will be unforgivable blood on the hands of Mr Patterson.
For the love of God, please do not allow the DEA to act like a monolith and unilaterally take this special, beneficial plant away from us.
I’m so disappointed to see the DEA trying to ban a plant that has helped improve so many people’s lives. Kratom helps with my anxiety, depression, and back pain. I am a wife, mother, college student, and local government employee. We are not junkies! Please do not take away this natural plant. I would rather use a plant than a prescription drug. I am in recovery.
Thank you for reading.
I was an IV drug abuser for 3 years, after my doctor over prescribed me lortab and percocets for my shoulder and I became addicted. A near fatal overdose and rehab later – I never felt right. Antidepressants and suboxone was going to be in plans for the rest of my life – but I didn’t want to replace one addiction with another. I’m so forever grateful for my dear friend that suggested Kratom. As soon as I took my first dose, I didn’t feel high, or sedated, I just felt “right”
Balanced. For the first time in a long long time.
I have a good job and I support my family. I have not missed a day of work in a long time. I take Kratom every morning. I’ve had no cravings for opioids, heroin or alcohol. This plant has given me back my life. Please help us. Don’t let the DEA ban this plant.
I am a veteran, 32 years old. I have a been living with back pain for over 10 years now. It all started on my first tour in Iraq back in 2005 going through multiple IED’s. The pain then was significant but manageable. I also acquired migraines from the same tour due to the blasts I was exposed to. I was 19 years old then, and invincible. When I returned home from tour, I was informed that my Brigade’s medical unit had lost all of my paper work that they had documented with regards to my treatment on tour. Documentation hadn’t been electronically filed at this point during the war, at least not for the 29th Brigade medical unit (Hawaii) that was based out of Balad Airbase. I had received no instruction from my direct chain of command that my loss of paperwork was serious a serious matter, and since I was in the Army less than one year prior to deploying, I myself was ignorant. I never heard the term “Line of duty” until many, many years later. In 2009 my Brigade was called on again to return to Iraq. The pain in my back had increased since ‘05 but it was still manageable, and in no way was I going to let something like “pain” keep me from performing my duty to serve.
Immediately after this ten month tour, there was a call sent out asking for volunteers to deploy elsewhere for another 6 months. Many of my brothers that I had just spent time serving with in Iraq were going, which meant so was I. Everyone knows that when you spend enough time with a group of people, they become your family. With combat units especially, the feeling of family is exponentiated for obvious reasons. Mid way through the tour my back pain had gotten so severe that I had a difficulties sleeping. I was prescribed Ultram, also known as Tramadol. I was on this opioid for many months. Returning home, my status shifted back to the status of a National Guardsman, as it did with my previous tours. I no longer had access to the medical services the Army provided me with when I was full-time, and so I withdrew from Tramadol. This was the first time I had ever experienced a withdraw. Words cannot describe how atrocious this experience was for me. I was not only mad at myself for allowing this to happen, but I couldn’t understand why I was given the drug in the first place without any kind of warning and a plan to remove my dependency. It was with this experience did I finally understand, to an extent, what the pharmaceutical epidemic was. I’ve heard about it all over the place, but I just never could relate. My heart broke for all those suffering who have become dependent on drugs by a means of trust. I am not “anti-medicine” or anything of the sort. I have the utmost respect for medical science and everyone in the medical field. I am specifically addressing the problem of addiction and what I experienced personally.
My pain came back naturally. I couldn’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time. Walking hurt, standing hurt, sitting would eventually hurt. I constantly needed to shift my back into various positions to relieve the pressure…. A good friend of mine from the Army, not too long after my withdraw, introduced me to Kratom. He suffers from chronic back pain as well, but he could now function in ways he wasn’t physically able to before. My pain subsided and I could finally sleep a full night without interruption. Four years later, I have not experienced a single side effect from taking it. I take half a teaspoon four times a day. I also willingly took myself off of Kratom a few times just to ensure that I wasn’t replacing one harmful drug for another. I am enormously grateful for what Kratom has done for me. I am fully functional, happy to be alive, and also graduating this year with a B.S. in Computer Science. Apparently there are thousands of other people who’ve experienced similar rehabilitation, which is why I feel that this ban needs to be addressed with the utmost respect humanity deserves and nothing less. When I got wind of the ban, I honestly couldn’t believe it. I personally feel that anyone who is impartial to the drug itself, who truly wants to seek out what the detrimental effects of Kratom are on an individual or society, will find the DEA’s intent to classify it along side Heroin as absurdly inappropriate and without merit. I am going to help in anyway I can, including spreading my story around to who ever will listen. Thank you everyone who is supporting this cause, words cannot express just how much this means to me, to a veteran.
Because I mentioned the 29th Brigade, I would like clarify that I only mentioned them for specificity purposes. I am grateful for my time spent with the 29th and consider it an honor to have been a part of the Hawaii Army National Guard.
There are SO many people that may be affected by this. Far more people use kratom to manage depression, anxiety, pain, and opiate withdrawal in the US than have currently signed the white house petition. Many are afraid to say anything in support since it has been so demonized by the people with power and agenda. Some I have talked to are afraid for their jobs, since they work for the government.
Myself, my mother, and my sister ALL got free of opiate addiction with kratom. I have taken it for nearly four years with absolutely zero “dangerous” side effects. When I was getting off my doctor-prescribed-and-supported addiction, I took quite a bit of kratom and the withdrawal symptoms were negligible compared to kicking it sans assistance (I tried to kick it on my own three times). I haven’t filled a prescription for pain killers since…and that is probably what this entire ban is about, eh? Seriously though, how rich do these pharma companies need to be? And more importantly – how can the DEA say kratom has no possible medical use? I know, I know…the whole “it isn’t FDA approved” b.s. Neither are nearly all of the supplements you’d find at any health food store, since it costs a billion dollars to get them “approved”. This all makes about as much sense as the fact that the American Heart Association’s stamp of approval is on boxes of Fruit Loops.
Since I kicked my dependence on opiates using kratom, I take kratom here and there, and have also stopped taking it completely at times. I prefer taking a half teaspoon in the morning with breakfast, as it just lifts my mood a little bit, and is like a great cup of coffee. The DEA is claiming it is terribly addictive and a “health risk”… It can be addictive if you take more than 15 grams a day for months and months on end – you may develop a physical dependency. BUT even then – only about as much as caffeine, and I’ve reduced intake and stopped taking it in three or four days before – in fact, less time than when i kicked coffee. The discomfort is virtually non-existant compared to getting off opiates.
As far as addictive, uh…cigarettes? Alcohol? Prescription opiate drugs? How many people have to die, seriously. I nearly lost my sister to this garbage before kratom. They will legally give Oxycontin prescriptions to an 11 year old now, but in two weeks I will not be allowed to make tea out of a leaf from Asia – that has never caused one documented death (yes I know about the claims, but there were always other substances involved).
What I find even more hilarious is – I live in Seattle, and there are marijuana stores literally lining the streets here – all legally, and I personally have no interest in marijuana in any way. I can legally walk down the street and buy and use a MORE psychoactive plant in my city – however, I will soon not be able to consume this plant kratom that does nothing but attribute to my well-being and deliver nothing I would call a “high”. I don’t want to be high anyway; I want to manage my pain/anxiety in a natural way. I want to *not* have to depend on the permission of a doctor and put synthetic, expensive, side-effect causing pills into my body. Is that really too much to ask of a country I live in, follow the laws in, and pay taxes to? The DEA might need help with the answer to that one, so here it is: NO.
If ANY compassionate lawmakers/overseers of the DEA reads this page – please consider that real people wrote these comments and have a heart – take a risk. Pick up the phone. Do something decent with your power. Please REGULATE kratom, don’t ban it. So many people will suffer from this, including my 77 year old mother who takes it daily for her fibromyalgia pain in lieu of a crippling opiate addiction, again introduced by a doctor. Show some logic and compassion here. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the chest beating and proclamation that America is the “greatest nation in the world” by some official on television – please demonstrate that and actually listen to and care for your citizens. Thanks.
As some of you know.. I suffered a very bad spinal injury a year and a half ago and also deal with bad pain from autoimmune immune issues. The doctors had me on high amounts of morphine and oxycodone. I was tranquilized like a horse due to the pain I was in.
I knew I didn’t want to live my life on pills so I found a plant called Kratom. It’s a relative to the coffee family and helps with pain, depression, anxiety and the list goes on. I didn’t know if it would help me but I gave it a shot. Sure enough it did and it has changed my very existence. I was able to get off all man made medications and say GOODBYE to all pharmaceuticals. I’ve never felt better. I’m healthier,happier, and most of all I can live my life working, being a wife & mom, a friend and a volunteer in my community. Without Kratom my health and life will surely go down hill quickly.
Kratom is a plant that the government is making illegal so they can take it and turn it into a pill to sell. This is so wrong. They will profit from this as well as make a pill that has 100 side effects for all we know. I just want to be free, take my plant and be safe,happy and healthy. Please fight with me.
I don’t get the whole DEA ban on kratom. It just sounds irrational that a professional agency that is supposed to help the public, is actually doing more harm to the public based on disinformation about kratom. Don’t they have the resources and common sense to find out the truth about kratom?
If they would just listen to the people that use it, they would see the benefits of kratom and that there is no imminent health threat. You simply can’t die on kratom alone. You take kratom away, then people will turn to harder drugs and possibly die. Kratom has been used for thousands of years. If it was a threat to mankind, it would be known by now. The government has already backed up the alkaloids in kratom via a patent in 2010.
As citizens of the U.S.A. we have rights to heal ourselves from our grievous sicknesses through natural or by other means. The DEA has no right to take kratom from away from the American people who suffer daily pain to mental disorders. It seems the DEA is not playing fair with the public and making tyrannical decisions without a hearing of the people they serve. We have a voice. Millions strong in support of kratom and its benefits we have found in our lives. Please stop, show empathy, understanding, respect and research before you ruin the lives of millions of Americans and create more drug problems instead of solving.
Should a Doctor, Teacher, an upstanding citizens be made criminals suddenly because they are trying to get well and survive without causing harm to society? Please save kratom. When God made kratom, he made it for the benefit of mankind, not to ruin us.
Thank you for reading.
After an accident left my back needing surgery, I was put on strong oxycodone along with muscle relaxers. A couple years later when my back had recovered enough ,I wanted to end these pills that had helped in the beginning but was now slowly killing me. I was told Suboxone was a miracle drug that would cure me of my addiction. The Suboxone was impossible for me to quit, i would ween down to a low dose but could not completely stop. I had to see a Dr every month (no refills) and my insurance wouldn’t cover anything. The Suboxone drained me of money, but more importantly it drained me of my personality, motivation, and the ability to have real feelings towards anything.
When I discovered Kratom I was sceptical to say the least. Wow was I wrong. The Kratom turned me around in almost every part of my life and well being. It has helped me with lingering pain , sleep, clear thoughts and feelings. I have no clue what I’m going to do now, I’ve come way to far to go backwards. But the road in my life just ended, and backwards is the only way I see.
And you don’t abuse Kratom, it just doesn’t work like that. If someone has the urge to get High, they certainly will not choose Kratom, because it won’t work.
I am a 57 year old grandmother, mother, wife, business owner & tax payer and have used kratom in its natural botanical form as a tea for over a decade without harm to myself or others.
Kratom in it’s natural form, doesn’t produce a high, does not cause intoxication or slurred speech, driving skills and balance are not impaired and it doesn’t cause hostility, blackouts , coma or death.
The botanical kratom used responsibly simply and subtly takes the edge off my severe pain, upliftis mood similar to coffee without being jittery , and produces a balanced sense of focus. It has improved my quality of life significantly allowing me to raise my family, finish my education , start a small business and become a more productive member of society.
I am not a criminal and have never been one and I am outraged that the dea is trying to turn me into a felon in the eyes of my family and peers without hearing any of the testimonies of the American Public, whom they are supposed to serve.
Their is obviously some confusion between the natural form of kratom found in health & botanical shops and the synthetic extracts that “head shops” and gas stations carry which are marketed to the “legal high ” crowd and being MIS_labeled as kratom. A fact the FDA is well aware of .
Instead of throwing the baby out with the bath water in a rush to ban yet another botanical with potential to help people lead happier, healthier lives, I urge you to take a look at the other side of this issue and hear us out regarding the natural tea leaf we are trying to protect the right to enjoy .
The natural form has been proven safe as far as I’m concerned. I am healthy & well after over a decade of regular responsible use , as are several thousand others in the kratom community and also the millions of people in SE Asia who have been using kratom for centuries without a single death or illness caused by kratom alone .
I am harming no one by using the kratom leaf, please allow me to live my life in quiet enjoyment of my herbal tea in peace . As an adult , I feel very strongly that I should have the right to choose my own wellness options
There are plenty of people who will continue to choose conventional RX drugs , so be it . Hopefully they will come up with a drug or pill , or cure based on this plants alkaloids , please allow that research to continue by keeping the natural form of kratom legal to adults , perhaps restrict the extracts , I would not oppose that as I have not used extracts or synthetic blends called kratom .
If allowed to proceed, a ban on the kratom leaf will harm a great many people who will likely turn back to harmful substances and who may resort to buying kratom on the new black market where it would no doubt be turned into the “herbal heroin” it is being called by the media with drug dealers adding addictive substances to the plant to keep customers coming back .
That is unfortunately how it happens , you would think we’d have learned by now the “war on drugs ” is not working and we are all losing if we lose the natural form of this helpful leaf.
Kratom is literally the ONLY thing that stops nueropathy pain and allows me to sleep, work and take care of myself…not receiving state assistance. Pills don’t work on my Fibromyalgia, arthritis and nerve pain, besides you can’t drive on pain pills anyway and that’s what I do. Kratom is the only thing on the planet that helps me live a normal life. I don’t want to apply for disability but without kratom I’ll have no choice because I can’t even get out of bed without it, even waking up at night with pain I’ll take a Lil and get back to sleep, it works miracles and I’d rather die, literally, than live in that pain! Please let us keep it, its saved my life, my business, my family… My health!
Thank you and kind regards,
Jennifer Johnson xcaliburjen@gmail.com. Jen Johnson/facebook
Before I began taking kratom I attempted to end my life because of the pain I was in. My mom found me and saved my life but I was intending to make it happen. Living with terrible pain is indescribable. It can ruin a person. Now I have hope. I am still in horrible pain but it is manageable. I don’t intend to keep living my life like I was before kratom. The medicine the doctors gave me only made my situation worse. If this goes through, I am almost certain my life will be me laying in bed with agonizing pain. I don’t know if I can go back to that place. Itshe like being trapped inside of your own personal hell.
Hello,
I’m a Wife, Mother, Mother of an Angel (my Mikey, age 11 1/2, to CF in 2000), Grandmother, and an Advocate for the Missing, primarily children.
I am not an Alcoholic, an Addict or a Drug Abuser. I cannot use Prescription or over the counter pain medications, not even aspirin. To do so will land me in the hospital, extremely ill.
I suffer from genetically related Chronic Pancreatitis, Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Migraine – I suffer 15 – 18 migraines each month and have very recently been diagnosed with MS as well. .
I have attempted to combat the intense pain which always accompanies each of these illnesses on a daily basis by closely following physicians orders, which included my taking prescribed medications which have caused me to retain water, with legs like tree trunks, caused abnormal liver function test results, to lose half my hair in a months time, caused irreparable bone loss in my jaw, resulting in a loss of 14 teeth via oral surgery, after which, I could not take pain medication for. Agony. I’ve endured painful injections of poisonous Botox into my temples, forehead and neck, 16 injections in a session, attempted chiropractic, acupuncture, cut out all food additives, to no avail. The pain was relentless. And so, because I had no other choice, I dealt with it, my life spent in bed or laying on the couch, day after day. To move around, made everything hurt. My life ground to a standstill. My blood pressure was climbing past dangerous levels and I required 2 medications which still did not normalize it.
And then, one day, during a tearful discussion with my physician soon after she also diagnosed me with depression and anxiety on top of everything else, and in the midst of discussing alternative remedies, she mentioned Kratom, stating that it relieved pain for some people. To be honest, after all the other side effects I’d experienced previously, including one episode of heart block and not wanting to be hospitalized again, I was hesitant to try it, and it was only after a 4 day long migraine during which 90% of my time was spent in a dark room attempting to sleep through the pain, that I decided, what the heck – couldn’t get much worse, I did try it…starting with a small amount as recommended….
And…..after years of enduring relentless pain, unable to move……I realized that I hadn’t had an idea as to how much pain I was in day in and day out…..until 80% of it was gone less than 15 minutes later. No pain, and I found that I could move about more easily. Even better, I did NOT feel “medicated”, get a “buzz”, feel “hyper”, feel nauseated, and it did not trigger a migraine as many pain meds do. The only things I felt were “relief” that I was feeling like myself – in fact, I also did not remember who “myself” was, until that moment and almost no pain, which was miraculous. It’s been nearly 10 years since I’ve felt this way.
I took more later that afternoon, and my pain level remained much lower than it had been for years all that day. Went to bed at my normal bedtime and slept the deepest, most relaxed sleep I had in years. Again. Not euphoric, but instead, relaxed and relieved that the pain was mostly gone…. I wind up in the ER with a severe 3 day long extremely nauseous migraine if I take any prescribed pain killer, or OTC medications (including Tylenol and aspirin) – my system processes alcohol in the exact same way – simply acts as if I have been poisoned and rejects all these meds, but here is a plant, that when ingested, works! And – I suffer no side effects. That should say something about the purity of this naturally ocurring miracle… I have not a clue as to what to do if Kratom is banned…..it’s inconceivable to me that I may have to return to my before-Kratom, pain wracked life. .
During the following days, and continuing up until today, the results have remained the same. A majority of my pain is eased, and because of this, I have resumed my life, enjoying it, taking up things that interest me, in addition to advocating for the missing. I am very slowly discovering what life is supposed to be, and it’s all because of Kratom. I thank God for the gift of this plant!
Am I addicted? No – I only use it on days when my pain is at a particular level. Am I taking more and more each time? No – I remain on the same very low dose that I began with on day one. I have never ever had any side effects from Kratom, my blood and liver tests are normal, and – my extremely high blood pressure has gone down to normal levels, meaning I no longer need those medications. I also been able to stop taking 3 other prescribed medications (Xanax, Celebrex and Flexeril) since I began taking Kratom.
Kratom is NOT a synthetic drug. It is a plant, whose leaves are dried. It does not produce a “high”, and in addition to treating pain, anxiety and depression, I know that it has also helped tens of thousands of folks who were addicted to heroin and opiates beat their addictions, and also immensely assisted those who have also become addicted to the traditionally overused medications which treat addiction, such as methadone and suboxone. .
To use Kratom should not be deemed illegal, criminal, or immoral. To ban such a valuable resource for so many…..would be criminal. One may as well ban coffee, caffiene, cigarettes, chocolate, alchohol or popcorn – all addictive and all with side effects worse than Kratom. One cannot overdose on Kratom, if one takes too much, the worst that happens is nausea.
Rather than ban the use of Kratom, why not alternatively recommend and age 18 or 21 requirement for sale? And – I do agree that drinks, shots etc., which contain a small amount of Kratom as well as a large amount of other unknown chemicals and are touted as a legal high in smoke shops and convenience stores should be banned. Kratom in no way is a legal high – it’s not a high, period….
Thank you for listening, for what you do, and for your consideration.
I dealt with depression, anxiety, & regular panic attacks for years. I hated how any of the medication made me feel. I felt like a zombie when I took it. So I just quit trying to take it. Eventually I was in a crippling depression. I cried when I had to get out of bed. I cried if I had to do anything. I curled up on the couch most days & prayed I’d die. I was miserable. I’d read about kratom for quite a long time, & even ordered some. But I was worried about the potential withdraw I’d read about. I never tried what I had ordered. One day my husband came home from work & insisted I give it a shot, so I tried it.
It made me feel like a new person. Kratom has made me feel like a normal, functional, real person again. I don’t mind leaving the house. I feel love & happiness deeply again. I missed that so much! I’m doing things I love again. Things matter to me again. I am never high. Never intoxicated. I’ve stayed on the same dose for 3 years & have never had any issues with withdraw or any other health related problems. I’m healthier & happier than I’d been in a long time thanks to kratom. Not to mention kratom is wonderful for menstrual cramps, if you have a cold or flu it’ll help make you feel a little better, & it completely takes away seasonal allergies. It has so many amazing uses. It would be a shame for it to never get properly researched. It has amazing potential.
This ban will kill people. Thousands will suffer. That is the only thing it will accomplish. It’s completely unnecessary & unfounded. NOBODY has died from kratom alone. As with marijuana, it is absurd to put kratom on schedule I. They will be turning parents, grandparents, teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, normal hardworking Americans, into felons & condemning them to suffer. Alcohol & cigarettes seem to be just fine & dandy, & how many do those kill every year? Kratom is not dangerous. I just pray somebody in the DEA is human enough to realize they’re very very wrong here.
I started learning about Kratom from a dear friend of mine who took this. It changed her life for the better. She’s in constant pain and taking this helped her get her life back. She was no longer bed ridden she was able to become a mom again to her 3 beautiful children 2 of them who are special needs. I would have loved to have found out about this sooner for my mother. She is in constant pain everyday and cannot afford dr visits and prescription pills. She hates taking them because they make her feel dizzy and sick. This herbal plant would be a godsend to her and so many others. Its ashame that the dea and government want to take this away from the people. What happened to being the greatest country who loved and cared about their people? This isn’t it at all. This is nothing but greed. Shame on y’all. Shame on all the government and I hope y’all ask for forgiveness because God doesn’t like ugly or greed. Y’all do not realize how many people y’all are hurting with the greed.
I am a 56 year old Ironworker from Chicago with severe arthritis in my hands. Two years ago while I was researching disability someone told me about kratom. My fingers are twisted and deformed but kratom takes care of most of the pain and allows me to continue working a dangerous job with a clear mind. The FDA approves arthritis medicines that have cancer and lymphoma as side effects but they want to tell me that a leaf from a tree that people have been taking for hundreds of years isn’t safe? Kratom is a safe affordable alternative that people are buying with their own money, this saves the insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid and the VA money and that saves taxpayers money. So what is the DEA’s goal here? Do they want to put the sick and chronically ill in prison for treating their illness? I think I would ask for a jury trial.
Dear Sir or Madam,
Please don’t let the DEA make Kratom a Schedule 1 drug.
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
This is not true for Kratom, it has been shown numerous times in reports from users to help, treat pain, combat depression and anxiety, recovering Opiate addicts and much more.
Deaths that involve Kratom being a persons’ system have always been from the result of mixing Kratom with other drugs, rather than Kratom alone. In states that banned Kratom, Alabama specifically, opiate usage and deaths went up after Kratom was banned in the state. Please stop the DEA from scheduling Kratom as Schedule I, there are many people who will suffer from this.
Yes there has been an increase in Kratom usage; however the users are typically mature adults using the leaf for pain management, and other medicinal uses. I am 50 years old and use it to ease the pain and fatigue associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Before Kratom I could barely get through my work week and I would just sleep through the weekends. Since I have been using Kratom I am thriving at work, still have energy after work, exercise and enjoy activities on the weekends.
Sources:
http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2094342
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3670991/
Sincerely,
Bonni Cutler
Bonnicutler@yahoo.com
Dear Sir or Madam,
Please don’t let the DEA make Kratom a Schedule 1 drug.
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
This is not true for Kratom, it has been shown numerous times in reports from users to help, treat pain, combat depression and anxiety, recovering Opiate addicts and much more.
Deaths that involve Kratom being a persons’ system have always been from the result of mixing Kratom with other drugs, rather than Kratom alone. In states that banned Kratom, Alabama specifically, opiate usage and deaths went up after Kratom was banned in the state. Please stop the DEA from scheduling Kratom as Schedule I, there are many people who will suffer from this.
Yes there has been an increase in Kratom usage; however the users are typically mature adults using the leaf for pain management, and other medicinal uses. I am 50 years old and use it to ease the pain and fatigue associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Before Kratom I could barely get through my work week and I would just sleep through the weekends. Since I have been using Kratom I am thriving at work, still have energy after work, exercise and enjoy activities on the weekends.
Sources:
http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2094342
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3670991/
Sincerely,
Bonni Cutler
Bonnicutler@yahoo.com
619-723-0085
Life will be very sad in a world where Kratom is criminal. Don’t let DEA become the Kratom nazi!
Kratom is a safe alternative to dangerous narcotics like Xanax for my anxiety. I am able to take it as an antidepressant as well, opposed to a SSRI that really takes the living out of life for me.
Please don’t ban kratom. We need responsible legislation like a minimum age to purchase, not a draconian ban.
So what, now people like me get to go back to a life of crippling pain? And I do literally mean crippling. I was born with rheumatoid arthritis, and it is in the advanced stages. My body is slowly killing itself, and now I have to go back to a life where I can hardly move. I didn’t use to be able to brush my hair. I had to quit my job as a certified child care giver. My hands, feet, and shoulder have permanent damage in them. My doctor was wanting me to start methotrexate, which is a form of chemotherapy. My body was systematically destroying itself, and the only thing I was given for the pain was a strong medication that made my head feel fuzzy. With my doctors guidance and permission, I researched kratom and tried it. I was skeptical, but it worked much better than I had thought it would and didn’t make my head feel so fuzzy. After a couple days I noticed less over all pain. After a few weeks I noticed that I wasn’t having flare ups anymore, and I was sleeping better at night. I felt healthier. After a few months, my doctor said that methotrexate was no longer needed. Turns out, the better I feel, the more I am able to exercise, which makes me feel even better, and it creates a positive cycle. Suddenly I could cook dinner, play with my animals, and have even been looking for work again. I had hope for the first time in my life. I could actually live like a normal healthy person – something I’d never once experienced before. Until now. Now I just have a broken heart and tears in my eyes and find myself begging for some to please help stop this ban. I don’t know if I can handle going back to the miserable excuse of a life I had before I found this wonderful plant.
Kratom has helped me curb alcohol and drug abuse. To schedule this plant without even a discussion will potentially put many people at risk of opioid relapse and much worse. The science behind Kratom has shown it to be a valuable medicine against addiction.
And what about my friend who uses kratom in soap form to help with her skin condition? She experienced horrendous pain, blistering, and wounds similar to third degree burns. Kratom used topically is the only thing she’s found that actually helps her, and when she uses it regularly she has little to no skin trouble. After this potential ban, she will be a felon if she gets caught with her soap. a felon. For soap.
There is absolutely no real scientific backing for scheduling kratom. People who take kratom are healthy, productive members of society. Scheduling kratom is akin to scheduling coffee. It’s absolutely insane and betrays the spirit of a free nation.
Making kratom illegal is a travesty. Jobs will be lost, businesses will go under, and lives will be lost. Have some compassion, lives will be ruined.
I have been on Lexapro and Wellbutrin for the past 7 years. I found Kratom about 6 months ago, and have already weened myself off of the Wellbutrin. As for the Lexapro, I have cut my dosage to half of what it was at the beginning of the year. I give the credit to myself, therapy, exercise, and KRATOM. Honestly don’t know what I would have done without this supplement to enhance all the methods I have been using to work towards self wellness. The thought that this “drug”, which is less dangerous than coffee, is to be placed as equals with heroin and LSD as a schedule I drug is preposterous! Some say that Kratom is addictive. Yes, in a reasonable of the term. Kratom is habit forming in much of the same way caffeine and sleeping pills are. If an individual has an affinity to feel/think a certain way and finds a substance that allows them to obtain that feeling, the substance tends to be slightly habit forming. There is nothing wrong with that notion (IMO) if the substance being used is not harmful in reasonably high amounts. It is nearly impossible to overdose on Kratom because it tastes very bitter, causing nausea. I am deeply saddened that the federal government is moving forward with this ban even when the public outcry is so profound.
Please do not schedule this drug. We know the facts about the calls to poison control centers over a two year period of time. The number of calls regarding Kratom is less than the number of calls from people swallowing laundry detergent pods… These lame and pointless excuses for the emergency scheduling of Kratom should make the people of this nation disgusted that the government would go to these lengths to ban something so harmless (again, when used in moderation.
I am a 61-year-old mental health professional. Please do not schedule this plant. It has helped me increase my sense of well-being and manage my chronic pain. I have suggested it to others for various issues, none of which imply any type of recreational use, just a plant that will help them address certain issues. Making possession of this herb a felony, given the little evidence for doing so, makes me wonder if the next thing that the DEA might come after is my lavender garden, because lavender oil is effective in reducing anxiety, or my mint, because it helps with stomach ailments. Where does the DEA draw the line and based on what data?
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. It’s ironic because that’s the motto in a lot of recovery rooms… And yet- the DEA is doing exactly that. They keep banning stuff left and right and in fact WE ARE GETTING WORSE AS A NATION. The opiate overdose epidemic is worse than ever before. I think it’s like 60 people A DAY who are dying of opiate overdose. And yet, Kratom, which has killed NO ONE is being taken away from us. Insanity. This harmless plant actually helps people get off opiates and live a somewhat normal life. It helps me cope with chronic pain from different illnesses. It helps some cope with their depression and anxiety. It helps some calm their restless legs. Is that a bad thing?? Why take this away? WHY??
I am a 52 year old software developer who has used all kinds of herbals since 1986. People have used alternatives to ailments since the beginning of time. Kratom is no different and relatively gentle. It is odd to wake up and find that the government wants to outlaw a group of people, good tax paying people who are looking for alternative treatments. There are plenty of real harmful drugs on the streets, there was no need to go into people’s herbal kits to find them. They are not there. Some herbals can be very strong but most of us know that. I can see the need to study kratom, but please don’t make these good people criminals. Having been reading a lot on kratom it is apparent many of these people can make it work and in turn pay taxes because they feel a little better from an herbal treatment. That should count for something. Thanks for listening.
so many people will be affected by this. A friend as an example has an autoimmune disorder a spinal injury and so on and she has been taking kratom and is now off morphine for the pain. This is not a drug its a herb that people use to feel better not abuse.
I can now go with out pain in my life. I don’t have to take synecthic drugs anymore, nor my kids have to see what I’m doing on constant basis for my pain needs, I just can’t believe what I’m seeing right now. What is this world coming to???we have rights, Kratom has never killed anyone period. Natural plant that doesn’t anyone,is taking away. When can we enjoy our life, and take a herbal plant that helps all the people. This is very sad, if the ban goes thru. I’m fighting to the end, and we need all the peoloe to come together and prevent this from happeing.
… truly a terrible idea … this plant has been beneficial to so many people suffering chronic pain. The DEA will happily feed us to big Pharma and all the opioid horrors they can manufacture. I’ve always been a productive, supportive citizen during my 65 years … supportive of this nation and it’s laws … but this is making me seriously question my government and its role in our lives.
Better ban chocolate and coffee also, as these hit the opioid receptors too…
I have suffered tremendously for 5+ years from a lumbar disc that has herniated 3 times, resulting in numerous epidural steroid shots, chiropractic treatments, acupuncture treatments, physical therapy, 2 failed back surgeries, and numerous medications that left me numb, tired, and still in pain.
After the last failed surgery, and the prospect of another surgery, a friend reached out and told me of the plant Kratom, which is from the coffee family, she spoke of how it helped her arthritis and eased her need for pharmaceutical medication. I decided to see if it would help my pain and to my surprise it actually did! Without the side effects of the prescribed medication I had taken before. I was floored and excited that I may actually have a chance for a normal, active, virtually pain-free life. So, I finally felt enough relief and hope, that I changed my diet to an anti-inflammatory diet, stopped all previous medications, lost over 60 lbs, and began a vigorous exercise routine of walking/jogging, and weight training.
I’m the healthiest I have been in all my life, and I know that I owe part of that to the beneficial plant, Kratom.
Kratom is a safe alternative to pharmaceutical drugs with important medicinal uses and has changed my life, so I’m asking you not to ban this beneficial plant. Study it.
Thank you.
I had severe anxiety and depression before I found kratom – it saved my life.
I am now a better mom, wife and friend. I have energy and love for life that I haven’t had in DECADES!
The DEA needs to understand that this plant is IMPOSSIBLE to overdose on. I will gladly buy a 250g bag for anyone who doesn’t believe me and I will watch as you just try to OD on it. You will be puking 10 minutes in…everyone does! It has a built-in fail safe to assure that it never permanently harms anyone. It really is nothing short of a miracle!
Without this wonderful benign plant I will go back to being bedridden, the way I was before I discovered it. I might even end up back on those horrible pills that were literally killing me. I nearly ended up in the ER several times due to their side effects. I found kratom just in time…and now after only 2 short years it is being ripped from my hands simply because pharmaceutical profits are being cut down.
Clearly my government doesn’t give a damn if I’m dead or alive. All they care about is the highest bidder and I am DISGUSTED with being an American these days.
The DEA is exceeding its authority on this one. Kratom has provided me with the ability to work and play with my grandchildren. I guess they would prefer those of us with cronic pain to use narcotics that do not provide relief. My job, my house, my family suffered while I was on prescription medications and my pain was still a 9 at all times! I am disgusted by these attempts from the government to totally ruin my life!
what the DEA is doing is absolute lunacy. if you look up the chemical makeup of an opiate or morphine it doesn’t have any similarities. It’s not an opiate no matter how many times they say it is. Kratom itself has caused ZERO deaths. it helps opiate addicts ease withdrawal symptoms, some veterans use it to ease ptsd symptoms, and I used to to combat anxiety. Most Kratom users use the ground up leaf with no additives. of course there will always be abuse but imo anyone looking for a high will be sorely disappointed in Kratom. it’s a sense of wellbeing like kava or ginseng. I hope this can be stopped before we see an even bigger surge in overdoses. Kratom is harm reduction.
please look at the #IAMKRATOM for more success stories.
Kratom gives me pain free days. It makes it possible to work. My family uses it. My grandson has a medical issue where the doctor had him on pain medications. He is just using Kratom now. Please help us keep our chosen pain relief.
The only “imminent danger” regarding kratom is it’s availability, in a contaminated form, on the black market if this ban is not stopped.
My husband and I and our son take Kratom all for different reasons. My son was almost lost into Meth. My husband has scoliosis and was addicted to pain medicine. I have hip dysplasia but I was scared to let my Dr Gove me pain meds cause I didn’t want to struggle with the addition. My pain made me old before my time. I found Kratom after feeling like I had come to a point that I was going to snap. I ordered some and on the first day my husband didn’t take one pill my son slept that night and didn’t leave and I cleaned the house we had a great day. It’s been almost a year now no pills for my husband I have my life back and my son now has a job he told all his buddies to stay away but a few of them started taking Kratom and live normal lives now. If they make Kratom illegal my family will fall apart I will be a person with a clean record who has been at the same job for 11 years always done the right thing that will take the risk of being a felon or losing it all going to jail. I will take the risk to save my family!
Alcohol is legal and people can overdose on it; same with caffeine, coffee. Kratom doesn’t have any recorded deaths of overdose. It should not be banned because it is safer than things that are already legal. Kratom in moderation can be used positively, and the responsibility to consume or not should be the consumer’s.
I hope that kratom is kept legal, especially so more study can be done on it to learn about its potential benefits.
my jaw was recently shattered and I find kratom to be more effective than oxycodone with acetaminophen. the DEA is evil. take cannabis from schedule 1 too. cannabis is the only medication to ever effectively treat all of my disorders.
Many many years ago I developed an opiate habit that started innocently enough. I had an old childhood back injury that flared when I worked. By the time I realised (not knew. I know opiates where addictive and dangerous. That’s just how much discomfort I had.) what was happening I was hooked. It has a tendency to drain simple joys from daily life. Happiness becomes centered around having the opiates. Once I decided to stop it wasn’t that hard really but the mental and physical effects have lingered for years. Cravings and melon holy sadness.
A few years ago I found out about Kratom. I didn’t believe it would help with pain but the I tried it due to the insisance of a friend that sweared by the herb. It worked. But I noticed other effects after a while. It shifted my mental and physical addiction/the hole that opiates left and slowly woke me up from the addictive mind set. The Kratom leaf has many properties. That’s much I’m sure of. It does need to be studied. But the government needs to stop and look at what’s going on. The DEA man power should be put toward national security and anti terror police work.
And the DEA has really harmed amercia at large with the war on drugs in regard to marijuana. Just needs to be said again and again. It’s RIDICULOUS.
Please provide proof of your statements, DEA!
Ive been on disability since 2012, hadn’t worked since 2006. Since finding trustworthy kratom vendors from an organized group online, I have been comsuming it regularly and working full and overtime.
I find the ban to be highly suspicious based on the lies in the DEA’s document. For example; there have been no deaths proven to have occurred from kratom. That’s like saying people can overdose on coffee. It does not cause respiratory depression. I have athsma and kratom does not restrict my breathing like pain pills.
This plant saves lives, yet the DEA calls taking kratom abuse for any reason.
I do not know how to keep my job without kratom. Pa8n management pills do not work. I cannot take NSAIDs because of anemia. I feel worse for the people who take it for cancer relief nd other painful chronic illnesses and diseases. I feel like the DEA overstepped its bounds by banning and making this gentle plant a shedule 1 substance. It feels like it was enacted in a childish manner in anger and frustration ,under pressure from greedy pharmacological companies. It seems to be the only reason because there is a huge lack of concern for our fellow Americans who have found the ability to work, play, and be happy.
It’s painfully obvious that the government doesn’t care about it’s citizen’s health and wellness! I have fibromyalgia, failed back syndrome from spinal fusion surgery, depression, anxiety, and arthritis. I have been on many different prescription drugs and they all had terrible side effects for me and gave me little to no relief. I discovered kratom in a chronic pain support group and decided to try it. Best decision of my life! I can function and go to work. I have been taking kratom for over 2 years with no ill side effects. I just had a physical and all my blood work and vital signs are completely normal. I don’t want that poison (prescription drugs)! I am an zero prescription drugs and just take 1 natural plant instead. The DEA wants to make me a felon for that choice……..utterly ridiculous!!!!
I have been using kratom for almost a year now for chronic pain and fibromyalgia it is a Godsend there is nothing dangerous about the it’s a 100 % natural alternative my husband also uses for Lyme disease he uses it for his arthritic pain and anxiety I also give it too my dad who has Parkinsons disease it takes his tremors and anxiety away he eats it in applesauce none of us have had any side effects from using kratom I believe it’s the pharmaceutical companies pushing the DEA to do this there is so much misinformation purposely being put out there it’s just a shame kratom gives people such a better quality of life so I guess I will be a felon here soon because I have kratom and use it this is just WRONG
I am a 33 year old mother and also a caregiver to my 20 year old special needs nephew. Kratom has given me my life back, a life that was taken from me by a car accident in 2006 the same car accident that started me out taking narcotics… you know the ones that the doctors toss out at me at every appointment. I started using kratom in April this year and in one month I had already weaned myself off of my pharmaceuticals. Oxycodone kept me functioning but I wasn’t living, now I’m alive and not in debilitating pain. I can now keep up with taking care of my nephew and having to lift him many times throughout the day. I have never been high from Kratom. I have never been sick from Kratom. I have never nodded out from Kratom. I have never felt out of control by Kratom, but I have been all those things from pills. When I was taking pain meds I was out of control so I researched ways to get clean and when I found kratom I felt that I had hit the lottery and when I got my first order in the mail I was so excited I tried it right away.. I knew right then I had hit the lottery just like the tens of thousands of others have been feeling, now you are taking this plant away from us. We will all become felons because of a leaf. We should be able to decide what we put into our own bodies. We should be able to decide how to medicate ourselves. We are only trying to function properly and lead healthy lives please don’t take that away from us. If you do I guarantee that there will be deaths and many deaths all attributed to you taking it away from us because many will go back to the pills and if they can’t find that they will go to harder stuff and others will end up giving up and committing suicide because they have nowhere else to go. Please understand that you are only making things worse with this ban, please hear us out.
I don’t know why this came out anonymous.
The DEA is making a mistake if they truly wish to curb drug addiction in general. It is a well known scientific fact that countless people including myself have kicked opiate addiction with the help of kratom, so I can speak from personal experience myself. This plant is safe and that is another scientific fact. Also, there WILL be great harm and death brought about if this plant is ripped away by an even temporary scheduling. People in pain will return to join and amplify the obvious opiate plague that no one can deny. Families will be harmed as their providers lose the life changing benefits of this plant. Businesses built by kratom users will fall. The vast majority of the people who consume kratom have become positive forces in their communities thank to kratom and thanks to this ban, these will fade away and hurt the economy. I can go on and on about the damage and loss of life that will result to this irresponsible over reaching of the emergecy powers. The science is not on your side and this will be a moral and mortal disaster.
Most of the people taking kratom are the infirm and many will have to return to disability. Most of the people taking kratom are older and responsible people who deserve the benefits of this god given plant. Please do not allow this tragedy to take place.
uldn’t walk six months ago 30m August 2015 to February 2016 i was bedridden. I have been pending disability for almost a year now. I suffered from borderline lupus fibromyalgia scatica insomnia ptsd anxiety depression and for five years basically was a guinea pig from big pharma posion when I tell you those medication were like being tortured I mean it. I couldn’t hold down food I couldn’t use the bathroom on my own I had cluster migraines vomiting dizziness and hardly knew what month it was I lived in a total Brain fog. Kratom did for me what twenty specialists and hundreds of rx drugs could not. I’m not only walking I’m able to go running and jogging. I returned to the gym and went back to work on a trail basis. In fact I was doing so well I was days from calling off my disability claim with my lawyer and returning to the workforce. I have a mmj license so I want to laugh when people talk about being high on kratom. First of all I’m less high on mmj and more alert than i ever was on rx drugs like world’s apart I couldn’t even walk on rx drugs let alone anything else like working or driving a car. I will concede that mmj does have a high but kratom does not. I take driving seriously I have never in my life had a sip just a sip of liquor and drive. I don’t smoke mmj and drive either because I do feel a little less alert than usual. Having a medical marijuana license was nice and the fact that I had something that I could take for my severe pain that didnt make me ten times worse like the rx drugs but at the same time it did not leave me able to work or drive cars so I was still very unproductive in my own life. Honestly the mmj just took the edge off from all the ailments so that i didn’t lose my mind because i frequently thought about suicide during that time. Kratom was introduced to me by a 65 year old woman in my fibromyalgia group who has been in a wheelchair for two years prior to trying Kratom and is now walking again. Within 30 days of trying kratom I was able to stop taking all of my other medications and my nine month cluster migraine was gone. I could stand again, I could let my dog out. I could see the sunshine again. Please help us there are so many others like me with similar stories. I can’t imagine and it’s unfathomable that in less than a month I’ll be confined to a mattress again with no other choice than to harm myself futher dehibilate myself more by trying some more rx medication after over 100 pills and nearly dying from reactions and side effects and being overmedicated I know that trying fifty more kinds of drugs is not the solution. I found a miracle God answered my prayers instead of taking to me to his kingdom he game my life back with this plant. I’m only 32 that’s a long time to live confined to a mattress in a wheelchair with no income because disability will never approve anyone at my age. Despite my serverly dehibilated state I had so much trouble even getting a lawyer to take my case. I’ve been denied three times already my last response from disability was that I can’t work with the public (no idea why) but I can stock shelves with my cane being to dizzy to stand but I’m on a step ladder lifting things above my head with the neck and shoulders that have been injured in five seperate car accidents as well as being the victim of domestic violence that have been injured treatment with a orthopedic a pt accipture massage chiropractic care for five years. The ones I can’t lift my phone up eith some days but I’m going to pick up boxes with balancing myself on a stool. Now maybe I’d be able to do that on kratom but there wasn’t a chance in you know where I could have done it on the rx drugs I was on. I couldn’t even get to the toliet for God sakes.
really sad news for Kratom lover as it truly help me to relieve pain, enhance mood and energy level. Find my unbiased articles about Kratom on my blog here: http://kratomguides.com
Editorial
I’d like to voice my opposition to the DEA’s Intent to Schedule the alkaloids Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, which would make Kratom (Mitragynaspeciosa), a schedule 1 controlled substance with no medicinal value. This would put kratom, a plant helping millions of people suffering chronic and acute mental and physical conditions that is also safely easing the nation’s opiate epidemic problem naturally, on the same level as illegal drugs like heroin. It would also 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.
Kratom is a safe alternative to pharmaceutical drugs with important medicinal uses and has changed my life. I fear this action by the DEA will only lead to more tragic deaths of victims of the opiate epidemic, maybe even my own (if you think this may lead to a replace and illicit drug use). I know that my own quality of life as a productive member of society will not be the same without kratom.
With regard to this issue, I am soliciting my concern that this DEA schedule I doesn’t take place. I suffer from chronic thoracic spine pain, sciatica, and spinal stenosis and have been able to discontinue taking 3 of my medications because I use this herb. People I love also need this herb for various reasons. If this happens, I, among many others will be in a lot of trouble, the quality of our lives will be removed out from under us. Heroin addicts who no longer have the use of this herb will go back out and die.
I’m doing my best to support this cause, written to my state representatives and contacted the Justice Department signed the petition.
Thank you very much for listening.
Kratom is a solution, not a problem. It has helped me for the last 4 years.
My name is Todd Johnston and I am a law abiding, tax paying, small business owner in Texas. I have been using Kratom since 2014, in small doses every day (2 to 4 grams for the whole day) to help manage anxiety, inflammation and minor aches and pains.
I became introduced to Kratom when I was 28 years old after a frustrating string of attempts to treat my anxiety with traditional pharmaceuticals; all of which left me some sort of unwanted side effect. From depressed thoughts, to more anxiety, to bowel problems (one med had me on the toilet for 3+ hours a day) I reached out to my friends with a plea on social media. A friend of mine introduced me to kratom as he had been using it to taper off of hydrocodone dependence and had great success.
Flash forward 2 years and I have no ill side effects from kratom use and have not increased my dosage, ever. I have been taking 2 to 4 grams daily. My life is changed for the better. My blood work always comes back healthy, despite having liver and blood pressure issues when I was on the pharmaceuticals. Even my liver panel is healthy.
I own a small business. I service pools using a new, organically based, method that I came up with over the course of 4 years of research. It is physically a demanding job. I also hold down a part time job as a waiter and work 15+ hour shifts. Yesterday I worked 16 hours straight with no breaks and was able to do so thanks to Kratom (one dose of 2 grams in the morning, another dose of 2 in the afternoon and I had energy and pain relief to keep me going).
Does that work ethic sound like someone who is a junkie? Does that sound like someone who has dropped out of society to chase a high?
The DEA’s letter of intent includes flat out misinformation and lies about Kratom. Kratom is not a “synthetic opioid” – Kratom is a class of naturally occurring alkaloids that interact with opioid receptors in the body to produce mild, yet similar, effects of narcotic opioids without the negative side effects of narcotics.
I will repeat that – Kratom produces similar effects, though more mild, than narcotic opioids, without the negative effects of a narcotic.
We need sensible regulation – not outright prohibition. I will agree, 100%, that there is a huge difference between dried kratom leaf, and the extracts marketed and sold at head shops. The head shop kratoms are often tainted with other designer drugs and the extracts are unnatural and dangerous. They should be either heavily regulated or illegal altogether.
The dried leaf of the kratom tree is not dangerous, nor should it be illicit. I can not take more than 8 grams of the dried leaf without feeling nauseous and uncomfortable. This is a built in mechanism to the alkaloids to naturally prevent overdose. Can you still? I’m certain, but it would have to be a very poorly made conscious decision to take too much kratom leaf. It is so uncomfortable I doubt anyone in their proper state of mind would even try to.
Furthermore the laughable amount of poison center calls, 660, is not enough to warrant a prohibition. With 660 as a referenced number we ought to definitely be banning laundry detergent pods which had over 37,000 calls in just the first three months of 2016.
FStates that banned Kratom saw a rapid increase in opioid overdoses and deaths. In Jefferson County, Alabama in 2015 there were a total of 138 deaths from opioids. Kratom was banned. Through June 2016, there have been 103. If that trend continues, and it seems that it will, there will be over 200 deaths from opioid overdose after the kratom ban.
I am not a criminal. I am not a lazy dropout. I am not a junkie looking for my next high. I am a hard working American, a job creator, and a good person who suffers from anxiety and long laborious days. Kratom has changed my life. Let’s be sensible. Let’s not create millions more criminals by irresponsibly prohibiting a substance that the DEA clearly does not really understand.
Kratom helped give my father relief while enduring chemotherapy. My daughter’s mother used kratom successfully as a tool to get off of methadone and has since then gotten off of public assistance and returned to work as a fully functioning tax paying member of society. My wife uses kratom daily as an alternative to prescribed opiate meds without issue. I use kratom myself for energy and focus for ADHD safely without the side effects that I got from prescription medications I was on like adderall and strattera. The DEA is overstepping their bounds. They are supposed to enforce the laws not create them.
Thank you for helping with this issue. Kratom has helped improve the quality of my life so much for myself and my family! I have been able to go back to work, therefore, no longer needing free medical care and food stamps. I have been able to play with my son, go out on family excursions and generally get the life that I lost 15 1/2 years ago that I lost from a car accident. Please stop the DEA and their overreach of power. I do not know that I can go back to my old life of living everyday laying down due to excruciating pain. Thank you, again!
I am a 36 year old male. I use plain leaf kratom 3 times a day, morning, noon, and evening. I wish I had discovered this wonderful plant years ago so I could of avoided the horrid pharmaceuticals that I used for so long.
Kratom has greatly improved my quality of life. Several years ago I was injured at work which resulted in back surgery. While the surgery gave me the ability to walk again I’m still in a lot of pain every day. I hated taking pharmaceuticals daily. They make me feel like a walking zombie every day with other unpleasant side effects. Since I started taking kratom daily a little over 3 years ago my life has changed for the better. It greatly helps reduce the pain I live with every day.
I am able to return to work but will never be able to do the things I used to do. But I still am able to return to work and help provide for my family. One of the best aspects of having kratom is has given me the ability to play with my 3 year old daughter. It still hurts to do certain activities with her up but I was unable to before kratom and that was heartbreaking to me. I have dreading the thought of this wonderful plant being taken away from me and others who truly need this amazing plant.
Thank you for your time
Andy
I am a 49 year old therapist specializing in treating trauma and a daily kratom user. I have been using it on and off for four years and receive tremendous benefit from this tool to manage chronic fatigue without any detrimental side effects. The DEA is attempting to stay relevant at a tremendous cost to hundreds of thousands of law abiding Americans who use this plant to better their lives. Some regulation (like having to be over 18 to purchase) I can see being appropriate, but schedule 1 status is completely asinine.
This ban is going to put thousands of people out of work. So many of us have been able to go back to work after being disabled with chronic pain or from the side effects of prescription drugs. I feel that this is a CIVIL RIGHT! To be able to choose which medicine works effectively for my pain. This is nanny state, police state action. DEA has gone too far this time. It’s my body and my right. We, the American people should not be forced to take prescription drugs when there a natural alternatives out there.
This ban is going to get rid of a VERY positive, needed and crucial help for many people. MANY chronically ill people and veterans who use this plant as an alternative to dangerous, ADDICTIVE and unhealthy prescription drugs. This plant does so much good. The dea has cracked down so much on narcotic prescription BECAUSE of issues with addiction, and with people moving onto harder drugs, such as heroin. They should be doing their research and realizing that this plant saves so many lives. And makes so many people who would normally be stuck in bed, miserable and sick/in pain, a PRODUCTIVE part of society. I personally was in a hit and run, with a drunk driver while I was pregnant with my son. My son was born a full month early and I suffered MANY lasting injurys both mental and physical. I was prescribed prescription narcotic painkillers, and that ALONE was a whole hell of its own. Aside from the actual crash. I found kratom and it saved my life. I was in such a negative and horrible place before I found kratom. From doctors constantly prescribing then cutting off, prescription meds. I wanted nothing more to do with them, and was forced to live life in my bed, in pain. WITH kratom, I can again be a part of my family. Spend time with and care for my children, hold a job AND go to school, be a FUNCTIONING part of society. PLEASE do some research. And see that this ban is an absolutely horrible thing.
I believe the Drug Enforcement Administration has overstepped their boundaries by submitting the letter of intent to ban Mitragyna speciosa as of September 30, 2016.
The power given to the DEA to emergency schedule a substance without normal review and comment is only meant in the most extreme and dire of circumstances.
This herb is no where near creating any kind of emergency situation. Research, expert opinion and public commentary has clearly shown that this is not warranted.
The DEA is part of an executive branch which is supposed to enforce laws, not make them. Because of this extreme overreach, I am asking for your help in stopping this intention and allowing for the normal process.
This is a perfect example of extreme overreach by the DEA.
They claim that it has no potential medicinal benefits and a high potential for abuse. This simply isn’t true and is a blatant attempt to take citizens choices away from being able to choose herbal supplements for pain management, anxiety, and numerous other personal ailments. People will be forced to purchase manufactured pharmaceuticals which clearly seems to be the intent of the government. Coffee, cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol remain legal in the United States when a holistic herb such as Kratom becomes banned? Where is the Justice in that?
I’d like to voice my opposition to the DEA’s Intent to Schedule the alkaloids Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, which would make Kratom (Mitragynaspeciosa), a schedule 1 controlled substance with no medicinal value. This would put kratom, a plant helping millions of people suffering chronic and acute mental and physical conditions that is also safely easing the nation’s opiate epidemic problem naturally, on the same level as illegal drugs like heroin. It would also 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.
Before Kratom, I was on anti-depressants for the migraines, birth control strictly for the menstrual problems, and pain medication for the calcified tendinitis. How can the Government honestly say that taking all of these other things is better for me as an individual than taking one single herb for all of it? I strongly urge you to reconsider this decision. If anything, regulate it; but please don’t ban it.
People with ailments such as Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Lymes Desease, Arachnoiditis, Crps, and other horribly painful conditions that are hard to treat, Kratom does wonders for these conditions, and without all the nasty side effects that come from long time use of pain medications.
Kratom is my safer alternative choice instead of these prescription medications:
Topamax – migraines
Ibuprofen – Calcified Tendinitis
Birth Control (just for hormone balance, not actually because it was needed)
Ambien – Because of the Topomax
Tramadol & Hydrocodone – Calcified Tendinitis
Cortisone shots – Calcified Tendinitis
Kratom is a safe alternative to pharmaceutical drugs with important medicinal uses and has changed my life. I’m asking you to please contact the DEA. Please send a letter or request an oversight hearing asking to delay this emergency action. I know that my own quality of life as a productive member of society will not be the same without kratom.
If you have questions about Kratom, please visit https://www.americankratom.org. Thank you for your time and service to the state and taking the time to listen.
I believe the Drug Enforcement Administration has overstepped their boundaries by submitting the letter of intent to ban Mitragyna speciosa as of September 30, 2016.
The power given to the DEA to emergency schedule a substance without normal review and comment is only meant in the most extreme and dire of circumstances.
This herb is no where near creating any kind of emergency situation. Research, expert opinion and public commentary has clearly shown that this is not warranted.
The DEA is part of an executive branch which is supposed to enforce laws, not make them. Because of this extreme overreach, I am asking for your help in stopping this intention and allowing for the normal process.
This is a perfect example of extreme overreach by the DEA.
They claim that it has no potential medicinal benefits and a high potential for abuse. This simply isn’t true and is a blatant attempt to take citizens choices away from being able to choose herbal supplements for pain management, anxiety, and numerous other personal ailments. People will be forced to purchase manufactured pharmaceuticals which clearly seems to be the intent of the government. Coffee, cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol remain legal in the United States when a holistic herb such as Kratom becomes banned? Where is the Justice in that?
I’d like to voice my opposition to the DEA’s Intent to Schedule the alkaloids Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, which would make Kratom (Mitragynaspeciosa), a schedule 1 controlled substance with no medicinal value. This would put kratom, a plant helping millions of people suffering chronic and acute mental and physical conditions that is also safely easing the nation’s opiate epidemic problem naturally, on the same level as illegal drugs like heroin. It would also 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.
Before Kratom, I was on anti-depressants for the migraines, birth control strictly for the menstrual problems, and pain medication for the calcified tendinitis. How can the Government honestly say that taking all of these other things is better for me as an individual than taking one single herb for all of it? I strongly urge you to reconsider this decision. If anything, regulate it; but please don’t ban it.
People with ailments such as Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Lymes Desease, Arachnoiditis, Crps, and other horribly painful conditions that are hard to treat, Kratom does wonders for these conditions, and without all the nasty side effects that come from long time use of pain medications.
Kratom is my safer alternative choice instead of these prescription medications:
Topamax – migraines
Ibuprofen – Calcified Tendinitis
Birth Control (just for hormone balance, not actually because it was needed)
Ambien – Because of the Topomax
Tramadol & Hydrocodone – Calcified Tendinitis
Cortisone shots – Calcified Tendinitis
Here’s how “dangerous” and oh so terribly destructive kratom is. Brace yourselves, because this is a frightening story.
My girlfriend and I woke up feeling down and a bit achy and just kind of blah. We sat around and watched a movie. We drank coffee. Nothing helped. Then finally even in light of starting to feel like “criminals” about doing so (thanks DEA), we each took a slightly rounded 1/2 teaspoon of powdered kratom in some juice. Guess what we did 20 minutes later? Did we eat each other’s faces like we took bath salts? Did we go out and rob a convenience store like heroin addicts? Did our respiratory systems collapse and we had to call 911 like countless prescription opiate users? No. We cleaned our house! Guess how much kratom I’m going to take later? None. Because it is *that* addictive.
This DEA thing is a non-scientific joke, and everybody including them knows it. Regulators, PLEASE do something about this corruption under the guise of “protecting” people from themselves. This has nothing to do with any citizen’s best interest. Read the comments on this page. Watch the #iamkratom videos. Do something before the US becomes totalitarian. An agency like the DEA shouldn’t have so little oversight that they can be absolute dictators and state flat out false science and lies in their reports to fulfill some agenda. It is an abuse of power, and if you read these comments – an abuse of Americans who depend on this plant as a health supplement. Personally, I don’t *need* kratom like people with chronic pain…BUT I damn well should be able to have some with my girlfriend if it just makes us feel better once in a while without being a FELON.
There are not enough middle fingers in existence to express how ridiculous this is.
This ban is outrageous.. comparing kratom deadly drugs such as heroin is so wrong.. my ex husband was a heroin addict and it destroyed our lives.. its like apples and organges.. ive suffered from depression, severe anxiety, PTSD and chronic pain for over ten years.. because of the epidemic of pain pills it was nearly impossible for me to get medication.. I couldnt live with the pain anymore and my whole family suffered because i was 100 percent disabled form my aliments.. Kratom has given me my life back.. i only take 2 teapoons three times a day.. it doesnt get me high.. it makes me feel liek a normal person and i can function. Big pharma is losing money because no one wants to be addicted these awful pills anymore.. and that hurts there business.. and its a mutli billion dollar business.. they are not interested in helping or curing us.. kratom is as harmless as coffee.. i know if i loose kratom ill be back on my anti depressants and i will still be depressed.. i wll not have access to pain meds and i will be back on the couch unable to be with my children.. My kids dont want you to take kratom away from their mommy.. it has changed my life for the better.. i am thriving.. i use to just exist now i am really living.. you will have blood on your hands if you take this all natural God given plant away from us.. you wanna win this war on drugs.. well kratom is your answer.. you take kratom away and will be taking away my freedom along with it..
My husband and I discovered Kratom one year ago. I have chronic pain after a terribly failed back surgery. Four yrs later I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
Dr’s have tried every pharmaceutical recommended for fibromyalgia and some not recommended. These drugs either did nothing for my fibromyalgia or the side effects were awful. Many of the recommended drugs I am allergic to. I break out in hives, severe nausea, vomiting and itching. I finally tried Kratom to help manage my pain and symptoms of fatigue, mental fog, anxiety and depression.
One hour after consuming Kratom I was pain free! For the first time in 20 yrs, I had no pain! I cried out of pure joy and relief. I do not consume Kratom every day. As seniors, we are on a fixed income. Insurance will not cover Kratom which is very sad.
My husband is an Army vet. He has asbestosis as a result of exposure in the Army. Two yrs after the asbestos showing up on chest X-rays he had his first brain bleed stroke. Four years later he had s second brain bleed stroke.
He suffers from hip, back and severe shoulder pain. The VA gave him hydrocodone. The hydrocodone makes it difficult for my husband to function. He suffers from a cognitive impairment (memory loss), severe anxiety and depression. His psychiatrist has him listed as having a mood disorder. Hydrocodone and the other mind numbing drugs made him worse.
He tried Kratom. His pain is managed, his mind is clear, he is not nearly as anxious.
We decided to wait before ordering more Kratom and trying different amounts of Kratom to find the perfect match because it may become illegal. Why? It does not get a person high, not even a light buzz! It does not make you crave more when it is not in your system.
Why has the DEA chosen Kratom? I believe for funding. The DEA cannot justify more funding to fight the war on cannabis. What better way to create a need for emergency funds and ongoing funds to battle the evil drug Kratom?
One big problem! Kratom is not a drug! The DEA has shown its lack of understanding and knowledge by referring to Kratom as an opiate! Kratom is not an opiate! It merely attaches to opiate receptors in the brain.
The DEA has wrongly listed Kratom as a “drug of concern.” Kratom is not a drug and the only concern Kratom presents is to the pharmaceuticals who are losing $$$ because thousands of Americans have decided to think for themselves and want a natural aid in managing pain, anxiety, depression, PTSD and a whole host of other physical and emotional ailments
Declaring war on Kratom makes about as much sense as declaring war on coffee, sugar, or chocolate. All of which can be abused, but do not pose a threat to society.
Kratom poses no threat and it is about time Congress step up and do the job we the people are paying it them to do. Tell the DEA it has overstepped its boundaries.
The DEA is not supposed to make the laws. Hell, the DEA can’t even do its own honest, unbiased research on Kratom. The DEA should be reprimanded for this huge attempt at overreaching its power.
My husband and hundreds of thousands of soldiers have served this country to ensure our liberties and freedoms remain intact. #”STOP THE BAN ON KRATOM.”
I am a 40 year old small business owner, and I am a frequent user of kratom. I discovered this amazing plant four years ago after spending some time researching natural alternatives to pharmaceutical pain management in the wake of multiple surgeries for degenerative disc disease and trapped nerve release in my right arm. The improvement in my quality of life after discovering kratom has been substantial, and the benefits tremendous – I have gone from a state of constant pain and discomfort that was only negligibly affected by the multiple surgeries I have had to endure, to being able to live the sort of life I had prior to the onset of nerve issues in my back and arm.
As an American taxpayer, I wholeheartedly disagree with the DEA’s decision to ban this plant, and their pending actions will have a direct, tangible effect on the quality of my life and my ability to work.
I dread what lays ahead for me.
Dear DEA,
With all due respect you have not done your due diligence. Kratom saved me from a life of pills, anxiety and drinking. You cannot simply cite erroneous statistics to ban something because you view the world in black and white.
to my story… I am a law student at a top 40 law school I have followed all of the rules, never been in any trouble, except I happen to use Kratom for anxiety. None of us are junkies we are simply human beings trying to live our lives naturally and peacefully. Stop what you are doing it isn’t right deep down I think you know it by now.
I am a 37 year old father and husband, I take Kratom for my chronic neck and back pain. I oppose the DEA proposed ban on Kratom. Kratom has been used safely for thousands of years. Kratom has not killed anyone. Kratom is not addictive. Kratom does not get you high. The DEA is using no scientific data to back up thier claims that Kratom is public health risk. The risked posed by prescription pain medication is more of a danger to the public heath of the United States. We are living in through one of the worst Heroin addiction epidemics in American history, caused by the over prescribing of opiates by medical professionals, and then the over regulation by state and federal government to stop the abuse. Then all those now hooked on opiates turned on Heroin to fill the void in their addiction. The Heroin is cut with fentanyl, a prescription drug more potent than morphine. The amount of overdoses is staggering. We, the American people are to believe that an herb in the same family as coffee, that’s been used safely for thousands of years is a public health risk.
Thank god someone is finally listening…..to think of all the people who will die if this ban takes place….so heartbreaking truly is
Simply put, kratom has given me my quality of life back. I consider this leaf an herbal remedy that has so many benefits. I discovered Kratom 2 years ago and before kratom I was on a cocktail of medications for my medical problems, physical and mental. (Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Vasculitis, Depression, Bipolar disorder, PTSD) These same medications that were supposed to be helpful were ruining my health. Kratom took the place of 7-10 medications with ease and minimal side effects. In 1 month I was able to transition from consuming harmful drugs, to just consuming a leaf daily. Kratom has not cured me, but it helps with my daily pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, inflammation, and so much more. Instead of being bed ridden, I get to be the mother and wife iam so proud to be. I fear that if Kratom becomes illegal, I will have to go back to my old life. Which entails being in constant illness, and taking harmful medications.
I wanted to reach out because Kratom has changed my life. I’m in my early 40s and have been dealing with back issues for quite some time now. The doctors only solution was pain meds and physical therapy. I took the pain meds as prescribed (norco) and I became dependent on them after taking them for an extended period of time. It got to the point where I knew if I didn’t stop, I’d totally mess up my life. So, I quit cold turkey and then just basically lived in constant pain until I discovered Kratom. Kratom has been a total blessing to me because I could actually live and function again without having the “doped up” feeling that pain meds gave me. It made me feel like a brand new person if that makes any sense. I think the DEA needs to be made aware of the medicinal qualities of this tree/leaves and conduct proper studies on it in order to stop the scheduling of it.
Please stop the DEA from making Kratom a Schedule I drug, especially considering that Kratom is a leaf from a tree related to coffee, not a drug! The DEA has committed a great overreach when it decided to do this. Especially, the way that they did it. No public comment needed. Really? I thought that I still lived in the United States of America, where I had the right to be heard! I have found Kratom to be a very safe alternative for my chronic pain conditions. Please, make the DEA show its so called proof of imminent danger. How can they even make such a claim while in the meantime people are dying every day from street and prescribed drugs. Kratom is a plant that God gave us, how dare any organization interfere with God’s plan!! Please, allow Americans to speak out about their experience with Kratom. I am a 60 year old American, a taxpayer, and thanks to Kratom I am able to work full time instead of having to go on disability. Please, make the DEA prove their reasons with scientific fact, not conjectures! Thank you for listening.
I am a 39 year old software engineer who has been dealing with depression, insomnia, chronic lethargy, a pinched nerve, and anxiety for around 20 years. I have taken almost all drugs available with prescription to try to treat these issues. None of them worked.
I have been treating my issues with alcohol for the last 5 years or so since being laid off from my last job. I was miserable and not planning on living another 10 years. Then I read an article on kratom and decided to try it. After taking it the first time I knew I had found a treatment that works.
I have been taking kratom for 5 months. Since I started taking kratom all of my issues were a thing of the past. I have not had a drinkn in 5 months. I have a new job that I can function, even excel at. And my outlook on life is good again.
Now that the DEA is proposing to schedule kratom I have to worry about all of my ailments coming back. Please don’t make me go back to back to my previous life, I would not be able to manage it. Please do not add kratom as a schedule one drug.
Our government’s job is to protect but not to over step it’s bounds. Kratom is a traditional medicine in many countries with centuries of safe use. We have an opportunity to give thousands of disabled and suffering Americans hope and productivity but once a substance is put on the DEA’s Schedule 1 list it rarely if ever gets off! Even scientific studies are blocked.
Herbs and foods like kratom, coffee, garlic, aloe vera and even marijuana are traditional medicines that have been in the public use for centuries and longer. Our society doesn’t have the technology to prove these substances safety because it’s their unique natural combinations that make them so effective. However, the U.S. Public has already proven their safety over years of use. Many states have made it available to adults only (over 18). It’s that easy. The Government can be given a pass on being responsible for the public’s safety by simply advising caution and restricting purchase to adults. As in so many products already on the market.
In the case of caffeine anything can be abused. How many people have used poor judgment with coffee or caffeine products to stay on the road longer than they should with bad consequences? We’re allowed to smoke, drink alcohol and take aspirin. Have you seen the documented fatalities from aspirin? Over 16,000 a year!
Any extreme negative side effects that have been reported from kratom have been tried in a court of public opinion and hear-say only. They would not hold up in a court of law with verified facts. It’s absurd to restrict an herb that is helping so many people because of here-say. How could this injustice happen in America?
The DEA should not make kratom illegal! It is a safe plant which has tremendous potential to positively effect people’s lives. I completely stopped drinking alcohol (a much more dangerous substance) thanks to kratom. I also have diagnosed OCD and anxiety issues and have been in and out of therapy for many years. I don’t want to imply kratom “cured” any issues I had, but it has helped me deal with them and improved my quality of life. Kratom has a proven safety record and should be regulated and researched further. Instead of making its citizens into criminals, our country should be helping to empower them and provide them safe access to this plant. We could also set up a quality-control organization to help ensure kratom isn’t adulterated with an contaminants, and establish a trade relationship with the south-east asian countries that grow it. This would help improve both our economies—instead of putting people into the criminal justice system, put them to work at kratom farms, quality-control centers, and dispensaries. There is an opportunity here to do good, not evil. Make the right decision DEA. Please.
I found kratom a year ago. Exactly a year ago. I was teetering on the edge of my 18th floor balcony, feeling the bitter crisp chill of the sky up that high, and a thought came to me, clear as a bell:
I am not going to make it through this winter.
I clung to the chilled metal ledge, my fingers frozen numb and white through the biting rain and strong gusts of the storm coming up from the river below. Barges slowly floated by, tiny people came and went, cars and trucks followed traffic patterns, and I felt like I was on a distant planet, merely an observer, no longer a part of life on this little earth.
I could jump.
But I was too much of a pussy.
But I could no longer stand to be in my skin.
Days seemed to last for years. I’d pray to anything, begging and pleading to get through another day, to sleep, to die, to feel nothing. If I could cling on to my balcony rails with all my strength, I could keep myself from falling from the earth, and being shot out into the unfeeling black abyss of the universe.
I knew so deeply this one truth: I could not, I would not, make it through this winter. There was no other truth. It was all I had left.
I’d later learn I was suffering from a severe form of akathisia. It is a movement disorder characterized by restlessness, basically, the inability to stop being in constant motion. I was in such a state of excruciating discomfort, I would pace day and night, stomp my feet, pick at my skin, pull out my hair, rock, shake my head, but nothing would help shake the restless feeling. They say very large doses of Haldol and Thorazine do not even have much affect at all on the disorder.
I silently suffered alone with this feeling of impending doom and debilitating anxiety, and my life was simply no longer tolerable enough to make the effort to survive anymore. Yet somehow, I continued to exist, trapped in my own private hell that I myself had constructed. I was locked away in my tiny, filthy apartment and could not even ride the elevator downstairs to buy a drink in the coke machine, let alone make the impossible walk a block away to the corner liquor store.
You see, alcohol was the only thing that helped, so I drank it constantly. Straight cheap vodka, right from the plastic gallon bottle, of which I had a plethora stocked away for the zombie apocalypse. But, as I clung to the balcony rail that day, my supply of vodka exhausted yet again from my self-isolation, I was hallucinating, drenched in cold sweat, shaking uncontrollably, my heartbeat skipping, then racing, then stopping, I realized I might die from delirium tremens soon, and that since I had no one who’d notice I was gone, it might be more neighborly of me to just jump, as my body would be discovered before decomposing in solitude.
I had experimented with different drugs before looking for relief. Pot just made me more aware of the disease, but I picked up blunts and cigarettes anyway just because it was something to do with my hands. I never did heroin, because I’d heard it wasn’t much help, though I doubt I could hold a needle without dropping it from my shaking hands. But I was a severe alcoholic, in the late stage of that grotesque and subtly progressive soul-eating disease. I was only 30, but had been binge drinking daily for as long as I could remember. Unlike heroin, withdrawal from alcohol is often fatal. Alcohol withdrawal is far worse than heroin withdrawal. But that was a year ago, and I didn’t die of DTs, and I didn’t jump either.
Somehow, through some miracle, I had a visitor, and faced the outside world, and got more alcohol. But I got something else that day as well: a little pack of kratom powder. When I’d taken the edge off by polishing a good glass or three of burning liquid poison labeled with a generic little graphic of a russian palace, I mixed a little kratom in with a shot glass of water, and gulped it down in sudden unexpected hopefulness. 30 minutes later, I realized I was sitting down. On a couch. You see, akathisia is basically the inability to sit still. I hadn’t done this alien behavior, in fact I should have been on disability, instead of just skipping rent, and getting desperate, and doing what I had to for just that $4 vodka bottle. I’d lost a lot of jobs for my pacing, and for my dropping expensive things out of my shaking hands. But here I was, sitting, my heart beat stabilizing, my shakiness dissipating, when just a few hours before I was hating myself, feeling not worth my life, mustering my last bit of exasperation enough to end the pain and suffering of this world.
The rest of this story is a love story. I love kratom.
I started coming out of isolation, thanks to kratom. I discovered new interests, talents, abilities. I discovered that I was a brilliant and attractive female with the rest of my life ahead of me, and that even settling for my wildest dreams would be selling myself short. I started to lose my fear of people, and eventually started to talk to them, then make friends, get back into and excel in my career, becoming known as the best at what I do. I began to hear constantly that I was known as “charmer” and a “silver tongue” that I was charismatic and could garner attention and praise from anyone that I happened to meet. I moved out of my shithole apartment and got a breathtakingly beautiful house in the best part of town. I no longer feared waking up in a gutter when I chanced to leave my house, knocked out and my vodka stolen, because I hadn’t had a drink since I could remember, and had no desire for one ever again. I didn’t need to self-medicate with alcohol anymore, so I began attending 12 step programs, and discovered my spirituality, learned that serving and helping others gave me an inner peace where before there was only a black void of despair, and made amends to everyone, buliding back bridges that I’d burned before in my desperate addiction to alcohol. A year later, as I sit on my porch, admiring my flourishing ferns and flowers I’d cultivated, (I had also found a love for gardening. It was meditative.) I don’t remember that scared, lonely girl who had nothing to live for. It seems like just a story in a book, and not me.
I suffered from severe anxiety attacks to the point where I just wanted to stay home, I have essential tremors to which I want to avoid all social contact unless I planned to medicate myself in order to handle life. I got chest pains and when I have to go to the store, I had to jump out of line in order to get over an attack and find a line with no one in it. I have been on many prescriptions over the years, Effexor, Lexapro, Welbutrin, etc. and I had to deal with withdrawal or side effects.
NOT ANYMORE! A Doctor has cared enough to figure this out!
I’m all choked up while saying that kratom worked for me the first day! I took two capsules and a few hours later I was amazed I was not thinking about “how to cope”. I went on with my day and went out to the store and when I was on my way home I realized I managed without being crippled from anxiety. If you suffer yourself, you know the lifestyle of anxiety and depression. There is no foggy feeling, nothing but clarity and confidence. My husband has even noticed a difference in me and I’m no longer having essential tremors!
I know a large number of people who have successfully tapered off of opiates through the use of kratom. unlike other methods (such as switching to methadone or suboxone) a person can actually quit kratom cold turkey, after the switch is made, and not have withdrawals from the opiates after the kratom is discontinued. it has worked miracles in the lives of so many people i know. it would be such a shame if use of this tool was made into a felony. To say kratom has no medicinal use is absurd.
I suffer from server anxiety and Kratom helps me function day to day without the need to take powerful prescription drugs such as Xanax. Kratom does not make me “high”. It helps my anxiety without making me feel like a zombie. Everything that the DEA has said in their notice of intent is completely false. Kratom is NOT an opioid. It is very safe and no one has died from taking Kratom alone. All reported deaths that involved Kratom were due to the people having other substances in their bodies that we mixed with Kratom. If Kratom gets banned by the DEA then millions of people in this country will suffer. Many people will go back to using hard drugs such as heroin and prescription opioids. In Alabama Kratom has been banned and reports show that opiate overdoses have doubled as a result. Please help stop this Ban. Many American lives will be destroyed if this ban on Kratom ends up actually happening.
I am writing today to express my feelings about pending legislation regarding the natural herb Mitragyna Speciosa, more commonly known as kratom.
Kratom has been used in Asian countries as a natural medicine, relaxant and stimulant for centuries with no known detrimental effect on its users or society in general. While it can be mildly habit forming, it is by no means a dangerously addictive substance. There has never been a reported death or other severely detrimental effect caused by this plant alone, and it is self regulating in that overuse can be very unpleasant as it will cause nausea and vomiting in high doses. The plant contains many medicinal alkaloids including those that are analegesic, anxiolytic, antidiabetic, antimutagenic, antiviral, immunostimulant, antidiarrheal, antileukemic, antioxidant, and muscle relaxant. It has been studied in animals and found to be remarkably non-toxic in that there has been no lethal dose discovered thus far, even in extremely high doses. Additionally, the plant contains alkaloids such as corynantheidine, an opiate receptor antagonist, which disrupts addiction and habituation.
I first discovered kratom about 10 years ago when I was looking for a natural anxiolytic and relaxant to help me relieve chronic anxiety and depression. I found this plant to be up to the task and began using it on an occasional basis prepared as a tea. I found it to be a gentle relaxant with no obvious side-effects and it did help to alleviate my anxiety and depression. Around that same time I incurred a severe spinal injury which resulted in severe chronic pain in my lower back and legs. In 2006 I had a 2-level spinal fusion which alleviated some of the pain, but also caused additional chronic pain my lower back and hips. Since that time I have suffered from incurable chronic nerve and musculoskeletal pain and have been on prescription opiate therapy ever since.
While the opiates have been a blessing, they are also a curse as the Tylenol that comes with them is taking a toll on my liver. About 3 years ago I made the choice to begin using kratom to alleviate my pain as well as to reduce the opiates needed to control it. To my surprise I found that kratom was superior to my prescription opiates for relieving pain, while also continuing to positively impact my anxiety and depression issues, so I gradually made the switch and I have now been free of prescription drugs entirely for the past 2 years.
For me this plant is a miracle and it would negatively impact my quality of life if I had to switch back to prescription drugs due to a ban on this beneficial herb. In my long relationship with this plant, I have never found it addictive or harmful in any way. Please study this plant further and understand what a wonderful plant it can be for help in managing chronic pain and other detrimental conditions such as severe depression and anxiety (it has also been widely used as a safe alternative for those addicted to opiate drugs and/or alcohol, and far less harmful).
I ask you to please oppose any outright ban on this plant or its constituent parts. I fully support a ban for minors, but adults in our society should be able to freely choose a healthy alternative to prescription drugs and other harmful substances.
I believe this is a very big mistake! This plant has helped countless people, myself included, live a better life. I could go on and write a book as to why this is a mistake. The biggest reason that I can think of, that should be important to law makers, is that it is reducing the need for pain killers, which has accounted for hundreds and thousands of deaths nationwide. Why is that piece of the puzzle not looked at? This is a huge problem and to say that Kratom is as dangerous as Heroin, Meth, etc.. is just silly. Please see the benefit this plant has, and do not place this as a scheduled drug. This is NOT A DRUG!
The DEA is attempting a totally criminal action. They are trying to fight my right as a human being to make the choice for myself to ingest al leaf from a tree that grows on this earth. That is violation of my humanity and while it may be true that out society has already legally attempted to control what i can and can’t do with my body, we have to draw the line as people to prevent it. Despite all their official status as government agencies the chemicals they are trying to sell us as “medicine” and “safe” is actually poison. By engaging in this totally autocratic and fascist overreach of power they are flaunting their ability to function as an authoritative and totalitarian entity and walk all over the people and constition. The DEA and the FDA will have the blood of hundreds of thousands of americans who used this leaf tea to break free from heroin and narcotics, many WILL go back to heroin and pills and many WILL die or live life that is no life to live. Many of these people are mothers, grandmothers, fathers, hard workers, and military servicemen who’s country is spitting right in their face and throwing to the curb. We are in the midsts of an opoid addction and OVERDOSE epidemic. Even on the DEA’s twitter they post about the overdose crisis, yet by passing this thuggish law they will lierally directly cause an even bigger spike in these deaths. This is the behavior of mafia thugs or a nazi police state. The DEA is using flat out lies and dirtily manipulated information to demonize this herb, this is wrong and criminal. We as the people demand that this so called “government agency” (really corporate gangster mafia thugs with big guns and technology) get the hell out of there they do not belong, our own lives, and the choices we make for own bodies in the privacy of our own home.
The “meds” the FDA approves literally kill almost 50,000 people a year but they are approved and “safe”. All the calls to poison control center and every single “death” was allways assocated with the ingesting f OTHER DRUGS mixed with it, Kratom a lone never caused a death, yet the DEA is publicly presenting these statistics as if Kratom was the cause of these deaths death. There were far more calls to poison control centers for energy drinks, yet I don’t see “an imminent public health threat” warning about monster or red bull.
This ban will kill people, destroy families, send addicts back to pills, heroin, alcohol, cause suicides, and it will allow the government to try and micromanage what i cant and cannot use in my own body in the privacy of my own home, and what i can and can’t ingest as medicine. This will be stopped, we will not allow it.
I am a 35 year old full time HR employee and full time mother of three young kids. I also have fought debilitating anxiety and depression since my teens and back pain since my late twenties. I’ve tried antidepressants, anxiety medications and prescription and OTC pain pills for my ailments but rather than take a handful of pills each day I just have some Kratom and it works better with fewer side effects. This ban is the wrong way to go. The DEA criminalizing law abiding citizens for just trying to get through their day based on a “drug” profile that sounds safer than most medications out there. A factor in 15 deaths? In 2014 alone 47,000 people died of opiate overdoses. Anything that could prevent even one of those deaths should not be outlawed. #itsjustatealeaf #iamkratom
Last year, my wife suffered a psychotic break that got bad enough that she needed to be hospitalized and she was ultimately diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After 4 nights at the behavioral health center, she was released on a prescription of the anti-psychotic Geodon, but showed no significant improvement. She was also prescribed the anti-depressent Lexapro for a short time, which seemed to make things worse, and ultimately the mood-stabilizer, Lamictal, which seemed to provide some, but marginal improvement. In the meantime, I desperately searched the internet to see if there were any alternatives we could try and discovered Kratom. There were tons of anecdotal reports of it having helped those with anxiety (a common feature of my wife’s troubles) and other mood disorders. My wife began taking a small amount of the dry powdered leaf daily and quickly improved. Today, she is fully back to being the person I remember and joyful mother to our small two children.
I applaud the work you’ve done in the name of justice and fairness! There is no legitimate reason for the DEA to impose an emergency scheduling of a substance that is far safer than energy drinks. Kratom saves lives and gives opiate addicts, and pain patients a chance to live productive lives.
I was previously addicted to prescription pain killers for 5 years throughout high school and into college. I took them to help with my anxiety because traditional medicine didn’t seem to work. At some point I realized enough is enough and knew I had to quit taking pills. At that point I turned to Suboxone. After taking Suboxone for nearly 10 years I realized I was just as high and foggy as I had been on the pills I was addicted to before. I decided to quit Suboxone as well. This was followed by months and months of intense anxiety and feelings of hopelessness. I felt like I would never feel good or “normal” again. I had heard of Kratom about 10 years ago and decided I would give it a try. It provided so much relief for my anxiety. I quit taking my antidepressants, I quit taking sleeping medications. I finally feel at peace with myself and my life. I no longer have to depend on pills that put me in a fog and do little to nothing to ease my symptoms. The DEAs announcement is a crushing blow to me. I am scared. I don’t know what I am going to do and I think hundreds of thousands of Americans are in the same boat as me. I manage my anxiety and opiate cravings with Kratom. I will suffer when this ban takes effect but nothing compared to those who manage chronic pain with this plant. What are they supposed to do? They are being robbed of their quality of life over a plant that has caused zero deaths when taken alone. If the goal of this ban is to create misery and pain for hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Americans then the DEA will succeed in achieving that goal.
Finally, someone is asking what we are all asking. For the DEA to actually present their information in a manner that is forthright and objective. The sources cited in the DEA’s Aug 30th intent to emergency schedule are full of data that has been manipulated in order for the DEA to plead their case. Laypeople across the US are presenting the same and even more data sources online in such a manner as to allow whomever so choses to look at the sources to make their own conclusions as to whether or not kratom can be considered a threat. We have garnered increasing support because of this. The reality is that the DEA presented something wrapped up with a bow; however, there wasn’t even a box underneath the wrapping paper, let alone factual evidence to support their claims.
This ban will destroy the lives of so many productive tax paying americans. Kratom is not another synthetic chemical, it’s a plant that helps people get off hard prescriptions but also helps many with their medical problems cope in life. Kratom does not destroy lives it helps save lives. This backlash we are seeing is the result of desperate people trying to keep their lives together with the help of this plant and the DEA wants to make felons of them all. People please listen to the stories and do what you can to help. We need people to continue to sign the petition and make phone calls to your congressman and senators to help stop this ridiculous ban.
The DEA is claiming this herb has no known medical use and a high potential for abuse in spite of the conflicting NIH.gov published study that highlights the medicinal benefits AND low potential for dependence. The study is here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21594658
This would all be bad enough; but the truth is that the pharmaceutical industry has issued patents on kratom derived drugs and this is why the DEA is moving to ban the herb. They are attempting to control the market and destroy kratom the way they did cannabis with marinol. Article here:
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/pharma-kratom-dea-patent/
Kratom has been a great blessing to my life as well as to others in my life that I know personally. It has helped with pain and stress management. The plain unmodified tea has a very low potential for abuse. Using too much is not a desirable experience and dependence is closely related to coffee. This tea has helped me when all other pharmaceuticals were not able to help and caused other health problems. Due to my health problems there are many drugs I cannot take. I am a sole provider for a family of 4 children and my wife. Making this necessary medication illegal will do us great harm and put our livelihood and my health at risk. I use kratom under my doctor’s direction and supervision.
Kratom saved me from a life of endless prescription medications, doctors visits and mental health problems. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression at 16, and degenerative bone disease and bulging disks at 19. I was prescribed over 15 different medications to combat these different diagnosis and none of them actually relieved my symptoms. Plus, they contributed more adverse symptoms. At one point I was taking medications to relieve side effects of other medications. I began drinking kratom 2 years ago and I haven’t looked back since. I no longer have debilitating back pain and my panic attacks and migraines have virtually disappeared. I have a brighter outlook on life and the future. My quality of life was bleak and dark before I found natural herbs. Please don’t take this helpful herb away. Hundreds of thousands of people are asking you to reconsider your decision.
My wife an I have used Kratom for over four years. We are successful business owners, parents, homeowners with excellent credit and we are registered voters. Kratom makes it possible to be a fully functional member of society with out using ANY dangerous and addictive pharmaceutical pain relief drugs. Kratom has never had a negative effect on our health or well being. We use it as needed and not daily, so Kratom has never been shown to us as having any addictive effects unlike pharmaceutical pain management drugs. Kratom is 100% natural and has been used for centuries. Without Kratom we would be forced to either find another herbal remedy, if one exists or accept pharmaceutical drugs from our doctor, risking severe addiction, withdrawal and an altered state that could ruin our lives and destroy our business as it has so many others. We implore the DEA to halt it’s scheduling of Kratom and to cease and desist from protecting the wealthy and heavily influential pharmaceutical companies that wish to continue to feed on the citizens of the United States.
This decision by the DEA is based on unsound reasoning, and there is little to no evidence to show that kratom can be harmful or deadly. This herb has been used in southeast Asia for over 500 years and there have been no deaths reported. The 15 deaths that they are citing in the US are all either suicides or poly drug instances which can’t be tied to kratom alone. I have been using kratom for nearly 2 years now, and it has helped me immensely. Before kratom, I was taking oxycodone prescribed by my doctor to treat fibromyalgia, which put me in a fog and honestly didn’t control my pain to the extent I wanted it to. I am only 28 years old and am so thankful that I was able to wean myself off of opiates, because I have so much of my life left to live. Kratom on the other hand has allowed me to manage my pain, boost my mood & energy, and work full time without a problem (all without any side effects)! The American people and our lawmakers need to see this botanical for what it is: a safe, natural herb that allows people in chronic pain, with depression/anxiety, and PTSD to live full, productive lives. Heroin & opioid deaths WILL rise in this country if kratom is put on schedule 1. The epidemic is already bad enough, why are we making it worse by banning this plant?
This decision by the DEA is either extremely misguided or something far more sinister.
My life was in shambles. I couldn’t keep down a job because of a crippling opiate addiction. I became addicted after a series of surgeries and doctors prescribing an unnecessary amount of painkillers. I quickly became dependent on the Dr. prescribed opiates and it’s as if a switch flicked in my head. I couldn’t quit. My entire day began to revolve around these pills and how to get more / keep from running out before my refill was due. I wanted so badly to stop taking them because I was a mess. Slurring my words, nodding off at family occasions, and losing a job or two in the process.
Eventually, as doctors do, I was cut off and was sent into immediate opiate withdrawal. It was horrendous, and I wasn’t able to do it. I turned to street drugs to keep me from being sick, but I wanted nothing more than to get off of the opiates. I couldn’t afford rehab, so that was out of the question. I felt like I was losing myself and I became suicidal. After doing some research on the internet, I found kratom. I tried to quit the pills and took some kratom once withdrawals set in. I was shocked to find that the kratom got completely rid of about 90% of the withdrawals!
I was in tears I was so happy, because I had finally found the solution. Now I had to address the problems the led me to using so much in the first place. I am a sufferer of depression and anxiety, and was on a myriad of pharmaceutical drugs that did nothing but give me terrible side effects. With the help of kratom, I weaned off of the painkillers, followed shortly by the Viibryd, Abilify, Lexapro, and klonopin that I was on. I was completely drug free and my quality of life did a complete 180! I got and have held a job now for a year where I am succeeding finally.
I don’t’ have opiate cravings thanks to the kratom, and my anxiety and depression are under control to boot.
The DEA’s decision to ban this herb is absolutely horrific. I personally know many good people who will relapse on opiates and the DEA will be directly responsible for the spike in overdoses due to the ban. Kratom has so many health benefits and is so much safer than these nasty pharmaceuticals the drug companies push on people. There are studies that have shown the opposite of what the DEA was saying. I could parrot everyone else and mention that the number of calls into poison control centers regarding kratom ingestion is literally negligible when you consider that over 7,000 calls were made in 2016 ALONE for laundry detergent pods.
The DEA is clearly overreaching here and they have completely failed to establish any evidence that this is an imminent public health hazard. The only reason the DEA is doing this is because kratom, a plant, is clearly cutting into the drug makers’ profits, so naturally, the DEA will continue to fight a losing war on drugs and ban the only safe alternative to these nasty, addictive prescription meds. It’s despicable, and the American public will not stand for it.
I’ve used Kratom safely, responsibly and successfully for a couple of years to treat my depression, anxiety and physical pain from bipolar disorder and back pain. I continue to use Kratom while taking up healthy practices of prayer, mindfulness, exercising self control and personal ethics. All of these things used together help me to maintain a calm mind and satisfied sense of being.
I am now a hardworking, tax-paying member of society when just a few short years ago I could barely leave the house because of crippling anxiety.
Please help us to save this plant, it does not cure anything but that doesn’t mean it cannot help with a myriad of other health concerns.
This is my story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzRlc08sNV4
I am a 56 year old grandmother. Kratom has helped me to deal with chronic pain/anxiety/fibromyalgia due to a head on collision with a drunk driver 13 years ago.I have gone the pain pill route with all of the nasty side effects,when the pills quit working my pain doc’s recommendation…stronger pills,patches etc.I will not go that route.I have personally seen tragedies involving chronic pain and addictions. Kratom helps me to have a life other than sitting on the couch,it does not take all my pain away,but makes it managable and allow me to live my life.I still cannot work,but I can enjoy my grandkids,do some around the house,etc. Please help save this plant,it has given help to so many!!
I am a 56 year old grandmother who up to two years ago struggled to walk with a cane. I was in constant pain and that was WITH the pain pills I was on. I was also on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications because of the pain and being unable to go anywhere or do much because of it. I felt completely useless. I was then blessed with a grandson which was bittersweet because he brought so much joy but then I felt the heartbreak of not being able to do much with him because I was so bound to pain and all my medication. I am so blessed that Kratom gave me my life back! I no longer need a cane and have been able to stop taking my antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. I rarely need pain medication as Kratom helps me to manage my pain. I can get out of the house, I work a full-time and part-time job and I can now pitch balls to my grandson! I feel like a new person with a new lease on life. It terrifies me to think that this plant could land me in jail. Please help save this plant – it has done so much for so many people and it is affordable as well.
Thank you for this opportunity to share my story. I am 54 and have lived a hard life; I was raised in an abusive home, married an abusive man, worked in bars in rough neighborhoods, been in 2 severe car accidents and became an alcoholic at the age of 23 and at 31 went to AA and have been dry since 1993. I have had 30 broken bones including extensive facial trauma and as a result I suffer from chronic pain and partial paralysis. I am also epileptic and was diagnosed with ME/CFS TMD, DDD and neuralgia all within the last 18 years
For over 30 years, I have trusted Drs to know what is best for me and believed them when they said there was nothing to be done except keep medicating myself. Well, I nearly medicated myself to death and yet, was still in pain and began suffering from new health issues because of the medication including hair loss, high blood pressure, ulcers of the stomach and intestines, unexplained rashes, nightmares, lethargy and more.
10 years ago I had enough and decided no more meds, no more doctors. I do not want to end my last years on the roller coaster they called healthcare. I began looking into alternative treatments and while I was still in pain, my body was healing internally and I regained some of my former health.
Then two years ago I found kratom and it has been a godsend. Why do I like kratom? There are many reasons but the most important to me are that it is natural and organic. I love that it is affordable and that it gets the job done. I do not have to “build it up” in my system to reap its benefits, I can take it when I need it and decide how much I need each time. If I am feeling well, I can go almost an entire day without a dose. On other days I may take it as often as 3 times.
I have had no negative side effects while it takes the edge off my pain. I am able to go about my day clear headed, doing all the things that need to be done.
Please, consider that your decision regarding kratom will affect millions of Americans including myself who have found their lives again. Many of us have gone back to work, raised our families or are now able to volunteer our time in our communities. Believe us when we tell you Kratom is harmless. With the high cost of healthcare, there is nothing more hurtful than knowing your family is going into debt and you are not getting any better; there is always another test or medication your Dr wants to try.
Kratom has not only helped me, it has helped my family. My husband works hard, we are a single income family and we raised 4 children. We are a typical crosscut of the American family and I of an average kratom user.
Thank you for listening to my story, I pray that it, like so many others will touch your heart and open your eyes to the need for Kratom to be available for those who choose to use it.
Please vote against the ban on kratom, Thank you, Dee
I am going to post a quote from one of the greatest Presidents this nation has ever had and he really understood politics and he knew where politics were headed because he knew that GREED played a huge part.
“Prohibition… goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes… A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.”
― Abraham Lincoln
I am 54 and work in a physically demanding field. As a mechanic, as an Automotive A/C tech and recently have been able to return to tree trimming to make ends meet. I spent 25 yrs as a climber in this field. I have been able to do these things as a result of a herb called Kratom. If I have to return to pharmaceuticals to relieve my pain I do not believe I will live a very long. My quality of life will go back to Near 0. I have lived with chronic pain for the last 20 years of my life. It does not go away. treatment with pharmaceutical painkillers is not an option. I have just completed an A/C repair course and have a $10,000 student loan to repay. If I go back to traditional pain treatment I will be unable to repay my loan. I will never be able to complete the required apprenticeship to get my contractors license in my chosen field. This is my retirement plan. This ban is in effect canceling my life.
I am sure there should be some regulation applied to this plant as far as accessibility by youth. I should not be made a criminal for responsibly treating my chronic pain. If this plant is actually studied with real science it will be found to be quite beneficial in a number of ways. As for the pathetic numbers the DEA has given for their ban. I have 100,000 X more chance of dying if I have to go to a hospital than by using Kratom.
Hospitals kill 440,000 people a year by mistakes. Preventable deaths by hospitals 440,000. That is a scary number. That is perspective!
http://www.hospitalsafetyscore.org/newsroom/display/hospitalerrors-thirdleading-causeofdeathinus-improvementstooslow
I am deeply disappointed and I’m deeply outraged. Until a year ago my choices were few and far between to treat 2 very debilitating neurological issues. Then came my discovery of Kratom. Having suffered very painfully for years and remained on long term opiate therapy as well as many other medications that came with a whole host of bad side effects, I was desperate to gain some semblance of life. I was a burden to my family and would have already become a burden on our government. While its not a cure it is certainly effective and its safe. Kratom has saved my life! No one can live in that condition forever and most people can’t even begin to imagine this life. My quality of life was so poor that all my thoughts were about how to end my life without hurting the people I love while becoming highly adept at putting on a good face. Even the use of antidepressants for years did not deliver me from longing for the end. I didn’t want to die, I just wanted the pain to end. Today, pain is more managed than it has been in 15 years. My quality of life has improved quite dramatically! I’m no longer “foggy” from opiates all the time! The daily regimen of meds remaining still present quite a challenge.There may be a day that I have to return to all prescription meds again but I pray that time is not sooner than later. I can’t bear to think of what my life will become again. Please, please, please lift the ban on Kratom. My life still has enormous challenge, please allow me live the best life I can.
You can’t let the DEA’s plan to ban kratom go ahead! There is so much good that kratom does for so many people: it is extremely medicinal and a very effective mental health supplement. It has been for sale for many decades, and shown to be perfectly safe with no recorded ODs. Why does it need an “emergency” scheduling now? This is ridiculous. Any naturopath will tell you that kratom, when taken at a low dose, is very safe, and non-habit forming.
Personally, I have used kratom everyday now for over a year. I heard from an internet forum that it could help with depression and anxiety, as well as bipolar disorder — things I have suffered with for a very long time. I decided to try it out, buying a small amount of capsules. It works great! I take about 1-2 grams a day, far far less than it would take to get someone “high” off of it and it has changed my life! I have motivation, I have much less fear and anxiety in dealing with people and being in crowds. Since starting kratom I have gone back to school to get a Masters degree, left an abusive relationship and have generally had less mood swings and more motivation.
Kratom is a godsend — no other psych med I’ve been put on (a very extensive list) has helped me as much as this simple tea leaf! It is NOT an opioid, but does work as an agonist to the same receptors that opiates/opioids do. An opiate agonist is NOT the same thing as an opiate/opiod — common opiate agonists are chocolate, coffee, tea, sugar, and even meat protein!
To get a kratom “high” you need to take more kratom than most people looking for a cheap high can afford, and even then it is not very good. It almost always induces nausea at those dosages, and does very little but make the user sleepy. At low, medicinal doses, it acts somewhat like a mild stimulant to very sensitive people (it is related to the coffee plant), but also has amazing anxiolytic and mood balancing properties. It is also, from what I have heard, very effective as an analgesic for chronic pain.
I feel like the DEA did absolutely no real research into this wonderful herbal supplement. Likely they just saw the ridiculous over-priced packages of it they sell at headshops that are similar in looks and branding to dangerous drugs like spice and bath salts. Kratom is nothing like those! Most kratom users get it online through reputable retailers, usually as the full leaves to make a tea with or powdered in capsules. They do not take it to get high, they take it because it is effective in treating their medical conditions!
Banning kratom only cause negative effects: people will be more inclined to seek out stronger painkilles, they’ll turn to alcohol and street drugs to dull their depression and mental illnesses, there will be a kratom black market where the quality of the product is questionable and possibly dangerous. And, I hate to say it, but some people, unable to relieve their pain and depression, will commit suicide.
Once again: Do not ban kratom! It doesn’t deserve to be banned, its very helpful and safe, and banning it will only hurt the effort to stop the heroin and pharmaceutical opiate epidemic currently destroying America.
Kratom gave me my life and hope back! I’m a 47 year old, wife, mom and grandma. I have never been in trouble with the law. I have been suffering with RSD for 13 years now. I tried all the pharma drugs and got no relief, only negative side effects. I was a walking zombie yet still in excruciating pain. The depression, anxiety and hopelessness that comes with this disease is debilitating at best. Before I found kratom I spent most days curled up in a ball wishing for death. There is no cure for RSD. But with kratom I can manage my symptoms easier and actually be able to function somewhat normal. Once I found kratom is helped with all my symptoms and I began sleeping through the night for the first time since before my diagnosis. It’s a terrifying prospect to lose katom and the ability to improve my quality of life in a safe, effective manner. Kratom saved my life as it has for many others. Finally a safe alternative to the addictive and dangerous opiates I was once prescribed. And I don’t have to worry about anyone, including my grand kids, OD’ing on it if they get in to it either, You take too much, you puke. You run out, no withdrawals, just the return of the pain and mental issues it causes. Kratom helps keep my thoughts positive and gives me hope for a future where I can manage my health safely. Taking this plant away from us will cause so many to suffer. And in a time where addiction is an epidemic, kratom can and does save so many. I’ve personally seen it help so many people. It would be a true injustice and an invasion of our civil liberties. If we choose to use a safe alternative we shouldn’t be made into criminals for it. #KeepKratomLegal #IAmKratom
Kratom has been life saving & life altering for my husband & I. This proposed ban is absolutely ridiculous & we wanted to share our story.
My husband served 8 years in the US Army & was medically discharged after being hit by an IED. He suffers from chronic pain due to nerve damage as well as severe PTSD, anxiety, depression, & insomnia.
The medication from the VA nearly killed him. They had him on opiates, muscle relaxers, antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, & sleeping pills. Anyone who has taken even just one of those medication knows the “brain fog” you experience & obviously effects your ability to work.
One of the other men he served with suggested he try kratom, after he found it & had a great experience using it. After doing our research on it & hearing so many good things we decided to give it a try.
The difference between my husband on rx drugs & my husband on kratom is absolutely night & day. Kratom EFFECTIVELY helped every condition he’s dealing with & keeps him alert & focused enough to be able to function like normal. Kratom has actually been MORE effective than certain prescription meds. Before kratom, even with all the prescription drugs, he had horrible night terrors just about every single night. He hasn’t experienced ANY after switching to kratom. Kratom gave me my husband back & our kids their dad back.
In addition to his success with it I also found it to be life changing. Years ago, after a bad car accident, I developed a dependence on prescription pain killers. I eventually got off them & switched to suboxone but suboxone had plenty of its own horrible side effects & I hated the way I felt on it. I tried getting off suboxone multiple times but failed every time.
When we were researching kratom for my husband we read about how it’s been used for centuries to ease opiate withdrawal. I decided to give it a try & was shocked at how much it helped.
I’d been on 16mg of suboxone daily for years so I was expecting brutal withdrawals. I stopped taking it cold turkey & had kratom tea in the morning, afternoon, & evening. Anyone who has gone through opiate withdrawal knows how horrible they are. I kept waiting for the worst to kick in & could not believe how few withdrawals I had. The worst I felt was mild flu-like symptoms from coming off suboxone but overall felt fine to go to work & keep up with all my other responsibilities.
My husband & I are not felons. He is a supervisor at an oil company & I’m a full time trainer at a credit union. We are home owners & parents of happy kids who attend private school. In our extra time we foster animals & help them find forever homes.
I’m terrified for us & thousands of others if this ban goes through. Opiate overdoses increase every time kratom is banned but it’s not just the overdoses- it’s also the loss of QUALITY of life kratom has given so many of us. I can’t even imagine going back to prescription medication after how far we’ve come.
This proposed ban is just unreal & all I can do is hope that common sense & what’s right prevails here. Kratom alone has not cost a single life & it has been life saving for thousands.
If this ban goes through you’ll be making felons out of good people just trying to live a normal, healthy life.
I suffer from debilitating mouth ulcers – 4 to 5 times a year, for at least a month, ulcers form up and down my esophagus – during which times I take the weakest version of hydrocodone which allows me to work and stand the pain — normally my doctor would give me two refills just to get through the current outbreak – but because of the DEA limiting hydrocodone to no refills, when I run out I have to hope I can get an apt just for the doctor to give me a new prescription. All I do it walk in, say hello, walk out with the prescription – twice – and I have to shell out $245.00 each time to get this prescription and since this happens 4 to 5 times a year , the DEA has now just increased my doctors bill over $2,000 a year.
I just tried Kratom – it’s not a cure all, it tastes bad, like a plant, it doesn’t remove all the pain, however, I have found out that if I mix it with lemon tea, it takes the edge off and I can work without hydrocodone, I still take hydrocodone, but during those times I take only 1 hydrocodone, and only at night to sleep.
There is no reason to bad this, Kratom is not heroin, but if needed, make it so that you have to be at least 18 to buy, like with other drugs you can buy, e.g., Sudafed –
I am a cervical cancer survivor with severe endo and as a result I was forced into very early menopause. For women, suffering from endo and going through menopause is the worst of both worlds and treatment is a catch 22. HRT has to be taken, but the endo prevents you from doing so, unless you want debilitating pain for the next 30 years. Enter kratom. Kratom has made all menopausal symptoms AND endo symptoms go away. I have been taking kratom for almost a decade and I feel great. It helps me live a normal, pain free, life.
I have horrible social anxiety that has been treated with a wide range of pharmaceuticals that have taken me from “high” to a zombie… along with alcohol which helped, but I didn’t like how it made me feel either. I heard about Kratom from a friend that takes it for back pain. I heard that it helps with anxiety, so after doing a ton of research, I gave it a try around 5 years ago. It took some time to find the perfect dose, but it’s been a miracle for me and my family. I’m able to function normally now and I even hold a full time job where I need to interact with others all the time. I don’t get “high” or even feel anything from it, besides being able to combat my anxiety. Please do not ban Kratom, but rather regulate it and make it 18/21+. That will help make it safer and allow those of us to continue life without going back to harsh medications.
I keep kratom on hand (but rarely use it) because I have had recurring kidney stones and needed to have 10/325 norco’s to alleviate the pain. I haven’t had the stones now for awhile, but my last bout with them cost me $7k in an ER visit because it was the middle of the night and I didn’t have anything on hand. With kratom, I’m not worried that I might suddenly wake up in terrible pain and have to decide whether to writhe in agony until my specialist’s office opens up or drive to the ER and sacrifice my daughter’s college tuition. I could take some kratom to dull the pain until the office opens (if necessary).
I know my story pales in comparison to everyone else’s but that ease of mind means a lot to me!
I am a 61 year old retired educator and school administrator with 31 years of public school service. I am writing to you because I am appalled at the DEA’s decision to ban kratom as of September 30th without proper research, and without any input from the citizens or the officials elected by citizens. It is clear, from even their statistics, that kratom is not truly a national emergency and imminent danger, unlike detergent pods and legal prescription opioids.
I suffer from severe arthritis and can barely walk; many days I am unable to use my hands because of the pain. For five years I was in constant pain and had been on prescription drugs that nearly destroyed my life. I was ready to give up, but then I found out about kratom. I now choose to use a natural plant-based medication instead of the prescription narcotics. I believe it has saved my life, and I’ll suffer a severe setback when kratom is made illegal. This ban will destroy my quality of life. My health is now better than ever. My blood pressure is no longer high and my cholesterol levels are better than ever. I credit kratom for all this. I cannot go back to relying on prescriptions that cause me bad physical side effects, anxiety, and depression. The shop I purchase my kratom from can testify that most of their kratom customers are people my age and older. Young people and drug addicts don’t like kratom because it doesn’t give you any high or “buzz.” Blaming kratom for those 15 deaths is like blaming Coca Cola for your hangover instead of the whiskey you mixed it with. The DEA should know better, and I believe they do. The DEA will be responsible for the overdoses that come from people forced to go back to prescription drugs and, worse, heroin, because of their decision. Just look at what happened in Alabama when kratom was recently made illegal. They’ll also be responsible for increase in an elderly jail population when all us senior citizens are arrested with a schedule 1 drug in our possession.
I hate that I can no longer trust government agencies like the DEA and CDC who pretend to have my best interest in hand but appear to really be protecting drug dealers and big business including pharmaceutical companies. Please look at the real facts about kratom, and not the scare tactics being used, and allow this plant of God’s creating to be researched further. Thank you for your time and God Bless you!
I have chronic pain ,scoliosis, sciatica, arthritis and I am prescribed opioids for my pain. I got very frustrated having to take my pain meds as they don’t work as well over time and was tierd of being in a fog and still not living the quality of life that I knew I should be living ..so I searched the internet for natural pain reliever and came across kratom..after studying kratom for about 6 months I decided to purchase some over the Internet at a reputable place and tried some with my carnation milk shake I found a great difference right away and was able to start taking less and less of my medications ..as time went on my pain was at a lower level then it has ever been..no more fog and I was able to start living the quality of life that I knew I wanted to live again..and that is just what’s it’s done for me..Look at all these other testimonials. .This is by far a wonderful plant to be respected and to be grateful for..Taking this plant away will do way more harm then good…please reconsider what you are doing. .if you are really trying to help the people of this great country please keep this plant legal ..Banning it will only cause alot of hurt and pain that doesn’t need to happen. .I am I mother,grandmother, daughter, sister and friend.. God Bless ♡
Please do not ban Kratom it is the only effective method that I have found to help me sleep at night and ease my chronic pain. I have tried prescription and OTC meds and they either don’t work or impair my motor skill and cause heavy withdraw symptoms or leave me groggy in the morning. With Kratom I have been able to abandon all my Medication, ease my chronic pain, and get a good night sleep. this is a very useful plant that serves as a safe alternative dangerous prescription drugs. PLEASE DEA DO NOT BAN KRATOM
I am writing to voice my opinion as to the effort by the DEA to move kratom to a schedule 1 drug. After a work-related accident and numerous back surgeries left me with debilitating pain, I was forced into the nightmare of addiction to prescription pain medications. I am certain that the doctors meant no harm and, for a while, the medications were effective. Over time the effectiveness of the drugs diminished and I was forced to higher and higher dosages which eventually made my quality of life miserable. After nearly a decade in that hopeless cycle I found an alternative that allows me to function normally in society and maintain employment without the harsh effects of prescription pain medications. That alternative, for me, was kratom. It has been nothing short of life-saving for me as I am free from the effects of narcotics with a very manageable pain level. I can’t imagine, for the life of me why, despite overwhelming scientific evidence and first hand testimony of millions of Americans in support of kratom’s safety and efficacy, the DEA is trying to classify this TRADITIONAL TEA LEAF as a Schedule 1 drug. In my mind it smacks of a quest for more power and authority for the administrator and his organization. This ruling would effectively turn myself and millions of other Americans using this plant into felons overnight costing taxpayers millions while obliterating current federal research on the plant. In light of this, one has to ask, is the DEA is more interested in maintaining failed drug policies than in making decisions based on scientific evidence? Overwhelming evidence, thousands of years of use, and my own experience leads me to believe that kratom is a safe alternative to prescription opiates with important medicinal uses and has changed the lives of so many Americans including myself. I fear this action by the DEA will only lead to more tragic deaths of victims of the opiate epidemic by effectively casting them back into the current opioid and heroin epidemic. I fear that is exactly what will happen to me. Trust me. I do not wish that feeling of hopelessness and despair on anyone. Especially those who suffer from legitimate pain issues and have no other recourse but to resume that addiction nightmare. I would also be very interested to know how much influence the big drug companies have on this decision. I am sorry for the length of this post but I feel that my, and my family’s, situation will become desperate. I only wonder what they will come after next?
I am a 37 year old single mother and widow. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a year before I lost my husband because of a drunk driver. The pain from my disease was debilitating. Waking up to care for my child bordered impossible. I tried a number of drugs from my doctor, many opioids, and not only did they not work after a few weeks, the side effects were horrendous. I was moody, tired, had dental problems, still in pain and if I tired to go a day without to get my mind stable I would be incredibly sick. I went to a wellness shop out of desperation one day, and the women that owned the store introduced me to kratom. It was nothing short of a miracle. I had energy, my pain was gone, there were no side effects and I never in the four years of taking it had to increase my dose. I don’t get high off kratom, I did however get high off the oxycodone the doctor prescribed. It’s disturbing that the DEA would rather have me high, still in pain and every other terrible side effect around my child, then to give me the choice to an herbal alternative. I am terrified to have to go back to the doctors poison. How dare you take my right to live a productive life away from me. Who are you to control how I chose to care for my body? We are not free, we are controlled by wealthy and greedy corporations that have no problem destroying people’s lives for their financial gain. Your taking away my ability to care properly for myself and my child. Not everyone is blessed with good health, you should walk a mile in their shoes before you make decisions that effect their well being.
Hello. I am a 57 year old woman who has been using Kratom for 10 plus years. It has been a life saver for me with chronic pain, lethargy and outlook. Discovering and using Kratom has given me the ability to live instead of exist. I started using kratom when I was in bed for one year, contemplating suicide. it allowed a lift in my mood to pull the curtains and look out the window. it allowed me to take a shower. it allowed me to change from wearing the same nightgown for a year to showering daily and putting on clean clothes. it allowed me to put hair color in my hair without leaving it in for a week simply because “I couldn’t rinse it out”. It allowed me to take a basket of socks and matching them. This is all while I was addressing my condition. I was seeing a psychiatrist. I was so treatment resistant. Please don’t take this away from us, you have no idea what you’re doing. You have no idea what it feels like when you cannot move due to physical and mental pain. I lost my job due to the physical and mental pain. I lost my family at that time and I credit Kratom to being able to build myself back up, step by step, to who I thankfully am today.
Kratom saved my life. Before I found kratom, I was hopelessly addicted to pain killers I started on after a bike accident almost killed me. A few years after the accident, I was on suboxone for four years btw, I had to hit the streets to treat mt phantom pain and cravings. I had no life. When I you d kratom, I was able to taper off opiates completely… To the point I realized I wasn’t even in PAIN! The opioids had trained my brain to send false pain signals so it could get more drugs and satisfy it’s addiction .
This herb is the only thing that has helped me with anxiety and depression. After a particularly trying year ( my 79 year old mom became ill, And I had to take care of her. She ended up in long term care, and I had to sell her house. During this time, I had to leave my job in order to be available for her 24/7.), I turned to my doctor to try a few things. That’s something I’ve never done, but I was kind of desperate. What he gave me (and he’s a good guy, it’s not his bad), didn’t work, or made me feel worse. This herb is the only thing that has helped with the anxiety which in turn helped me to deal with my overall stress. After trying my doctor’s prescriptions and having them not work or make me feel worse, I did try other herbs such as St. John’s wort, but nothing really worked as well as kratom. I’ve been taking it since around June. And it’s helped lift the cloud, without making me feel impaired, or straight up bad (like the antidepressants did.) Kratom has been a god send.
When I was just 18 I was prescribed opiates by my family doctor to treat chronic pain. After just a short time I found myself physically dependent, and before I knew it my life was spiraling downhill. I couldn’t function as a normal human being or member of society without the dangerous opiates, and thus the problem kept on progressing and getting worse. As a result I dropped out of college and was reduced to a being desperate just to survive on a daily basis. Then I found kratom. It was a natural safe solution which allowed me to become free of my deadly opiate dependency with literally no negative repercussions. With kratom I could now function as a normal being. I could think clearly, I could stay awake, I could be active. Thanks to this herb I went back to college and ended up graduating from the number one public school in the nation becoming a contributing member of society. Thank you CRE for taking these crucial steps towards proposing a sensible solution to this important topic.
To me, what is happening here is absolutely criminal. I discovered Kratom about a year ago. I wish I had discovered it sooner. The damage I have done to my body per my physician’s instructions is slowly reversing thanks to the health benefits that Kratom has afforded me. The DEA is taking something from me that has given me quality of life back, given a mother back to my children, a wife back to my husband, and my mother no longer worries that I will “accidentally” kill myself on pain killers. Kratom is a plant with no added synthetics. It has made me more self aware where I no longer put processed foods, or sugary drinks in my body. I overall feel so much healthier, and look forward to each new day, rather than being eager to get in bed and stay there. I am a professional, with no more than a speeding ticket on my record. This is not a drug, but a lifestyle for health
Kratom saved my life. Please do not make me a criminal.
Hi, I am a 57 year old women who has been living with Fibromyalgia for over 10 years. Doctors have prescribed numerous pharmaceutical medications which have been of little help. In addition, I have herniated discs in my neck and lower back. I had to cut back on my Dental Hygiene hours to 6 hours a month because the results of my illness and back issues made it nearly impossibe to perform my tasks without being in horrible pain along with fatigue that would keep me in bed for days. I only did this small amount of hours to stay in the loop and keep my license active. Luckly I was able to obtain another job out of my field with a drastic pay cut which made life even more unbearable because of finances. I found Kratom through numerous searchs for a natural supplement and joined some groups to learn more. All I have to say is wow because I have been using this miracle plant now for 4 months and it has totally improved the way I feel. I am a productive member of society and wish to remain that way and even plan on going back to practicing Dental Hygiene which is my profession I educated myself for and love. #IAmKratom. #StopTheBan.
There is no reason for kratom to be prohibited under Schedule 1 in Autumn 2016. This plant has been a life-saving gift for many who find pharmaceutical medications are not sufficient to mitigate damaging health issues that keep them from living productively. When so many people rely on the benefits of this simple plant to help them live decently & productively, there needs to be much more study of this plant than there is now. Prohibition will disable that study completely. In its natural form kratom is a relative to the coffee plant, with no more ill effect than coffee has now. If coffee is not prohibited in our communities, kratom should not be prohibited either. It has made an enormous difference in our lives. Please continue to enable us to experience and appreciate the benefits of this God-given plant! Without prohibition, many more of us can benefit from kratom in the future. Many more of us can experience the health-given properties of this simple herbal supplement, with untold positives for our community and society! Personally I’ve found great benefit in kratom, to help me manage painful arthritis, sciatica and fibromyalgia. In addition to these illnesses I have life-long pain due to scoliosis and lordosis, two types of spinal curvature. I’m managing these conditions much better than I was before discovering this herb. I’m living a much fuller life thanks to kratom!
I am begging you, please don’t take this herb away! It is the only thing that helps with my depression. It saved my life from prescription medication. My mother who is 58 has suffered chronic Lyme disease and crontic fatigue most of my life. For the first time in 28 years I have a normal mother. She has been in and out of doctors my whole life and this herb and saved her. I beg you please let us continue to buy this wonderful medicine. We aren’t drug addicts we are normal people benefitting from a wonderful herb. Please think twice before banning it. I will seriously do anything to help keep it legal.
There are many of us who’ve suffered so much from taking these drugs that the doctors push. In an effort to line the FDA’s pockets with even more money the DEA wants to take away a natural plant that works for many of us and has for many years. I’ve suffered from pain for a lot of years. When I found Kratom, I was on a lot of pharmaceutical drugs that were suppose to “help me”. In the end the only things it helped me to do was gain weight and become addicted to opiates, never helping to manage my symptoms. Then, the doctor took those away because the government stepped in and said doctors are over prescribing, which left me with horrible withdrawls. I was then referred to a Pain Management Doctor who again prescribed more opiates, along with a multitude of other medicines that never helped me. When I found Kratom, it was a miracle. I was able to ween myself off of all the medications prescribed to me. I no longer take anything except Kratom.It has helped my pain like nothing ever has before. Did all of my pain disappear ? No but, it is manageable now. I was able to stop taking the antidepressant Cybalta because Kratom helped my depression. I was having panic attacks, my anxiety was at an all time high and my pain was off the charts. Kratom has even helped me get some of the weight off. Over the last year and half I have lost close to 50 pounds. That weight was caused from taking the approved poison that the doctors were prescribing. I feel much better than I did a year and half ago. To make Kratom a schedule 1 drug will hurt a lot of people who use it. I never wish to feel the way I felt a year and half ago. I contemplated suicide many times because my life was nothing but, pain, day after day. and I was a burden to my husband. To take away Kratom is to take away my life once again. I never want to go back to those days. I’m raising my 2 year old grandson due to his mother giving him away. He needs me. I could never do that without this plant’s leaves. It has changed EVERYTHING in my life for the better.
I have heard a lot of stories about Kratom helping with heroin addicts and such. I have never done heroin but I was a meth addict and alcoholic. I was in and out of rehab centers multiple times and always relapsed eventually within a year. The main reason I was an alcoholic and then meth addict is because I suffered from depression since age 16 years old. Because of my depression I turned to alcohol for help which just made it worse. Then turned to meth after needing more help from being an alcoholic. Both just made my life extremely worse and I thought there was no way out. Then one of my friends told me about Kratom and how it helps with depression so that you can stop the need for your addictions to alcohol and hard drugs. So I decided I would give it a try because I was so sick of being addicted to these two substances destroying my life. Now all I have to say is I have a great career, and want to live life everyday. I no longer have Suicidal Thoughts!! Also after relapsing within a year of each Rehabilitation Center I am proud to say I have not relapsed once in over 6 almost 7 years thanks to kratom! Meth is another one of those hard drugs that according to statistics there’s a 99% chance of relapse. Well I was one of those statistics until I found kratom and it has been many years with no relapses. I never thought I would see the day when my life would be where I am today. I used to be homeless, with no money, living on the streets, and begging for money to get high. Now I have a great job, pay my bills on time, want to wake up every morning and be productive. I do not understand how something (kratom) that can cause someone like me to be a productive member of society should be banned. When I think of harmful drugs, I think of stuff that makes you lose everything that’s important. Kratom is not like that at all it actually has done the opposite and helped me get back everything important that I lost because of alcohol and meth. This plant has saved my life and instead of wanting to stick my head in the sand, I want to wake up every morning and do what needs to be done to be successful. I do not want to go back to what I was before. Please do not ban Kratom because I feel if you banned Kratom that you are saying you ban me too!
I am a 41 year old mother of 4 beautiful children. I can not take pharma pills due to that my body reacts bad. 18 years of suffering so much with pain and no energy due to endometriosis, arthritis and chronic kidney stones,. I started to take kratom 3 years ago and I started to feel much better and I am no longer bedridden. I am able to do a lot cook, work,clean and care for my children esp ecially my daughter with type 1 diabetes. Kratom has made it possible to have some kind of pain free life before I die. I am in fear of my future.With kratom I can function like a normal mom, please my children especially my daughter with type 1 diabetes needs me to be pain free. IN the bible . Gen 1.29 “So God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you” . God gave me this plant to help myself, no man has the right to take away a plant that GOD gave me, no man.
I’m 44 years old. When I was about 22, I was diagnosed with OCD and Anxiety disorders. I didn’t know that I had it until my job stressed me out so much that my anxiety and OCD was triggered and it’s never really gone away since. The doctor put me on 20 mg of Prozac and over the years has increased the dosage to 60 mg. But after about 10 years, I realized it wasn’t working well anymore, because those feelings of anxiety were coming back and I couldn’t shake them off. About 4 years ago, I decided to try kratom for anxiety and it works so much better. I don’t have to take the Prozac any more and I don’t have the undesirable side-effects from the prescription drug. I’ve lost close to 50 pounds, because I’m much more alert and active on kratom. I used to come home and sleep for 15 hours a day. Now I sleep about 6 to 8 hours, like normal people do. Not to get too personal, but the Prozac also had a negative effect on my sex drive and my wife is much happier now that I’ve found a better anti-anxiety treatment. I’ve been taking kratom daily for over 4 years now. It doesn’t get me high – it makes me feel like a normal human being again. I get things done and my judgement doesn’t get clouded by anxiety and paranoia like it used to. Please do not ban kratom – I don’t want to have to go back to a less effective choice with unpleasant side-effects.
I’m a thirty-three year old working professional in the legal field, as well as an artist and lover of history and other such things. I’ve been taking kratom for a little over eight years, and this pending action is devastating to me and to so many I’ve encountered.
I am not one looking to feel intoxicated; I am not trying to do anything that could jeopardize my standing in my career or within my life. I abide the laws and I work my best to be an upstanding, respectable and productive member of society.
Kratom saved my life from spiraling out of my own control, and it gave me back so much hope and so much of what I could achieve as a human being before life threw curveballs at me. Anxiety, panic disorder, and a decline in quality of life was leading me down a road I didn’t understand and couldn’t rise from. And then I found kratom.
Taking this from people who utilize it to better their quality of life is, in a word, cruel. Basing the decision on misinformation and ignorance – or, dare I wonder, corruption – is a slap in the face to all those who still believe in this country and believe that there are genuine and true people in our government.
Kratom may not be a cure-all, wonder herb – but it’s certainly not a dangerous one deserving this level of prohibitory treatment from those who claim that they are acting on the greater good of public safety.
The public is speaking to you now.
Listen to us.
This proposed ban on Kratom is, honestly, ridiculous and misguided, unless of course, the reason is to help Pharmaceutical companies continue to rake in money and kill people with their dangerous opiate drugs. The DEA calls Kratom an opioid. It is NOT an opioid, although it works on the the opioid receptors. It’s impossible to overdose on Kratom because, if one takes too much, they simply throw up. It’s also impossible to get high on Kratom. I used it to wean myself off a 27-year methadone addiction and there is no high at all! I know what getting high is and this just doesn’t do it. Also, when Kratom was banned in some US states, overdoses from other drugs doubled! I’ve helped other addicts end their addictions with Kratom and have never seen any adverse effects from it. I’ve seen plenty of good effects, like the resumption of normal, productive lifestyle, family reconciliation and improved health. The only possible reasons to place Kratom on Schedule 1 are ignorance and/or the DEA benefiting from promoting big Pharma. Either the DEA is ignorant or they think the American people are ignorant. Let me assure you, we aren’t and we are fighting for our rights to use natural, God-given substances to benefit our own health and well being.
As a Veteran who has been put on many opioids, anti-anxiety and anti-seizure medications, kratom was a Godsend. I was able to shut down the fentanyl, xanax and keppra. Now after a year of feeling great I again face the sedation of the other so-called approved medications. How can the DEA say that xanax and valuim are only slightly addicting? Its because kratom doesnt make big pharma money and so their lapdog, the DEA is out to shut it down.
how would you like to feel like a knife entering your body , like someone stabbing you over and over again. A pain so intense , a pain that is unbearable that you feel like your dying. This is the pain I had for 18 years until I found kratom. I have been crying just thinking about the pain that I well have without kratom. l it is not the kratom it is just thinking about the pain I well be having in the future. this is jennifer i wrote above i just forgot to add this.
I was a teacher, Studied Sign Language, Real Estate, even had my bartender’s license. I had a mother, sister & brother, in-laws, nieces & nephews, cousins and wonderful friends. I became ill 18 yrs ago and lost them ALL. These Dr.s I put my faith into prescribed meds that only at the very beginning helped. It wasn’t but a short period of time before I became dependant on them and they would no longer work the same. Dr.s would increase the dosage, but the only thing that would happen would be an increase of my dependency on them and the horrible side effects, not too mention robbing me of a clear state of consciousness. I failed! And even though I knew it wasn’t directly my fault, because of my illnesses, I felt like I was a failure at all the things I worked so hard to achieve, and the most important job of all, being a mother, has completely devastated me. If it were not for my children, I wouldn’t have a reason to go on. That is until I found Kratom. With this amazing God given plant, I found the faith and support needed to work towards making the changes to live a healthier lifestyle. I am no longer using the drugs that robbed me of any kind of quality of life but I am using a plant that has given me my life back!! When will it happen that “We The People” will become what is important again. Please help stop this ban and not take away the quality of life Kratom has given back to us. Time is precious on this earth, please let us live that time free of pain and anxieties. Please let us live with the freedom we were given to live off the land if we so choose. Please let us live with Kratom!
Some people was find ways to ease different ailment through natural herbal supplements, what’s the harm in that? Kratom help lead happy and productive life by lifting my depression and anxiety. it didn’t cure anything but IT HELPED tremendously. To the powers that be, please don’t ban kratom (a tea leap) it helps some many ppl. For me I also have a certain belief that I should be entitled to every herb, tree, blade of green, seed on the planet because that’s why GOD put them here, for man’s use (Gen 1:29). Kratom has truly been a GOD send herb, it has given me a somewhat normal of a life back. Don’t take that away, from people benefiting most. We are not lying about kratom it does help, not cure just help. I still have depression and anxiety on occasion but just not as bad. I just wake up the morning and (ONCE) a day have a cup of tea and that’s it for kratom and NO MORE for the whole. Sometimes I have zero benefits from kratom but most time it calms my anxiety. Kratom is not some miracle, its just an herb that has medicinal purpose. Why would someone want to take that away? I It just baffles my mind. Please DEA do the right thing, listen to the people, the proof is in the pudding. KRATOM greatly improved my quatity of life because I am so much more productive. People me all the time you’re as depressed as I used to be and that’s a good thing, don’t ya think? I do! Thank you for listening to the people.
I am a single mother to 4 wonderful children. They are 14, 12, 11, and 1yo. I have been taking Kratom for 4 years now. Before Kratom I had taken a laundry list of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications. All of these had unwanted and sometimes disastrous side effects on me. One medication that I took for nearly a year, the last anti-depressant I ever took, caused me to be suicidal. I didn’t even realize I was suicidal. The ONLY reason I am here today is because without me, my children have nobody to care for them. Whenever I felt the urge to drive my car off the side of a bridge or cliff I thought about that. Other than this I felt great on the medication. That is the scary part. I felt great! The suicidal thoughts were super exciting to me and sounded like so much fun. The thought of flying free for a few seconds before I died sounded like so much fun it was so worth it to me. I had a bit of resentment towards my kids because I HAD to take care of them so I couldn’t do what I wanted to. The only reason I stopped taking this medication is because my insurance ran out and for a short time I didn’t have any insurance and couldn’t afford it on my limited income. I went through horrible withdrawls and was very depressed again but I suddenly realized that my “happiness” while on the medication was totally based around me being suicidal and fantasizing about killing myself!!! It was at this point that I said NO MORE!! I started searching and researching alternative medicine and trying to get my body HEALTHY through supplements in the hopes that doing that would help my mental health and I could combat my problems without pharmaceuticals. I started reading about Kratom. I saw hundreds of stories from people about how much it had helped them, with NO side effects! I decided to try it. I found a vendor I was comfortable with and made my first purchase. I started out with an extremely small dose as I am very cautious with anything I put in my body. Even on a tiny dose I could feel a difference. I increased a little at a time (1/4 teaspoon) until I felt like I got the best benefit I could from it. That took me about 2 weeks. I was also, at the time, a heavy coffee drinker. I would have a 12 cup pot in the morning and another in the evening and between that I was chugging down soft drinks about a 12pk per day. I always felt sluggish and tired. The first thing I noticed with Kratom was that I had energy. I would take my dose in the morning and within 30 minutes I was ready to face the day. I didn’t feel as depressed. I started actually speaking to people, even strangers!! That was huge for me since for the previous 10 years I had essentially been a shut in. The biggest thing was that my children had their mom back! They were very happy that mommy had her tea that helped her. They are STILL very happy. My two oldest children cried when I told them about the ban on Sept 30th. They remember what life was like before Kratom and do NOT want to go back to that. They don’t want to see their mom have a full blown anxiety attack because someone she doesn’t know knocked on the door, or they come home with a birthday party invitation and the thought of going and even just dropping them off is enough to terrify me. Why am I this way you might ask. I am a survivor of childhood traumas. Sexual abuse by two of my male relatives, beatings by multiple members of my family, surrounded by alcoholics and addicts (something I swore never to become and I have very proud to say I have NEVER walked down that path no matter how bad life has gotten at times). This brings me to another point. The reports that Kratom gets you high. This is FALSE! I have never been high on Kratom. The reports that you can overdose on Kratom. Firstly, you can overdoes on just about anything. Water, caffeine, alcohol, aspirin, Tylenol, antibiotics, and salt just to name a few. If a person takes more Kratom than they should they will feel nauseated and probably vomit. From what I have heard the best thing to do is lie down and let it pass. I did take too much when I was first trying to get my dose right. I felt a little nauseated and laying down for about 30-45 minutes took care of that. Any deaths associated with Kratom I am sure were cases where it was mixed with something else, possibly a more potent drug, or the person died from a preexisting condition not related to Kratom at all. This is a safe tree leaf that has been used for thousands of years.
My background: a Free American citizen living in a supposed democracy which was designed to ensure my rights were not violated by an overcontrolling and all-powerful government; 51 year old male and father of one; suffer with chronic pain caused by fibro and small nerve autonomic neuropathy; work full-time as a college instructor and I want to keep my job rather than go on disability; law-abiding: I have never been arrested and I pay my taxes; I am not now, nor have I ever been, a drug addict; depressed with anxiety disorder; I take less than 10g of Kratom leaf every day to bring my pain level down to a level where I can function and to ease my depression and anxiety. Kratom is helping me avoid disabilty and keep my job.
Like thousands of Americans, the only pain treatment which works that “modern” medicine can provide me is prescription opioids. I started with Tramadol, because it is one of the safest opioids, at one 50mg tablet per day. On the days I did not take it, I felt horrible and basically layed on the couch or in bed all day; I could not function, nor could I work. Tramadol was a wonder drug in the beginning, but I quickly became tolerant to the dose I was taking, so I took the next step on the road to opioid dependence and addiction: my PA increased my dose to 2 tablets per day, and then when I became tolerant to that, 3 tablets per day. Without kratom I would probably be at 4 to 5 tablets per day. I see no end to this: with opioids, I seem to be destined to increasing doses of tramadol until I reach the daily maximum, at which time my PA would be very happy to prescribe me a stronger opioid (she really is more than willing to do so). That’s right. As long as I take them according to prescription, I have easy access to opioids. So why not just enjoy the fun? First, it is not fun! The opioids, and kratom as well, do not make the pain go away; they simply temporarily mask it. I want a cure. Second, I really, really, really, abhor taking opioids. They cause side effects that I do not experience with kratom. The constipation sucks. The opioid-induced insomnia sucks. The tolerance sucks. The potential for abuse sucks. As opposed to kratom, opioids can truly be dangerous and deadly drugs. Opioids are not something I want in my medicine cabinet nor in my body.
I started taking kratom daily 1.5 years ago so I could reduce the amount of or eliminate the tramadol I was on. I am down to one tramadol tablet daily and with the 6-8 g or kratom leaf that I take, I feel better than ever. I”m still very depressed, but not suicidal and wishing for death the way I was before I begain taking kratom. Kratom has only a very few side effects, but they are tolerable and I am very willing to live with them because of the increased quality of life that I experience.
Like the thousands of respected, law-abiding, working Americans who are simply taking kratom to pallliate a medical condition for which modern medicine has few solutions, I know that kratom is a relatively safe and effective medicine. I have never had a negative experience with the therapeutic daily dose that I take. Why can’t the government spend the money they are going to waste trying to enforce a ban on kratom to fund medical and scientific studies to truly answer once and for all how effective (or ineffective, if that is the case) kratom can be, and to identify the benefits and the risks. I would rather the government spend money ensuring that the kratom that I legally purchase is safe and pure. I am less concerned now with impurities than I would be when kratom becomes available on the black market. It is so sadly laughable: the DEA claims that the kratom sold by brick-and-mortar and online vendors is of such questionable quality that it must be immediately eliminated from the marketplace. Does anyone at DEA truly believe that the kratom supply will suddenly dry up? Of course it will not: there will be continued demand from the dumbass kids who think they get “high” from it, but also from patients who are responsibly using kratom (we are NOT drug abusers) to palliate all sorts of pain and suffering. This ensures supply will remain. But when the ban takes effect, I would be seriously concerned what other drugs the black market kratom might contain. For the dumbasses, idiots, and social misfits who think they can get “high” from kratom (honestly, we do not need you nor do we want you; go away and stop giving a beneficial herbal medicine a bad name), black market kratom will be guaranteed to be adulterated because you cannot get “high” from this herb alone. So now I am doubly screwed. I cannot continue to responsibly use kratom to provide pain relief so I can keep working and have a less-than-miserable quality of life without committing a felony when I purchase it, but I would be terrified to purchase it because God knows what other drugs will be mixed with it. Thanks DEA. Thanks for ruining my life. Thanks for forcing back on larger doses of prescription opioids. Thanks for lowering my quality of life. Should things go seriously south, thanks DEA for causing my suicide when I can no longer cope with the pain and the depression. The blood of every American who ends up dying by being forced back on to prescription opioids is on DEA’s hands.
2 years ago I laid in bed, crying and in severe pain due to fibromyalgia .. All the doctors want to do is prescribe pain meds! I am a 46 year old mother of 3 Getting ready to celebrate my 24th wedding anniversary, have been a house cleaner for many years .. My life was in the pits, deep depression, sad and in pain Barely could get out of bed to fix lunch or dinner for my husband. Just happened to find Kratom, did MUCH research and after trying EVERY essential oil and EVERY supplement even ordered tea from China! Seriously! After my first few days of Kratom I found myself actually looking forward to the day, few days later I was able to clean the house and not need to spend 3 hours in bed because of it! I’m not a drug addict, I don’t get high, but Kratom has allowed me to live my life! I do not want the drugs the doctors prescribe! So why in the world would you want to create a possible drug addict? This ban will only cause me to double up on my pain meds. Why would you want to cause that? What is the deal? I’m taking a NATURAL PLANT! Instead of synthetic crap that can only cause a life long addiction! I enjoy being a productive member of society! Not a burden and drug addict!
https://medium.com/@mattcam/the-dea-is-about-to-make-me-a-criminal-and-end-the-last-best-hope-for-the-american-opiate-crisis-2b5c919bbcbb
Two years ago I was about to lose my job and be at the mercy of the state. I was laid up in bed and sleeping all day, sleeping off side effects of the many, many medications the doctors gave me to combat my chronic pain. I was to the point that i did not want to live anymore. I prayed every night that tonight would be my night to go to sleep and not wake up in the morning. I knew this was not the life i wanted to live. I have ehlers-danlos syndrome, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, chronic colitis, increased intracranial pressure, and intraoccular pressure. The burning pain of the neuropathy made me unable to walk some days, and the migraines from the head and eye pressure made it so some days i couldn’t stand to open my eyes. I have been treated like a faker, a crazy person, and as a drug seeker, when all I wanted was some relief so I could have some kind of a normal life. I joined some online support groups to try to improve my frame of mind, and someone shared an article about kratom. I did a lot of research, and I read countless testimony from people who had found it before myself. I decided to take a leap of faith and give it a try, as nothing else was working. I cried the first time I tried it, because the burning lessened to the point that I could walk. It lifted my mood so that I didn’t have a black cloud hanging over my head. And since that day I haven’t looked back. Two years later and I am now working full time again with my own insurance and no state aid. I can again do things with my children and enjoy myself with them, with friends, with family. I have tapered off of the antidepressants, the antiseizure medications, and I take no prescription pain medications. My doctor has been amazed at my transformation, and encourages me to stay on the path that I am on. If my doctor supports this, if my family supports it, if it does not make me high and helps me maintain a stable life, with a stable job, how is that a bad thing? Take a look at us, and you will see that we are NOT what the DEA claims we are. We are professionals, we are mothers, we are grandparents, we are spouses. It would be unfair to not let us decide for ourselves as American ADULT citizens. It is our God given right to choose a PLANT over poison. And the fact that they made a synthetic version of our beloved plant before banning the natural occurance of it REALLY shows the corruption here. (PZM21) It takes all compounds of the plant working together that makes it so special. A synthetic will probably make us all worse. Do your homework and see what it REALLY is before you decide to rip it away from us that just want one thing. To live as normal a life as possible with the horrible circumstances we have been handed.
I have been using Kratom for 8 years. I have 3 herniated discs in my back and have permanent debilitating sciatica as well as severe depression resulting from my pain riddled existence .In coping with both physical and emotional pain I turned to drinking alcohol to numb my body and mind. I am proud to say that Kratom has helped me stop drinking alcohol completely and has turned my life around. Kratom has helped me function and lead a normal productive life that would otherwise be comprimised without the use of life threatening opiates which I am strongly against putting in to my body.I was concerned about the health impacts of Kratom when I first started using the leaf regularly, so after the second year of utilizing the plant daily, I went in to my family doctor to receive a physical checkup. I had my blood work ran as well as other tests to see if there was a negative impact from my daily use of Kratom.Not only did my tests come back with flying colors in terms of liver and kidney function, enzyme levels ect ,my cholesterol level and blood pressure also came down from my previous test results. I should also note that I have mistakenly taken a 12 gram dose of 100x extract ( an ungodly large dose) and I am here as living proof it would be very rare to lethally overdose from Kratom alone. What I would like to see is Kratom regulated to ensure people like myself are receiving the highest quality Kratom available. I would like to see an organic rating system for Kratom as well as fair trade. I would also like to be able to have the right to grow my own Kratom and other medicinal herbs without fear of being punished as a criminal. I am a good person, I am an average working class guy who is finally leading a manageable life with my pain In check thanks to this wonderful natural Herb, and I don’t know where I would be without it.It would be absolutely criminal to take Kratom away from those of us whose lives Are now bearable. It is my spiritual and religious belief that all healing plants on this earth are here for all of humanity to utilize. It is my choice and I have the right to own and use any natural health supplements and wholistic treatments that pertain to my own body.
Here’s some irony for you.
I’m in the Seattle area, and there are legal marijuana stores literally popping up all over…just about lining the streets in certain neighborhoods and suburbs. So, I can walk in and buy a far more psychoactive plant in my city and nobody blinks…but soon – if this DEA kratom ban isn’t stopped – I can’t buy the most helpful, useful, beneficial, and benign herb I’ve ever tried for lifting my depression, getting me off pills, and just plain helping me be productive. This juxtaposition would be hilarious – if it just wasn’t hilarious…at all. Oh right, and also I will be a felon if I have any in my possession. That’s not much of a knee-slapper either.
Dear DEA: Other non-opiate items that stimulate the opiate receptors: chocolate, cheese, massages, breast milk, oh yeah, and moderate exercise. Maybe you better put all those on Schedule Half…you know, because, that would be one higher up than Schedule 1. I mean…wouldn’t want anyone speed-walking and have any opiate receptors pop open. Oh, and hopefully none of those kratom-legal Canadians who have already taken a dose of kratom come jogging over the border either…I mean that would be like a double-dose of non-opiate opiate receptor stimulation. That’s probably like…a Schedule Negative Zero Zero. Maybe when you guys are done with this whole prohibition thing, we can get together and burn some witches and play some tic-tac-toe…you know, another pointless game where NOBODY EVER WINS.
Dear CRE: Thank you for your efforts in trying to give us a voice in this lunacy. Kratom literally pulled me from the clutches of doctor-prescribed opiate addiction, as I nearly overdosed twice. I don’t care how many times “they” say kratom has no medical value or throw around the term “anecdotal evidence” – it is a brilliant plant that almost adapts to whatever you need from it. If my friends hadn’t introduced me to kratom, I’d probably be dead or in jail.
nicely said! great job and thank you 🙂
53 yr old American Indian woman and kratom saved my life from depression, KeepKratomLegal
I am a nurse, mother, college student & chronic pain sufferer. Before learning about kratom about 2 years ago, it took me about 4 hours to just get off of my bed every morning. I was unable to care for my daughter she was a toddler and she was the one taking care of me. I am also a single mother who has always worked at least two to three jobs because I am an overachiever and a contributing member of society. I have always been top of my class no matter where I attended, I have gotten multiple scholarships…even an award from the president himself. I have no criminal record or past drug use or abuse. I come from a long line of nurses in my family as well as members of the military. Unfortunately chronic disease Ron’s in my family as my mother has many of the same ailments that I do. I have rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, Chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic migraines as well as back and neck injuries (from motor vehicle accidents). I never imagined in a millionaire I couldn’t have a semi-formal life. At the age of 24 I considered going on permanent disability which is my LITERAL worse nightmare. It would prevent me from having the life that I wanted for my daughter as well as for myself. I was so frustrated and injured that I could not be normal or function on a daily basis when I was such a an overachiever and perfectionist and wanted the world and was willing to work for it! I tried every treatment all NINE of my specialists in Boston recommended…with symptoms getting worse with every year that passed. I felt 3x my age! It was horrible and the worst part was that doctors would look at me and say you are young, you don’t look like you are sick. Such is the life of a chronic invisible illness sufferer! But then one day my mother recommended to try something natural. She had told me for the first time in over 30 years she had woken up with a pain level of one. I could not believe her and I was extremely skeptical especially as a nurse getting my second degree. I finally researched it for several months in detail every single day and ask Terry single person I knew about it. Finally 1 day I tried it and I literally cried because it was the first time I had not hurt in almost a decade. I could not believe I could take care of my daughter or get up for work without being late or actually go to school without fighting back the tears! I am NOT saying it is a cure but it definitely improved my quality of life from a 2 to an 8 or 9! I have never contemplated going on disability again since taking kratom! I can be a functioning happy healthy member of society without the horrible side effects of medications from the pharmaceutical companies. Please do NOT BAN THIS PLANT! It has changed my life so much I would literally rather move out of the country then go back to being a zombie on medication that doesn’t even work.
I am a nurse, mother, college student & chronic pain sufferer. Before learning about kratom about 2 years ago, it took me about 4 hours to just get off of my bed every morning. I was unable to care for my daughter she was a toddler and she was the one taking care of me. I am also a single mother who has always worked at least two to three jobs because I am an overachiever and a contributing member of society. I have always been top of my class no matter where I attended, I have gotten multiple scholarships…even an award from the president himself. I have no criminal record or past drug use or abuse. I come from a long line of nurses in my family as well as members of the military. Unfortunately chronic disease Ron’s in my family as my mother has many of the same ailments that I do. I have rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, Chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic migraines as well as back and neck injuries (from motor vehicle accidents). I never imagined in a millionaire I couldn’t have a semi-formal life. At the age of 24 I considered going on permanent disability which is my LITERAL worse nightmare. It would prevent me from having the life that I wanted for my daughter as well as for myself. I was so frustrated and injured that I could not be normal or function on a daily basis when I was such a an overachiever and perfectionist and wanted the world and was willing to work for it! I tried every treatment all NINE of my specialists in Boston recommended…with symptoms getting worse with every year that passed. I felt 3x my age! It was horrible and the worst part was that doctors would look at me and say you are young, you don’t look like you are sick. Such is the life of a chronic invisible illness sufferer! But then one day my mother recommended to try something natural. She had told me for the first time in over 30 years she had woken up with a pain level of one. I could not believe her and I was extremely skeptical especially as a nurse getting my second degree. I finally researched it for several months in detail every single day and ask Terry single person I knew about it. Finally 1 day I tried it and I literally cried because it was the first time I had not hurt in almost a decade. I could not believe I could take care of my daughter or get up for work without being late or actually go to school without fighting back the tears! I am NOT saying it is a cure but it definitely improved my quality of life from a 2 to an 8 or 9! I have never contemplated going on disability again since taking kratom! I can be a functioning happy healthy member of society without the horrible side effects of medications from the pharmaceutical companies. Please do NOT BAN THIS PLANT! It has changed my life so much I would literally rather move out of the country then go back to being a zombie on medication that doesn’t even work.
I am grieving mother with ptsd. I have pain from eds, arthritis, fibromyalgia, depression/anxiety, and other chronic illnesses. Kratom has helped improve my overall quality of life by 80%. Please don’t take this simple supplement away from those of us who utilize it instead of opiates and barbiturates.
Please help us educate the facts about kratom. I have stopped taking four pharmaceuticals. Kratom has given me my life back. I have had no adverse effects from this natural plant! It has literally saved my life. I work full time and have never been charged with a crime. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without this safe alternative!! It has made me a more productive member of society! Please help us stand up for our “right to choose”
There are so so many that use this plant as a safe alternative. I have seen it change people’s lives. Please help? I do not want to go back on pharmaceuticals. I have no health insurance and did not do well while taking the large amount of meds. I know and have heard from hundreds if not thousands how kratom has changed their life.
-Thank you so very much for helping the community. This ban will be responsible for many many deaths. And also destroy people’s lives who choose to use a safe plant as an alternative to help them live a decent life!
#iamkratom #keepkratomlegal #kratomsaveslives
Just wanted to add, Kratom deserves a fair chance in a scientific light to help those of us in need of another way to deal with very painful areas in our lives be it physical or mental. Kratom is a miraculous plant that has been around for centuries. and for the DEA to just put it into a schedule 1 is just a obvious over-abuse of power and we need your help . Thank you for the letter written to the DEA. All of this all adds up and together we can help save our countries veterans , people who work daily and contribute to our society of pain and mental instability’s being on just drugs prescribed that does more harm than help for most patients.
short story. I got severely addicted to opiates in high school, oxys, vicoden, benzos, because it was easily accessible in the good ole medicine cabinets, i stole, i lied. After 4 years, in 2005, looking for a way out, i found kratom, i can guarantee you, within 2 years i would have been a junkie on the streets, dead. 11 years later im still an active member of society, a business owner, a tax payer, im NORMAL, they are making kratom out to be some dangerous thing when i know 10,000% it isnt true. Kratom SAVED my life and the DEA will kill MANY people making it illegal.
I am a middle (to upper) age female. I have a history of scoliosis but was able to keep symptoms that started in my 20’s by visiting a chiropractor and staying very fit. Unfortunately I developed a stiff neck (actually due to another illness-lyme) and a doctor suggested traction therapy for it. Throughout the lengthy traction therapy (15 weeks), my low back and hips got messed up. Probably should never have put a 40 some year old woman in traction, but he later claimed he didn’t realize I had scoliosis! In spite of rehabilitation, and attempts at staying fit & strong, I never returned to my previous state. I am still working on it 10 years later and the pain is intense, at times I am barely able to move without excruciating pain, bend over, even walk at times. Just this past year I discovered kratom and it has been a godsend. It helps to keep me productive – for example, I have been in debilitating pain, unable to clean or do a thing on my days off. .A drink of kratom tea and voila, I am productive and able to clean and do laundry! Unlike regular pain killers, when it wears off I do not find myself in more pain. Rather, as it is also an anti-inflammatory, I find myself better able to function for a few more days, even without needing to take additional kratom, and certainly not feeling any after-effects of the activity I performed at the time. As I said, it’s been less than a year since I’ve discovered it, but I had hoped to begin to use it in a conditioning program where perhaps I may one day return to running. I don’t stand a chance without it.
Such a shame many peoples lives have changed for the better we have a right to what we chose to put in our bodies hundreds die daily from synthetic shit and this gets schedule 1 really ??? Without this plant i wull be back in bed nit enjoying life not able to work sych a shame
I have several chronic pain problems as well as anxiety, depression and add. I have been taking prescription medications to help control these issues for over 15 years but they never fully helped. I became dependant on my opiate pain meds and was abusing my add meds and was miserable with my life. Then I found kratom and was able to cut down my pain meds from taking every 4 hours to only as needed (maybe 3 times a month). Before kratom my life revolved around my medication schedule and I spent my days watching the clock waiting for it to be time to take another pill. Now I drink a cup of kratom tea in the morning and afternoon and my pain is controlled all day and I’m in a great mood. It’s no different than how many drink a cup of coffee or so throughout the day.
Kratom has absolutely saved my life and the DEAs uncalled for actions would be devastating for myself and thousands of other kratom users.
Thank you for your letter to the DEA and for taking interest in preventing Kratom from being classified as a narcotic. Kratom is in fact NOT a drug and should not be classified as such. Kratom has given my brother the ability to function in society again after a major accident which left him disabled in his dominant arm. He was on 11 meds and still was in pain. He was not able to work due to the side effects and gained 100 pounds. Thanks to Kratom and Kratom alone he is back to work and off all medications including fentanyl, neurotic, Xanax and 8 others I cannot recall. He takes Kratom daily and functions just like he never had his arm injury. Please do not take that away from my brother. He deserves to enjoy the benefits of Kratom without fear of doing something illegal!!
Where all other synthetic and natural remedies have failed, kratom has absolutely transformed my quality of life, as it has for countless thousands of others who suffer from a wide range of ailments. I personally suffer from chronic IBS, fatigue and depression. I sought help from conventional medicine and psychiatry, and then alternative therapies like acupuncture and Chinese remedies when conventional remedies failed. Kratom is the only medicine that has made my health conditions manageable and restored my ability to contribute to society as a productive citizen. I have found it to be completely non-habitforming and devoid of negative side effects; naturally I cannot say the same about many of the prescription drugs I have taken in my lifetime at the advice of medical professionals. While I am not currently taking kratom because my health has improved, I am saddened and angered by the wrongheaded decisionmaking of the DEA to list this gentle plant as a Schedule I narcotic. It is time for our government agencies to listen to the concerns of their constituents and act in the true interest of public health and safety, rather than shamelessly protect the profits of the special interests who are making us sick and killing us at a higher rate than car accidents. The DEA has betrayed the public trust and deserves to be held accountable for their overreach, arrogance, and flagrant disregard for principles of scientific inquiry and harm reduction.
I am a middle aged female with health issues, some minor, some not so minor. I began benefitting from kratom approx 10 yes ago and haven’t looked back. I’ve taken Rx meds that have had such terrible side effects, I had to stop taking them. Since starting kratom, my symptoms vanished and no ill ffects. Feeling whole and complete. Then, the DEA stepped in and is trying to take our health away from us. Kratom isn’t an opiate, nor is it bad for you, quite the opposite. I’ve opted for having liver, kidney function, CBC bloodwork done twice every year for the last 10, all normal, every time. It’s a plant. It’s not harmful. It’s helpful. It’s saved lives. So, why take it away? I choose to be heathy.
The Lord Giveth, the DEA Taketh Away…
I am not alone. I have chronic neuropathy pain. 100% of the time. Always.
I was on very high octane prescription pain meds, mega high doses for many years and as we all know, is not a solution for chronic pain. As you may imagine, my life was in the toilet. Completely. I couldn’t do a thing…
I had lost all hope, but clung to one last option… I decided (after 15 years of dependence) to give it one last shot. I stopped the prescription pain meds. It was brutal, but I got through it. I really had no idea what my pain level would be like but figured my life couldn’t get much worse.
I was wrong…
The pain was so intense, so never-ending, so consuming that in a short time I found myself sitting on the edge of my bed with a couple of bottles of pills. No more otpions.
A friend just happened to come over to my house and caught me. This friend took me home and helped me find a solution. It was kratom…
Contrast that situation with this: I just returned from a 3 week walking trip through Europe! Me! Walking! I am able to function WITHOUT the horrible side effects of presription drugs. I am happy. I am in love (never thought that would happen again!). My relationships have healed or are healing.
Imagine how I felt to return from Europe to receive the kratom “emergency” ban news… hard to believe actually!
So what are the otpions for people like me? 1. Go back to pain-land? Clearly, that is a dead end. 2. Back on meds? Nope. 3. Become a felon? I have zero criminal history… I can’t beleive I even have to THINK about that! 4. Leave the country. Sixth generation Californian… leave my home and loved ones?
Please help…. there are thousands upon thousands of people like me who need your help. It may even be you or a loved one. Stop these schoolyard bully tactics… let us keep our plant.
I’m so disgusted by the DEA yet again. They are violating our rights to safe use of a natural plant. Now that they are being called out by the CRE I am hopeful the rest of the agencies will work together to understand We need regulation of this scientifically significant plant. Please listen to the people! We don’t want more deaths from opiates and heroin! We are not drug addicts or junkies looking to get high. This plant has helped my well being in many ways.
Thank you for some sanity, I am 65 with Lyme and occipital nueralgia. I have various muscular and bone and cartridge damage from a very physical and hardworking life. I live with chronic pain. Kratom helps me to live a life and enjoy living. My 9 grandchildren and I are grateful.
Kratom has saved my life, and many others as well. I have severe Crohns Disease, I was on so much pain medication and the side effects were many, physical as well as emotional and mental. I was barely able to function between the medication and the pain. I was either messed up (when I took the meds) or in excruciating pain when I did not take it. I am a mother and a wife, and I couldn’t care for my family the way of needed to. I found Kratom and now I do not need any of that poison, and I haven’t had a flare up in over a year, this is the first time in my life I am able to say that and I’m 31. Please help us to live productive, normal pain free lives by keeping Kratom legal. Thank you.
My husband suffers from Chronic Daily Migraine. He has had them since he was 7 and now has migraine to some degree every day. All of the traditional migraine treatments have long since stopped working for him. Kratom is the only thing that helps. In addition, four years ago we lost my stepson, his only son to suicide. My stepson died from a self inflicted shotgun wound to the head. My husband found him. Since then he also suffers from severe anxiety and PTSD. Kratom has not only given him relief from Migraine but also helps with his anxiety and panic. He is able to function more days than not and we have Kratom to thank for that. I lost my step son, now with Kratom being scheduled, I have a very real fear I will lose my husband too. Please ,please rethink this decision.
Kratom is a powerful harm reduction tool that, if regulated and sold as a herbal supplement, could greatly improve public health by reducing opioid addiction. It’s safe, non-lethal, and useful for those living with chronic pain. It needs to be kept legal so researchers can continue to examine the potential therapeutic uses of kratom
I suffer from Neuro-Muscular disease,Microscopic Colitis and Autoimmune disease.I am in severe pain all the time and have difficulty walking.I am prescribed 10mg Norco for pain.I cannot ever take NSAIDS again,per doctors orders.The Norco does help,but I am looking at a lifetime of pain meds and was searching for a healthier alternative,with no neurological impairment.I found Kratom on June 3rd 2016.I cried when I took it the first time,No felt like ME AGAIN!I even helps me walk better and relieves my pain,I am awake,alert and able to enjoy most days.When I took Norco every 6 hours,So was mentally dulled,did not smile,did not laugh,did not enjoy my days.Please keep Kratom legal!We the People deserve a choice of our God given natural herbs to treat long term pain.Thank you for reading this.
My spine was broken during a domestic violence incident. The surgery to fix it failed and also left me with an incurable and extremely painful condition known as arachnoiditis. Many with arachnoiditis end up in wheelchairs. They said I will eventually. Before kratom I was on a maxed out dose of fentanyl, until I had to finally stop working and could no longer afford it. I had to switch down to a cheaper yet much less effective medication. I was stuck in my recliner all day every day. I hobbled through the house with a cane at only 42 years old. My life sucked. Depression came in. Thanks to kratom I was able to retire the cane to the closet. I can now walk independently again. I can take care of my grandkids and go shopping. I sent I’ll have to pace myself because I often over do it and pay for it for days. I also have fibromyalgia, arthritis, and hypothyroidism. My body gets attacked at every level from zero energy to muscle and joint pain, and extreme lower back pain due to the arachnoiditis. Thanks to kratom I have energy to get things done. My muscle pain has decreased. I can function again like I used to before the injury. Looking at me today you’d probably never know that I have a spinal cord injury. Thanks to kratom. If this plant is taken away it will adversely affect hundreds of thousands of people just like me. Thank you for looking into this. Keep kratom legal!
Kratom should not be banned! It is just a herb that had helped me be able to function everyday without having to be hooked on opiates! It had not cured me but I am thankful that I found this herb to help me get off opiates. I have been clean of opiates for almost a year now because of this very helpful herb that the D. E. A wants to ban. Please keep kratom legal so it can help others just like me!
I was neurologically injured by prescription meds. Developed a tic. Was so bad I was hospitalized a few times. After 3 years of every Rx imaginable, I found kratom. Went from and over weight, jobless, angry, depressed loser to a strong Christian, wife, now mother of two ( one produced while on kratom daily with no side effects or withdrawal) , home owner, happy, TAX PAYING , productive member of society. You will have a lot of people that will lose their jobs, have to deal with possible addiction from pain pills since kratom quiets pain. And i am certain people will die. We will also be dealing with the largest synthetic and heroin epidemic in our history and will have a hard time trusting in a government that would allow for an all natural, God given , non addictive ( but possibly dependent) remedy to be banned for absolutely no reason. There are no test proving kratom is harmful but there are studies done showing the positive impact and benefits. Please save our plant. Ina world where we were starting to see an open mind to natural cures… This is 10 steps backwards. No high! Please try it! God bless- J.C Hill ( testimonial on YouTube channel) #iamkratom
I’m a 45 year old mom and I owe so much to Kratom and how it has helped to improve my life. I have degenerative disc as a result of running (a bit too obsessively..). I was rx’ed hydrocodone to manage pain I suffered as a result. I not only discovered hydrocodone helped ease the pain it also allowed me to return to running, I was now able to run even longer distances while taking it. It wasn’t long before I was dependent on them. I sought help (unbeknownst to anyone around me) and was prescribed suboxone. While suboxone certainly belongs in the Arsenal against addiction, it isn’t for everyone. It left me in a fog and it (despite what my doc insisted) did little to address the pain that never truly left. After several attempts to taper off and at a point of despair, I learned of Kratom. I vetted it as much as I could before trying. I’ve never experimented w drugs (prior to hydrocodone) and wanted to approach it w caution. After much reading I concluded the testimonials and research merited giving it a chance. I thank God I did. It has been a game changer for me. I’m able to wake up each day, keep up w a very busy little boy, remain active in his school and do so w a clear head. Kratom doesn’t provide me w any euphoria. It provides me w pain relief while not clouding my head or making me feel “dopey”. I’m afraid making this herb illegal will do so much more harm while not doing an ounce of good unless you happen to be a street dealer or you are a shareholder in certain pharma companies. I really hope the DEA doesn’t get to see this one through. I will survive, as I’m pretty sure many of us will but in the midst of an Opiod epidemic , I’m afraid there will be many whose lives will be once again in jeopardy, and for what?
https://youtu.be/jQwm0X-G_xk
I am a law-abiding, highly-educated, technical professional – who has suffered from chronic depression for over 20 years. I have taken Kratom for over 10 years – and it has literally changed my life. My depression is in control due to treatment by a licensed psychiatrist; but more importantly in remission due to the use of Kratom. Kratom has treated my depression in a way that allows me:
— to be the best at my profession
— be the best father/husband I can be
— and to actually be happy and free from the devastating effects of depression.
Kratom has helped me more than any prescribed pharmaceutical ever has.
The gross injustice of the DEA’s decision to classify Kratom as a schedule 1 illicit drug without:
— citing scientific basis for their decision
— not making alcohol/nicotine a Schedule 1 drug when it is clearly more of a public health issue
&
— not allowing the public’s right to comment
… Has infuriated this citizen to act.
I do not ask much of my government. Yet, I have so far contacted all of my representatives, the DHHS, the DOJ, the DEA and Elizabeth Warren (just because I actually think she might give a shit about the common people and the egregious abuse of power the DEA is displaying by this decision)…. maybe I am naive? But I am not done…. and will not allow the DEA to take away my unalienable rights to pursue Life, Liberty and Happiness!
This country has a huge opioid addiction problem and the DEA is not only incorrectly labelling Kratom as an opiate, it is now threatening to take away a critical solution to the opioid addiction problem!
Please sign the White House’s petition to stop the DEA – it has over 100k signatures and growing.
Please implore your representatives to allow the rational inquiry into the DEA’s decision by:
— temporarily stopping their scheduling
— listen to the huge amount of scientific and anecdotal benefits of kratom
— allow the citizen’s their right to a public comment period
— admonish the DEA to publicly release the scientific justifications for why they are scheduling Kratom as a schedule 1 drug.
— review why no public comment or scientific justifications have been allowed prior to the scheduling
Please stop the DEA from turning the hundreds of thousands of Kratom users into criminals.
I’ve posted this, my own story as a comment to several articles. Bottom line, I am STILL ALIVE because of Kratom. I’ll say that again – I am still alive because of Kratom. When I came back from Afghanistan and my reserve unit demobilized, the anxiety I found reintegrating back into civilian society was crippling. I drank myself to sleep most nights. Then I began to drink during the day. My marriage and civilian job were on downward spirals as was everything in my life. VA called it PTSD and their psych meds made things worse and added a layer of fog to my brain. Effexor was the worst – when you quit Effexor, you literally have the feeling of electric shocks in your brain. I’ve never felt more dead. At times I wished I was. I felt miserable and I was miserable to others. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t love or feel empathy; I couldn’t do anything. Then I found Kratom. It was like night and day; I never felt more alive. Fast forward several years, with almost daily Kratom use – I saved my marriage and we now have 3 beautiful children. They are alive because I survived – their lives got to begin because mine continued. Although the battle against PTSD, depression and anxiety never truly ends, I am winning. I’ve been winning since Kratom. My career took off. I support my family with an amazing job that I worked very hard for. I have not had a drink in 3 years. 3 years. Considering the person I was, that in itself is a miracle. I am a high functioning, extremely productive adult; I am an active father and I still serve our Country. In my civilian job, while not in law enforcement, I assist law enforcement on a wide range of cases including human trafficking, terrorism and organized crime. Does this sound like the work of a drug addict?
I’ve consumed Kratom 4-6 times per day for at least 5 years. In that time I’ve accomplished more good than in all the years before it. I wake up early, I work hard, I’m active; I listen to a ridiculous amount non-fiction audio-books. Every day I try to be a better person than the day before. I’ve tried to spread the word. I personally know at least a dozen other Vets who have pulled themselves from the abyss using Kratom. Every morning I have a scoop of Kratom and a cup of coffee. Every morning I drop my kids at school and go to work to “fight the bad guys”, as I tell my son. Now I am one of the bad guys??? For choosing not to accept anxiety and PTSD? For choosing a naturally occurring supplement over synthesized chemicals made in a lab at Big Pharma? Its estimated that 22 Military Veterans take their own lives every day. Every year thousands of people are driven to suicide BECAUSE OF medications like SSRIs, SNRIs and other chemicals prescribed to treat mental health problems. A ban on kratom will not solve this. I fear it will lead to many more of our sons and daughters being lost to suicide, opiates and heroin. Kratom was the last bit of hope for many, myself included. What will become of us? I remember times in Afghanistan where I was scared for my life, but they pale in comparison to this. If there is one positive I can take away from this, it’s the realization that I’m not alone. Thousands of others, my fellow “Kratomites”, took their lives back from pain, depression, addiction and anxiety. I never knew all of us were out there. Although we’ve never met, I feel they are all just as much my brothers and sisters as those I had the honor of serving with. I hope there is some intervention in this. I hope the petition gets a response. I hope that we will continue to have hope. All the lives that have been saved by Kratom; all the hope that Kratom brought, all the victories over physical and/or mental pain and/or addiction; all the children who live and breathe today because somewhere, sometime their parent/parents were able to take their lives back – we should not stand to lose that. America should not stand to lose all those people who have worked so hard to be the best version of themselves. That would be the worst tragedy of all.
A Veteran, thank you for your service to our country and sharing your story. You are a Patriot and have my utmost respect. Your “Hope” comment brought this quote to mind:
Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. – Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption
The recent letter of intent by DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg to classify two of the alkaloids of the Kratom plant as aschedule 1 controlled substance is a clear abuse of power. Mr. Rosenberg is not an elected official hence should not have the authority to create a law effectively turning thousands of Americans into felons at month’s end. This proposed scheduling is based on conjecture and has no medical or scientific basis. Furthermore Mr. Rosenberg, who spent much of his career as a prosecutor and counsel, is not a doctor or a scientist; his refusal to allow any commentary or input by the medical and/or scientific communities on this topic is wreckless as it is detrimental to actual public safety. This action will needlessly jeopardize the lives of many Americans by taking away a natural supplement that is completely safe and make otherwise good law abiding Americans into criminals. Mr. Rosenbergs actions are a blatant abuse of power and an effrontery to democracy.
Well stated.
I was given Narcan on my 30th birthday because I had stopped breathing. I had taken Fentanyl. I was on anti-depressants, addicted to opiates, alcohol, and benzodiazepines. When I found Kratom, my entire life was transformed. I have been taking Kratom twice daily at a very moderate dose. Literally, my life was transformed. I am no longer on any opiates or other prescription medication and have never felt more mentally well. I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsve Disorder as a teenager and always self-soothed my symptoms with drugs and alcohol. Nothing has helped me better than Kratom. The stories being told here are one of redemption and stories of people regaining their lives, not ones of criminality.
All I can say is this is such a universal cure all….it has so many benefits no matter what your condition is if your suffering physically or mentally kratom is as valuable as winning the lottery. Maybe it’s just me…and I rarely if ever here anything about another benefit of this natural plant, I have not been sick in two years…normally on average I would catch a cold 2 to 3 time a year…just me? Nah I don’t think so…guarantee its another win for the mysterious herb that God put on this earth for us…all cures are in the plants! bet on it!
First, “Thank You” for your assistance CRE. This kratom ban is just a window into a much larger picture of the massive scaffolding built of unelected agencies (or agents) whose actions have decimated our freedom to choose the safest, most effective and natural treatments as individuals. The pending FDA regulations on the botanical & supplement industry itself will create a massive stranglehold on our right to choose. The timing of the announcement of a forthcoming “whole new class of safer drugs” and the guidelines for prescribing pain medication are certainly not coincidental either with timing of the proposed ban, in my view. When one sees the victims caught in the midst, unable to receive necessary pain drugs, elimination of access to natural and effective measures, and the current opiate epidemic, one certainly wonders what brand of evil is in charge. The rehabilitation centers who profit from addiction, our forced Affordable Health Care Act which makes it harder to access help, the drug companies that are ready to market the very synthetic drugs based on the very structure of M. speciosa, the blatent disregard for the well being of US citizens; I am at an utter loss to be able to point at only one problem. This is so much larger than banning a safe plant. Unfortunately it reeks of abuse of power backed by greed and/or intimidation. I’m a simple person, wanting to do the right thing, wanting to contribute to my life and society, yet met at every turn by a brick wall of injustice. I don’t need to convince anyone who has authority that this is a very detrimental move; I’m afraid they know exactly what they’re doing; and it’s just downright evil and unAmerican.
I’m 50. In 2003 while playing company softball I collided with the catcher and awakened the next morning with horrible lower back pain, pain so bad that it brought tears to my eyes and I could not make it down a flight of stairs alone. After an MRI I was prescribed Vicodin and a muscle relaxer, and took it for several months at which I became a couch potato with no motivation to do anything. I got to a point where I decided that this was not how I wanted to live my life. One doctor wanted to operate. I did research and deemed that it was the wrong path. Another doc put me on a physical therapy type exercise regimen that I would do for 30 minutes in the morning with the pain going away. I then discovered the “Back To Life” machine which I would do for 10 minutes in the morning making the pain “go away”. Then last October my younger sister who has neck/spine problems introduced me to Kratom. One little spoon in the morning and one at night has kept the pain from re-appearing since, except for the two 2 day occasions when I ran out. It is obviously apparent that this stuff works! Thanks for taking the time to read my comment!
Oh my! I did not know that a photo of me would populate in my previous comment! Now I have shown the world that I, as a grown man, cried! Haha!
I find it appalling that the DEA is attempting to put this plant (related to coffee) into a category where it cannot be researched. This is the same thing that happened to marijuana and now look how it’s finally gaining acceptance in medical use. Speaking as a Registered Nurse, I have found kratom to be quite helpful with my anxiety and depression. I have more focus and energy without the jitters caffeine can sometimes impart. It has helped me immensely with my social anxiety and being in situations with large crowds all the while never feeling in anyway impaired or unsafe. I have heard countless testimonies from the kratom community in regards to it helping people with a variety of medical conditions such as PTSD, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse as well as helping people take less of or completely get off of prescription opiods which are laden with undesirable side effects. This plant needs to remain legal. We live in America and we should be able to make our own healthcare choices.
I am a special education teacher of 16 years. Roughly five years ago I was honored by my good work and promoted to coaching other special education teachers. I was driving from one school to another during my work day when a semi cab slammed into my car. I have soft tissue damage that will never heal and a form of arthritis onset by trauma. I was prescribed a very high dose of naproxen and also a daily dose of tramadol. My life because a juggle of deep breathing and pain, ,there were evenings I would just cry because of the pain, and the inability of having any form of quality of life . My short term and working memory were a nightmare and became a sticky note queen just trying to appear functionally competent. A year ago I was told of kratom. I researched it for six months and finally purchased some through an herbalist that had been recommended to me. The last six months of my life has improved vastly. I have gone from looking at the clock every four hours wondering if I could even stand up before my next pain dosage to three 1/2 teaspoons of kratom . I am not exhausted by constant pain management and have been able to start working out again too. I am starting a doctoral program in January focusing on students with cognitive disabilities and their ability to comprehend basic text and verbal commands at a concrete level. This is an area of research that truly needs work, and with my pain under control, I will be given the opportunity to study this. However , Chronic pain is exhausting and with my condition getting a bit worse each year, I don’t see the ability to research and help a larger grouping of students. I have never been in trouble with the law, never had a drug problem, and generally am researching how to improve the lives of special needs students. I have always been a person proud of my American heritage , on September 1, 2016 my view of the America I knew, can to a crashing holt. I beg you to now allow thousands of lives including mine be destroyed by taking a teas leaf for goodness sake away from us. Please help a large sickly community fight for our right to continue to use our herb to completely and naturally help manage dozens upon dozens of diseases/disabilities .
Just passed my 4 year mark free of heroin. This leaf can, and has saved alot of lives. I fear for what kind of impact this “emergency banning” could have while we’re in the midst of a heroin epidemic in our country. I spent so many years chasing that next high, and eventuallt just avoiding the awful pain of withdrawal. So many nights sitting In front of the toilet puking, sweating, screaming, trying to sell everything and anything I could. Tryjng to hide my face at the needle exchange. I couldn’t hold a job, I had to wear sweatshirts constantly to cover my arms 🙁 I tried suboxone, in, and out patient treatment time after time. I never had relief that lasted. Kratom was a saving grace. Given the amount you take as an “avarage” dose, the taper down was extremely easy, and it made getting through the heroin withdrawal very smooth. No feer of overdose, and it didnt make me feel high like suboxone did, so i eventually forgot about the feeling. I never had any ill side effects aside from a stomach ache if I hadn’t eaten any food prior. I suffer from very bad back pain, and this plant works very well for relief. I was so afraid I’d have to take opioid painkillers and that I’d fall back into the past, but no. Just brew up a tea when advil can’t suffice, and I’m good to go. There is so much more this plant can offer for so many. This is just my experience with it, and i can honestly say it it helped save my life. 100k signatures on the petition in less than 10 days. Thats got to say something.
I am a medical social worker, and when I heard about the proposed kratom ban, I was very disturbed. I work in an inner-city hospital, and I see all kinds of substance-related medical emergencies arise–alcohol, methamphetamine, GHB, MDMA, Tylenol, antidepressant overdoses, ketamine, Xanax. You name it, I’ve seen it–I can tell you that in my years as a social worker, I have never once had a patient come in for a kratom-related problem.
In my personal life, as soon as people find out I am a social worker, I usually get to then hear their life story (sometimes even when I frankly didn’t really want to!) and I have heard so many people tell me how kratom has enhanced their life–that they were struggling with depression and anxiety so badly they feared getting out of bed but that kratom made them able to go to work or enjoy a little outing with their friends or family. I have heard chronic pain sufferers tell me that kratom gave them their life back, that a nice cup of kratom tea helped them be able to move and function and participate in enjoyable day-to-day life(something that for some reason all the pain Rxs could not do). I have heard ex-heroin addicts tell me that kratom saved them from the needle and spoon and that now they can do things like go to work, budget responsibly and make it to family gatherings and of course feel robust and energized instead of feeling too high to do anything or dope-sick desperately searching for the next fix.
Unfortunately in my line of work, I see a lot of sad cases. I have seen people where drugs and alcohol have completely ruined their lives. They are homeless on the streets, the women (and sometimes the men) sell their bodies for money. Or they steal. Or they panhandle. Or they spend their government benefits on drugs/alcohol. I know what the face of addiction and ruin look like. Kratom users are not these sad cases. They are people who have found a nice tea that helps them live the life they want. Some of them suffer from chronic pain, fibromyalgia, endometriosis. Some of them, including many of America’s veterans, have mental health struggles–depression, anxiety, PTSD. Many of them are working men and women, blue collar, white collar, licensed certified professionals. Many of them are proud parents.
The DEA wants to make a sweeping decision to make Kratom a Schedule 1 drug, right alongside things like heroin and LSD. I think this is ridiculous and I wonder what factual data can this possibly be based upon?
The DEA brought up 15 deaths involving kratom. It is my understanding that the deaths involving kratom involved SOME OTHER DRUG as well. Kratom by itself tends to self-regulate, if you take too much, you don’t die, you vomit and your body expels the excess. There are approximately 88,000 alcohol-related deaths per year. The DEA does not propose making alcohol a Schedule 1 drug. You just have to be 21 years of age to legally purchase alcohol.
The DEA brought up 660 calls to Poison Control over a span of 5 years. Not only is this a pretty low number of calls, but who knows what the nature of the calls were besides an inquiry regarding kratom. There were 16,248 calls to the CDC involving cigarettes over a 4 year period. So that’s 132 calls per year for kratom and 4,062 regarding cigarettes. Of course, we don’t see the DEA wanting to make cigarettes a Schedule 1 substance. You just have to be an adult to legally purchase cigarettes.
I think the DEA is stepping way outside of reasonable bounds by wanting to make kratom, a plant that is so helpful to so many people, from all walks of life, a Schedule 1 substance. What they are basing this decision on is so flimsy, it’s hardly there at all. It appears to me there is no solid evidence that kratom would be considered an imminent threat to public safety justifying being a Schedule 1 substance.
I think a reasonable action regarding kratom would be that you should be an adult to purchase it.
Any more regulation than that, I feel is unnecessary. After all, we do pride ourselves on being a country that allows freedom of choice for adults. So many adults make the choice for kratom, let’s allow them to continue to make that choice.
Nicely said Katie. Doesn’t it make you wonder what entities and groups are advocating this ban? The DEA is not the originator of this ban, it is just a tool or mechanism for other unknown powerful forces to exert their will upon the American people. The forces behind this ban appear to have mostly failed at the state level. Is it Big Pharma? I take Kratom for depression and have noticed a marked improvement in my mood and mental health. What effect does Kratom have on the manufacture an sale of anti-depressants, pain relievers and drugs like Suboxone? I wonder.
“Beware those spreading fear in the name of righteousness.”
My name is John. I’m 43 with a BS in Journalism and am a Microsoft Certified Professional. I suffer from Chronic Discomfort related to a narrow urethra at the neck of my bladder. Pulsating grinding pains in my private parts have kept me from a good night sleep for 25 years. I arise 12 times a night to void. I am unable to even relax and watch a movie on the sofa with my wife. What kind of life is that? Just imagine the nightly torment and frustration. I’ve been to a number of doctors who poked and prodded me in humiliating ways but could never offer significant relief. About 3 yrs ago I tried Kratom in my quest for help. It stopped the pulsating pain by 75%. Just one teaspoon with a cup of cocoa.
I am a 31 year old male. I’ve never been addicted to drugs and I do not have chronic pain. I have been taking kratom for 13 years to help curb my generalized anxiety disorder and it’s one of the few things that helps outside of addictive pharmaceuticals that I would rather not take (the likes of Xanax, and Klonopin). In my 13 years of use, I have taken it daily for over a year at a time, and I have quit taking it for consecutive months at a time, with little to no adverse effects outside of a little discomfort for a couple days. It does not even approach the habit forming potential of the medications I’ve been prescribed by doctors over the years – many of which cause SEVERE adverse effects upon quitting, and even while taking them. They are prone to abuse, as the more you take the stronger the effect you get – this is not the case with kratom. The effects plateau and taking more is liable to give an upset stomach, not a more potent effect.
It’s clear that this plant has a very wide variety of uses and it’s users come from all walks of life. It’s literally the only substance that I’ve found via doctors or otherwise that I would truly call “safe”, not only due to it’s low abuse potential, but because it’s side effects are far fewer and less pronounced than any other. Kratom, unlike the medications I named previously (and ALL pain medications) does not cause respiratory depression. Respiratory depression is what kills people who overdose on pharmaceutical drugs and there is not one instance of Kratom being responsible for a death – every single story to the contrary involves other harder street drugs or pharmaceutical drugs.
There are a lot of people who rely on Kratom for entirely legitimate reasons and it isn’t just limited to one subset of people, it’s people of all ages and walks of life, and the plant is useful for such a wide variety of ailments, scheduling it is going to cause a massive amount of harm to thousands and thousands of people. Make no mistake, there will be deaths as a result of this movement, as statistics in states that have outlawed kratom show, some a drastic increase.
The misinformation about kratom is disgusting and it seeks to label everyone who uses it a drug abuser. There is absolutely no comparison between Kratom and “real” drugs. You can keep taking almost every drug on earth, prescribed or otherwise, to get a stronger effect. Doing this with kratom will only make you feel sick and won’t get you high. It’s effects are mild, but effective, and it is not replaceable by any pill prescribed by doctors. The effects are mild enough that this truly is the equivalent of making caffeine or nicotine a schedule 1 substance, but worse, because the potential applications for kratom vastly outweigh the former.
I started using Mitragyna Speciosa two and a half years ago. I’ve suffered with severe bipolar disorder. All my life. I began having issues as an early teenager. I have been prescribed Paxil, Zoloft, anatriptaline, Valium, Depakote, and a few others. Nothing helped me. I had a motorcycle accident that severed my foot from my leg. I was prescribed perscription opiates. They made me feel good for a very short time. A few months into using the prescribed opiates I went into one of the worst bipolar episodes I had ever experienced thus far. I can only attribute that to the opiates I was taking at the time. I went from the sever depression bipolar into the bipolar/manic type. I tried stopping the opiates. The pain I was going through and the mental agony I experienced was tremendous. So now on top of my bipolar, I was suffering from chronic pain. So I kept taking opiates. I would feel good one month and another month or so I would go into a deep dark depression. I was either way up or way down. Which to me at the time was better than being severely depressed all the time. Either way, I was unable to take care of myself or my family with any kind of consistency. This pattern went on into my 30s. At the age of 32 I was introduced through differing support groups to plants and herbs that others claimed had helped them with similar issues. I tried quite a few and did quite a bit of research. Many did help. Such as holy basil for anxiety/ depression, turmeric for anti inflammatory, Akumma seeds that help with pain, shilijat, for mood, cats claw for pain, and many others. Then I began using Kratom. It didn’t work all that well at first. But I was told to keep trying, that different strains worked differently with individuals. I found a combination of green vein, and red vein leaves that began to help me considerably. Once I found the strain and proper amount to take, I noticed and family members noticed an enormous improvement in my wellbeing in general. I’ve been taking as I stated before for two and a half years now. I feel stable and balanced and just plain capable. Im well into a career now as a CNC department supervisor. I’ve been working the same place for two years. Prior to this job I haven’t been stable enough to maintain employment for any longer than 6 to 9 months. My family wife and children all attest to the difference this plant has made in my life. They feel as though they can depend on me, and they can and do now. I feel as though I’m clear minded, goal oriented, motivated, happy more times than not. My level of chronic pain and fatigue has all but disappeared. Many other aspects of my life have improved as well I could go on. That plant changed my whole families welfare not just mine. I beg you to do everything in your power to keep the DEA from taking this plant from myself and all the other 100s of thousands that it has done the same for. Research must be allowed to continue. This plant must not be taken from the people. Our country is experiencing an opiate and pharmaceutical epidemic. This plant has brought many out of the grasp of that epidemic.
Hello,
Bless everyone who is passionate about advocating for this wonderful healthy leaf! I am devastated to learn of this action banning Kratom because it has given me my quaility of life back for the past year.I, too suffer from horrible chronic pain and have been able to largely get off of pain meds because of this holistic herb. Hearing this awful news has gotten me highly upset and I want to do what I can to be able to help advocate. I wonder if anyone has a list of things that we as individual people could do, places to write, people to call? If there is a researched list already made it would save hundreds of thousands of people a lot of time all researching the same info.
I would also like to know who I could contact in order to offer my voice to the cause as I am a professional touring headliner. I know it’s not much but I would really like to help anyway that I could!
I’m absolutely terrified about this ban. Kratom has helped so many people, including me. It has given me my life back and now the D.E.A. wants to take that away. I no longer have to depend on the many pills I used to take a day and I truly never have to again. This entire situation is so sad. It’s not about the safety of people it’s all about the money… As if big pharma didn’t have enough…
Ever since the intent to ban was announced I’ve been an emotional wreck worrying for all the people whos lives have been touched by kratom in a positive way. For some this plant has been a god given miracle and to take that away is a very serious problem for so many people. Please don’t strip these people of their rights and livelihood. There’s too much at stake here – this is a natural medicine.
I am a 41 year old NH woman who has suffered with mental illness for 3 decades of my life. Weeks of meds-doctors-therapy-school counseling etc to deal with sexual assault in my teen years led me down a road I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Last year I learned about Kratom in a recovery page
One of the meds I was prescribed to “help” it does funky things to your head. brain fog, lost 50 lbs, no appetite, insomnia, basicly trapped in a body with anxiety and depression. Lots of crying. Lots of bad thoughts to end this insanity. I wouldn’t wish bipolar on anyone.
There are at least a dozen I tried. Either they didn’t work-still crying. Or I felt numb and could not cry or laugh. I felt dead. I quit that one after 6 months. I gave it 6 months. The others either had bad side effects or they made me sick and I just couldn’t function on them.
By the way its been 20 years since I slept a restful full night’s sleep. Those meds mess up with your biochemistry and I honestly felt like a guinea pig.
Kratom was different. It is subtle. It took 3 weeks to find the dose and type of leaf to work. Then I realized I wasn’t having racing thoughts anymore. I wasn’t having PTSD due to memories of my abuse or the head games that others in my life played. I was able to rationalize these thoughts and work through the different things. Without getting hysterical and screaming like a moron. I still had an occasional meltdown. I still can cry but it’s not for no reason or plague me for nights on end.
Kratom helps my PTSD, depression, endometriosis, arthritis and all the other stuff that goes with mental illness and body pain. If the DEA makes it illegal I won’t stop taking kratom. If it is banned my life is over and I have already started making plans to get rid of personal property and prepare for jail time. At least then if I am in jail I won’t have to worry about paying taxes or playing the stupid hamster game anymore. If I go to jail it will be in protest against this government. If they imprison me=they won’t get money out of me anymore. This entire thing sticks of big $$$ in the background. Not to mention it’s perfectly legal in Mexico and Canada. I may end up just moving there instead of facing prison time.
I am a working American who has worked since I was 13. I am not a deadbeat. I am done pandering to this out of control government. This year will be interesting to say the least. Either people will go move out of country=then you all loose our tax dollars or people will be miserable and likely end in suicide or they will black market to get the kratom. No government has the right to dictate what I can ingest. I am a working citizen who minds their own business. I don’t sell drugs to kids, I don’t harass other people’s life choices. I just want to be left alone to live my life the way I want. What is so hard for the government to understand? YOU DON’T OWN MY BODY!
I’ve personally observed several Americans lives changed for the better because of this plant. Please take the time to investigate this as it pertains to mental, physical and emotional benefits. I would donate my own money to fund research… and I know about 2 Million others that would as well.
I am a 34 year old mother of 4 amazing children and a wife to a wonderful man. We run a business that pays taxes and helps support our local economy. I homeschool my kids and have them involved in countless activities. In addition, I volunteer at my church and our local children’s soccer league. I am a solid, loved member of my community and our enormous family. I have struggled with endometriosis since I was 14 years old. After years of struggling with the pain, the surgeries, the years of infertility and the fertility treatments trying to create the family our hearts longed for, the heartache of losing 5 babies through miscarriage, I can definitively say endometriosis ruled my life. My doctors were prescribing me countless narcotics each month but no matter how many I took, they never really took the pain away. They simply made me sleep so I would forget about for a short while. 2 years ago, I did not like the person I was becoming. I found myself agitated and drowsy if on the medication or curled up in a ball in pain if not. I knew something had to change. I found Kratom. Miraculously, I feel no pain when I use Kratom. If truly eliminates the gut wrenching agony that plagued me 24/7. For a year after I found Kratom, I continued to fill me prescriptions, nervous to be completely off of them. December of 2015 was the last visit I made to pain management. I no longer worry that the pain is going to get the best of me and I will need a back up. I am awake, functioning, excited to take on each day in my crazy household. Yet now, this homeschooling, God fearing, preacher’s daughter of a woman will be considered a felon in 2 weeks. I will be classified with the heroin addicts overdosing in front of their child as was reported in the news last week. I have never once felt high on Kratom. I have never hallucinated or felt the need to take additional doses to receive relief. If you compare the person I was while on the treatment the government says is acceptable for my condition vs the person finding relief through a plant- the difference is as clear as night and day. I will not be forced to go back to that person. #IamKratom
I really hope they do their research. This plant has helped so many people. I just read an article about women who are addicted to opioid and are not being helped just left to rot, forced to steal to feed that terrible addiction. I don’t even understand why the DEA is interested in kratom It DOES NOT make people high! Thank you to all the people fighting for this!
I am a registered nurse who works over 50 hours a week while I go to school to finish my doctorate degree. I have been taking Kratom everyday for about 8 years now for chronic pain. I have had extensive blood tests including liver , kidney and heart panels to make sure Kratom did not have a negative effect on me. I have been completely healthy and have never seen Kratom negatively affect my health. It has helped me immensely with my chronic pain I suffer from due to a back injury. It allows me to go to work and provide for my kids. Not only that, but it allows me to care for my patients to be best of my ability. Being addicted to prescribed narcotics had a huge impact on my caring for patients and as a father. Finding Kratom has helped me not only help myself but be the father I strive to be and the nurse that is able to care for his patients without dozing off or making mistakes bc of the nasty side effects that I felt on opioids. Kratom has also helped my brother get off heroin as well. He has been using Kratom for years and is now a teacher. What is the dea thinking? When will this be about the people and not about the money. I see more deaths in the hospital from energy drinks than I do Kratom. In less than a month I will go from being a nurse with not even a parking ticket to a felon. I believe the cre has offered a fair compromise. Save Kratom. I have no clue what my life will be without it or how I will be able to effectively care for patients on opioids.
The more letters we write, the better. Send a letter to your Congressman, Senators, Attorney General, etc. The more we get the message out, the better. The best PR we can get for us, the kratom base, is spreading the word. Social media and such. There are hundreds of video testimonials you can share on your social media sites. Attach the link to the petition. We should try to reach 200K signatures or more. Anyone who has media contacts, reach out to them. If you are in a position to donate monies, consider donating to the American Kratom Association. These are all things that we can do in the effort to stop this ban from moving forward!
Kratom isn’t a party drug. It’s a botanical used to relieve pain and anxiety and as a mild stimulant like coffee. The effects are slow to take hold, there is no high and certainly no quick fix obtained from kratom. Banning this substance will instantly turn thousands, maybe millions, of hard working, law abiding citizens, who just want to find a solution to their problems outside of traditional, mainstream medicine, into criminals.
I am dismayed by this policy decision. Since my really painful foot issue for which I had surgery for in 2014 I have had to deal with pain that shuts down both my professional and recreational activities. I started to use vicadin to help get through the bad daily pain I was experiencing but the side effects are too severe. I found Kratom and my health and happiness immediately increased and I felt free from the pain and pain pills! I have been used Kratom to replace prescription opiates and have a huge benefit from it. The prescription pills are both addictive and debilitating. The Kratom allows me to be fully active all day and do not inhibit my mental and physical state the way prescription pills always do. When I cannot get Kratom I will revert to being in pain and have days where I cannot work and almost every evening I will have to sit down suffer my painful foot that keeps me from living a full life. At a time when the opiate pills are killing people and making drug addicts out of otherwise normal people this ruling is going to have a highly negative impact on everyday law abiding citizens. Please reconsider this policy!
Thank you CRE !
I am beside myself with this decision I feel let down, I work, think, better mom cause it helps my pain daily. Prescription I was on was making my mind foggy & needing more I was immuned to it. I said NO,then could not work cause of my life debilitating chronic health about lost my job. Till discovered Kratom the green tea leaf only, I got my life back & I only get epidurals in my neck now.
I truly believe that we are all responsible to make our government work for the people.
I am a 58 year old female, Air Force veteran, who survived a very serious auto accident 14 years ago. From this accident I have spinal injuries & I am in constant pain. I started using a botanical product 5 years ago to manage my pain. This plant is called “Kratom”. The use of Kratom to manage my pain has provided to me an option for pain management other than opiate based drugs. The only opiates I have used to manage my back & neck pain was during a 5 week hospitalization 14 years ago. Upon my release from the hospital I decided that I would find alternative, more natural means to manage chronic pain. Massage & chiropractic therapy helped somewhat. Today I use Kratom, made into a tea, to manage my pain, and I also continue with massage & chiropractic therapy. Now, because the DEA will put Kratom on a schedule 1 list, Kratom will become illegal on Sept 30. I will tell you what could happen to me, an American citizen who votes & works at a 70K job & pay taxes, if Kratom becomes illegal & I cannot buy it. I will be forced by my government & one of its policies, to go a doctor & get an opiate based drug for pain management. I may become addicted to i.e.: hydrocodone& my health will deteriorate. Kratom is utilized by Americans to break away from opiate addiction& as is an alternative to opiates. Kratom is a natural and should remain a legal botanical. Responsible consumers are using it safely across the country and the world for relief of a variety of both mental and physical ailments. The situations and circumstances of a few do not represent the many. Implementing sweeping, harmful legislation based on misinformation and alarmism is not a public safety solution. Kratom should not be on any dangerous drug list. It is a plant, which gives us a product that has a medicinal use.
KRATOM has help my life in such a positive way. I haven’t taken a pain pill in almost a year now after 9 years of taking hardcore pain meds ( fentynal, methadone and Percocet ) through pain management for serious chronic pain from spine surgery, degenerative discs, fibromyalgia, tendinitis and a hernia. I AM NOT A DRUG ADDICT! I was never addicted thank God. I played by the rules and stayed safe with strict guidelines and drug testing. I still live with tremendous pain, but I heard about Kratom from a Nurse at a hospital who bought me my first cup of tea and was amazed at how it worked. I didn’t get HIGH, it took my pain away and I didn’t want to just go lay in bed and go to sleep. I am a professional working, Christian, single Mom who would never jeopardize my life, job or child. Why would I take something that would be used as a recreational drug? I make tea by the gallon now instead of popping prescription drugs that I could get from my doctor today and guarantee kratom is healthier and not destroying my liver and kidneys. I have been very educated from the retailer and use it correctly and as needed for pain management. It’s been my saving grace from doctors wanting to push pain medication on me that I never wanted to take in the first place. I have now educated my primary physician about Kratom who couldn’t be happier to hear that I no longer take pain medication. She now shares this with other patients.
I was a heroin user for years. I came clean of all drugs in 2007 .I suffered anxiety depression and cronic fatige as well as pain. in 2011 I discovered kratom my life came together in a year. working 60 hour weeks and putting a life together for myself. I am about to get married in the next year. The thought of going to a doctor with my issues scares me .Not sure what I would do with out this stuff
Dear Jim Tozzi and members of the CRE,
I saw a copy of the letter you sent to the DEA yesterday regarding the proposed scheduling of Kratom. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I want to share my story with you, but first… Here is a very detailed scientific study recently published on Kratom from Columbia University, proving its medical value and interestingly enough was published quite recently:
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/americankratomassociation/pages/21/attachments/original/1467415534/Journal_Of_The_American_Chemical_Society_6-6-16_Report.pdf?1467415534
I am a 44 year old mother of a college student. I work in the corporate world, have a successful career, a nice fluffy title and I am college educated. I grew up with parents who did believe that conventional medicine is a last resort when natural medicine has failed. We drank a lot of yucky herbs and learned to take horse pill size vitamins at a very young age.
About 7 years ago I was in an auto accident, where I suffered two herniated disks and several torn muscles. Since then, additional disks have herniated at random due to gravity. One of the disks is literally pressing 20% into my spinal cord. Doctors and Chiropractors alike recommend surgery (I don’t trust the neck surgeries, as I have seen too many failed). The last Osteopath I saw couldn’t believe I was even functioning and immediately prescribed me a bottle of Percocet. My regular doctor will prescribe Vicodan whenever I ask. The drugs are not hard to get.
I do have chronic pain. I do have in my possession Percocet. In the past year, I have taken 3 of them. The year the accident occurred, I spent about two weeks taking full doses of Vicodan every day. I started to feel a craving for them as they exited my system. I knew about Kratom, but had only tried it once. Someone suggested I try it for pain. It worked.
I drink one or two cup of Kratom tea daily. I make it at home from leaf purchased on the internet. I drink it in the afternoon, when sitting in the chair at my desk has started to wear on my neck and shoulders. It enables me to keep working. Never has my boss or coworkers asked if I am messed up or thought I was not ok. I function completely normally with Kratom. The pain is reduced enough that I can continue working and remain productive. Without it, I would need to resort to the Percocets that I keep in my purse for fear of having a bad pain episode.
Kratom often gets a bad reputation because so many addicts/former addicts use it to stay off other drugs. I have never been a drug addict (unless you count that I used to smoke cigarettes). I have never been arrested. I don’t drink enough to mention it. I have a child in college, a savings account, a car payment. I am a productive member of society.
I think: Kratom is costing big pharma money because fewer people are getting/staying hooked on their product.
Thank you for listening. I am grateful that you have joined in addressing this issue of the DEA’s overreach.
God Bless you,
Melody
I’ve had two major back surgeries and suffer from scoliosis and constant nerve pain down my legs. I was give 5 different medications to manage the pain, including methadone, none of which stopped the pain. This medication resulted in a foggy mind such that I could no longer function as a software developer. I lost several jobs (having never lost a job in my life prior) and was bed ridden for a year contemplating suicide to end the pain. This is while under the care of a pain doctor / specialist.
After seeing the fear and hurt in my mothers eyes, I began researching and looking for alternatives, when I came upon Kratom. I am taking it twice a day, and while it does not stop all the pain, it does enough to help and, most importantly, my mind is clear and I can work again. I’ve been employed for nearly 3 years now and excell at every facet of my job. I no longer take ANY of the previous medications.
Kratom saved me from suicide and quite literally gave me my life back.
Based on my past experience, and the hell that awaits, if the DEA passes this law, they are basically signing my death certificate.
I am no longer a alcoholic or a prescription pain killer user thanks to Kratom. After much research I started to take Kratom three years ago and it has changed my life and made my family life better. I work hard everyday, and I am friendlier thanks to Kratom I am no longer in pain from arthritis, two hernias and a tear in my hip. If Kratom is banned I am so scared not only for myself but for all of us that discovered and use this completely natural plant that has zero side affects that I have seen.
Where does the nanny state regulation end? Extreme sports are dangerous and habit forming for some people. How many deaths or injuries from extreme sports each year? Let’s ban those! High sugar percentage foods are proven to cause obesity, an epidemic putting massive stress on our health care system. Let’s ban sugary foods next! Lord knows they’re habit forming for many as the obesity numbers indicate. What about video games causing our kids to be sendentary, which adds childhood obesity? Let’s ban Minecraft and Warcraft! Where does it stop?
Finally, chronic pain sufferers and anxiety riddled people have a natural option vs prescription medications and it is being threatened to be unjustly taken away from them based on incoherent research data that makes GMO research look legit. I have witnessed first hand the astonishing improvement I have seen in a few people very close to me who have been wounded in combat and suffer from chronic pain and anxiety transform into productive members of society finally free of debilitating pain and social anxiety issues, and the government decides that a plant that is related to the coffee plant is dangerous but prescribed narcotics are not?!? Your foundings are ridiculous and just another way to keep big pharma and government pockets lined with cash!
Kratom is a natural safe remedy for persistent health issues and I believe that is the problem. Big Pharma has obtained patents on some of the alkaloids in Kratom and wish to exploit them and the American people in the name of Profits over People. Placing Kratom as a Schedule I is inconsistent with the public interest and I further argue that this proposed ban would Harm the public interest. Kratom is a plant with great medicinal value and we have a right to natural medicine over synthetic. Kratom has given me a new lease on life and allowed me to renter the work force after being sidelined for years with severe inflammatory bowel disease and the mental anguish having this disease will cause you. I did the mainstream ‘traditional’ medicine and almost died and suffered so so much. I want to live! Don’t steal our choices and put profits over people!
I am college educated man in my mid 50’s. I have a BS in Social Science and a law degree (JD) and am licensed to practice law in Michigan. I have therapeutically taken Kratom for over 2 years for Depression. In small doses, it appears to provide me with the energy I need to get out of bed in the morning and function throughout the day. The anti-depressants that I have been prescribed have either had unpleasant side-effects, were very expensive, or simply ineffective. I am a believer in holistic medicine and take various health supplements. I was informed about Kratom and in particular, a study that suggested that Kratom was a promising potential treatment for depression. A 2011 study in the journal “Phytomedicine” reports that mitragynine (the active ingredient in Kratom) exerts an antidepressant effect in animal behavioral model of depression” and did so ” without any significant effect on locomotor activity.” In other words, the rats were not incapacitated physically or cognitively. The study concluded that Kratom can provide health benefits to someone who experiences deleterious physiological as well as mental symptoms of depression and anxiety. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20869223. My experience, while purely anecdotal, seems to support this conclusion. When I read that the DEA letter in the Federal register claiming that Kratom had no known currently accepted medical use, I was obviously surprised and dismayed. The DEA completely ignored and disregarded the scientific studies that conclude otherwise.
I wonder why the DEA appears to be in such a rush to ban Kratom without public input and discussion? I question where this urgency to ban Kratom is coming from. Who exactly are the proponents of a Kratom ban? It appears that the proponents have mostly failed to get Kratom banned at the state level and are now trying to circumvent state legislatures by appealing directly to the DEA. Is the main proponent big Pharma? Do they fear competition from a natural herbal remedy that actually seems to work and which is supported by scientific research? Are they worried that sales of anti-depressants and over the counter pain relievers will drop once people discover the natural benefits of Kratom? Are the manufacturers of Suboxone (Indivior) worried that their costly and potentially addictive treatment for opioid dependency will become unnecessary? Who are these people and entities behind this ban? It is not the DEA. They are just a willing tool and mechanism for others with an agenda.
As a citizen, I’m suspicious of the data and analysis used by the DEA. The DEA claim that they have received “correspondences from public/state officials which indicate that there were a significant number of overdoses and traffic fatalities directly, or indirectly, involving kratom.” The DEA claims that these correspondences are on file with the DEA (dated April 19, 2016). It would be interesting to obtain these correspondences to determine the number and content of those correspondences. I’m also concerned about the DEAs statement that there is growing concern over “increased requests for analyses of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine in human toxicology panels (blood/urine samples) to private analytical laboratories.” The DEA does not address the probability that the increased requests are due to increased testing in those states that have made Kratom use illegal. The criminal justice system in those states no doubt require that all drug screens include the constituents of Kratom. I am also suspicious of the data that suggests that “the number of positive results from these analyses increased’ from 2012 to 2016. The locations of these toxicology labs are Willow Grove, PA, Clearwater, FL, and Santa Rosa, CA. Why is the data coming from labs in different geographical locations? Why is the data coming from different years for different labs? From which states are these samples being submitted for analysis? Are they states that have made Kratom illegal recently? The sheer fact of making it illegal would explain any increase. An honest analysis would show all the results from all three labs over the entire time period from 2012 to 2016. The DEAs selective use of this data appears as thought they are “cherry picking” favorable data. To continue the fruit metaphor, this is akin to comparing apples to oranges. Again, this data is contained in e-mail correspondences on file with the DEA. Copies of these correspondences should be requested from and provided by the DEA.
One can only conclude that the DEA has acted hastily on questionable data and without public comment and discussion at the behest of powerful unknown forces. The DEAs argument appears to be that Kratom is dangerous simply because they say it is. This is counter to how a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people should operate.
.
When I heard of the DEA’s decision I died a little inside. I suffer from chronic back and joint pain. Very few things help with the pain with the exception of Kratom. After being referred to it by a fellow sufferer, my life has changed 100%. I have been able to function as a whole. My life has been so much better. I have even been able to Enjoy life! Now I am wracked with anxiety knowing that my future is again full of pain and suffering. I am so frustrated I want to cry. It seems our government does NOTHING at all whatsoever but make our lives miserable. LEAVE US ALONE! Why take away the only thing that makes so many of our lives tolerable?
This is just terrible. The future is so bleak right now. I honestly don’t know how I will go on… or if I will. Thanks DEA. You might have just signed my death certificate.
This motion is irresponsible in this atmosphere of escalated addiction, our Veterans with PTSD and pain victims searching for an alternative solution to addictive pharmaceuticals. How does it feel to be responsible for so many deaths and the destruction of extensive American families and children with your direction to instate this action. It seems that the DEA does not care about all the victims of opiate abuse and the soldiers who fought for your freedom. So many of these people are addicted because of the abuse of the pharmaceutical companies and the doctors lack of oversight along with the poor soldiers. The move to make Kratom illegal is dangerous and irresponsible.
This motion is irresponsible in this atmosphere of escalated addiction, our Veterans with PTSD and pain victims searching for an alternative solution to addictive pharmaceuticals. How does it feel to be responsible for so many deaths and the destruction of extensive American families and children with your direction to instate this action. It seems that the DEA does not care about all the victims of opiate abuse and the soldiers who fought for your freedom. So many of these people are addicted because of the abuse of the pharmaceutical companies and the doctors lack of oversight along with the poor soldiers. The move to make Kratom illegal is dangerous and irresponsible.
Corruption in our government has gone too far, we know this has big pharma behind the DEA’s agenda to attack natural and outlaw a plant that belongs in the genus coffee family, its beyond ridiculous and an obvious attempt to simply limit big pharma competition in the market place. The entire lobby industry is nothing but wild west bribery racket and that’s what needs to be outlawed, not Kratom. Plus the DEA has been known to break its own laws using US military aircraft to smuggle in drugs via the CIA, these are much more publicly transparent than they know or understand. They need to drop the Kratom ban or suffer the consequences on their other actions.
I’ve been told by a little birdie, I heard a third party rumor that the DEA needs to drop the ban on Kratom or suffer the consequences, film exists with audio, undercover digital audio / video released to the public showing offloads of illegal drugs using US military aircraft in conjunction with CIA help.
Just a rumor but a shame if the ban goes through………tick tock, tick, tock….
Look what prohibition of alcohol did for organized crime. Look what prohibition of marijuana did for the cartels. Now think about what prohibition of kratom will do for _______.
Of the three aforementioned prohibited compounds, you chose the scientifically and statistically MOST DANGEROUS one (alcohol) to make legal again. Logic is clearly not part of the plan.
For the first time in my life, I’m a true productive member of society. I love my job and work really hard. The great effort has paid off as I’m saving to buy a house in the beginning of 2017. For the first time in my adult life, I have goals and I know how to accomplish them. I have a plan. My relationships are also better than ever. My mom is older and not completely able to care for herself so I’ve taken the responsibility of providing for her. She lives with me and we get along better than ever. You see, 2 years ago I was a completely different person and my life was in a strikingly different place. My biggest hope at that time was that I would just die. Every morning that I woke up was just another day of disappointment. Every morning that I woke up, I would take another drink from the bottle to numb me through the pain. I’m an alcoholic and I struggle with depression and anxiety. I also have PTSD from an attack that occurred against me in 2008. I never thought I’d be able to give up alcohol so I had succumbed to the idea of just killing myself with it. I woke up drinking and went to bed drinking. I didn’t have the desire or the skills to cope with my depression, anxiety and PTSD. Not until I found kratom. Kratom saved my life. My alcoholism was to a point that I needed medical help to detox. The vomiting and tremors were really bad and there was fear that I would begin seizing. Even when the medical emergency detox was over, my body and mind still had a lot of transitioning and relearning to do. Kratom helped me do both of those. Kratom helped ease the painful withdrawals, eased my anxiety and prevented me from continuing in my depression. Kratom allowed me to see the light at a very distant tunnel. Kratom helped me seek therapy and grow stronger in my sobriety. The last 2 years have been such a journey of pain and reward. I got my life back thanks to Kratom. I’ve never been this happy and successful. Please don’t allow the DEA to ban Kratom. Kratom is not a harmful drug. Please, please research Kratom and the lives it has saved, including mine. My story is atypical of the lives it has changed. There’s so many addicts that need help, so many tunnels that need a light- I ask you to please let Kratom be that for them. Let’s regulate Kratom instead of prohibit so lives can still be saved. #IAMKRATOM #KRATOMSAVESLIVES
Look everyone, you have to speak in terms they understand…
MONEY
Kratom helps people work MORE, similar to coffee, as opposed to opiates/pain-killers that make people work LESS.
MONEY
If people work more, they make more
MONEY
If people are making more MONEY, they spend more
MONEY
If people spend more MONEY, the economy improves.
MONEY
If the economy improves, that mean you gov’t officials get to have more…..you guessed it…
MONEY!!!!!! 😀
Don’t you like money???
Also, less people on benefits, less insurance claims, paying more taxes.
This is a situation that really requires some deep investigation in to Mr. Rosenburg’s prior employers, in particular the patent for PZM21 ( in addition to MGM-9, MGM-15, MGM-16, TRV130, TRV734 ) as he worked for the same companies now seeking to bring these drugs to market.
I have used Kratom for 8 years because I did not want to be enslaved by pain and anxiety medications. After a sever accident, I was left taking Oxy Contin and Xanax/Klonopin, this did not work for me. It interfered with my job, ability to drive as well as interact with others due to pain levels and regression from social settings due to the pain. Then I found Kratom, since then I have not touched a single Big Pharma medication, and have none of the ill effects I suffered prior.
The amount of misinformation in the DEA’s notice to set Kratom to Schedule 1 is astonishing and shows they did not do ANY research at all.
1) The DEA stating it is a high risk for abuse. No it is not. Taking even a tad more than you should will at worst lead to vomiting as your body will reject the extra material in your system and can not absorb enough of the alkaloids to cause any harm.
2) Potential for addiction. Again false. Though there may be some withdrawl symptoms, they are no where near the severity of opiates, alcohol or even cigarettes ( all technically legal ).
3) The 15 alleged deaths from SOLEY KRATOM. This I would love to see proof of and the fact that Kratom was the ONLY substance the person used. It is truly sad for any one to lose a loved one in any capacity. However, there was a case in California not long ago, where some college kids ended up in the ER due to an “overdose”. Right away , since Kratom was some what an alien substance, it was blamed first and foremost. Later toxicology reports showed that they had also used cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine, in addition to heavy drinking.
There are so many more, it would take hours to break down. But, as a used or Kratom, never OD’d, never had any bad health effects ( in fact it has been shown that it can help with the circulatory system as well as immune system ) . I do not want to be an overnight felon, or worse yet, return to the horrid nightmare of opiates and benzos, or worse.
Lastly , just a prediction, I am located in NE PA, and there will be a spike in the already considerably dangerous, heroin market. I thought the DEA wanted to “fight a war on drugs”? To me this seems like a Band-Aid measure to say “Hey! Look what we caught your kids doing, its BAD! KRATOM BAD!” so it looks like they had some major win, when in all honestly, they are crippling a few hundred thousand people, and causing an increase in the use of other illegal substances.
I am so happy that this issue is getting so much (well-deserved!) attention. I have been an avid supporter of Kratom since 2011, when I was lucky enough to discover the miracle plant by chance during an Internet search. I had been dependent on prescription pain meds and alcohol for about 5 years and I had tried multiple times to quit but had been unsuccessful. I was truly scared for my life.. Kratom had a huge impact on my life and I believe it helped me conquer many of my demons. The only people who will benefit from making Kratom a schedule I substance is BIG PHARMA, I repeat: the ONLY PEOPLE WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM MAKING KRATOM A SCHEDULE I SUBSTANCE IS BIG PHARMA!
Please do the right thing!
It is way too obvious that the DEA is working with Big Pharma for this unwarranted ban. Greed over saving lives in the midst of an opiate epidemic! It’s an abomination! I lost my daughter because of Big Pharma. Now I use kratom for emotional pain I will have forever. Now it is going to be taken away! I’ll be lost yet again!
I can’t even begin to list all the things wrong, unjust and just plain ridiculous about this irresponsible leap to ban kratom. Therefore I won’t. I could give my personal story of how this plant literally saved my life, but again, I wont. There’s been plenty of people post similar stories in light of these recent events, to the point that the reality should be clear to anyone who cares enough about their fellow citizens. However, what I will do is list a couple of extremely important realities as to why kratom MUST not be banned or made to be put on the Schedule 1 list.
1. Kratom does not “get you high”, as in kratom is not a “recreational drug”.
2. No to very low potential for abuse. Example: Using more and more kratom will not produce better effects. All that would be achieved would be an upset stomach.
3. People will die. This may seem over dramatic to people that are fairly uninformed or inexperienced with the kratom plat and it’s uses. So how will people literally die without kratom? The most common use of kratom is to aid in the debilitating effects of opiate (painpills) addiction/withdrawels. Without kratom, 1000’s of people will be forced to go back to their old habits, either via doctor prescribed pharmaceuticals or black market. Some of these unfortunate people will succumb to their addiction, overdose and hence lose their life.
4. Kratom is harmless. I think this is a fairly good point, making this recent push to ban kratom all the more foolish.
Sadly it is apparent and obvious that this move by the DEA is based solely on ignorance. Kind of makes you wonder what other acts created by the DEA are made in the same hasty manner.
Kratom is harmless in itself and the herb has improved so many people’s quality of life in a NATURAL way, this completely makes no sense for the DEA to rush to judgement based on absolutely no creditable evidence or science to support their position. The decision by the DEA is unconstitutional in every aspect and goes against everything this country is about DEMOCRACY. Voices of the people have the right to be heard and should not be silenced.
I have never incurred any harm from use of kratom. It helped me remain productive, reducing my pain from tendonitis, bursitis, sciatica, and arthritis, in addition to help me feel motivated to get things done so that I am not only not a burden to others, but remain an employed taxpayer. The effects are not any more intense than other plant products on the market such as coffee or kava. American people are increasingly taking notice of the oppressive, intimidating, and damaging actions of government and its agencies, so don’t forget we’re the ones paying your salaries when you act to criminalize and debilitate us.
Total misuse of authority. The DEA was delegated this authority to ban substances that pose real threats to to public, such as, things that can kill you. Kratom does not qualify. It has a long history of use without toxicity. Of course, I’m part of the public, a citizen of the U.S. and therefore my comments are not relavent to the DEA.
Thank you, CRE, for investigating the action of the DEA in banning kratom without due process. Since the DEA has decided that my voice does not count in this matter, I would like to add my story here. I was born with Chiari Malformation, a neurological condition in which the cerebellum is compressed down into the cervical spine. I was diagnosed after I developed severe pain and neurological symptoms after the birth of my son 17 years ago. For several years, I was often bedridden and misdiagnosed until Chiari was discovered through a brain scan.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for Chiari. All hope seemed lost for several years. I tried pharmaceutical drugs, but did not like the stupor they caused so I quit them. I was told by my neurosurgeon that my back was against the wall and that I would live in pain or have risky brain surgery. I did not think I could ever work again or lead a full life. I could barely handle daily living activities and care for my son.
I elected to forgo surgery and prescription drugs in favor of a natural approach to pain management. Through this journey, I found kratom. Today I am back to working full time as a reading teacher in a Title I school, a demanding job helping struggling readers improve. I’m an actively involved parent, and loving wife. I am earning a living and not on disability. This is possible because of kratom.
I am in distress since learning of this ban a few days ago. I do not want to go back to living in pain and missing out on life. I don’t want to lose my job that I love helping children be successful in reading. I do not want to have to make a choice between that and becoming a criminal in the eyes of the government. I will not take synthetic, chemical versions of kratom when what nature has given us is superior.
I did not have a choice to be born with Chiari. I should have the choice to choose kratom for pain management. The DEA must be stopped from taking this action that will hurt, and even kill people who return to opioids when they cannot have kratom. How can our government have this callous disregard for its citizens? Please stop this ban.
My daughter was brutally murdered, and I’ve had to live w a debilitating grief..i didn’t get out of bed, shower, or eat for months..then 1 of my friends told me about the antidepressant qualities, and anti anxiety qualities in kratom.. AND IT GAVE ME MY LIFE BACK
Dont ban kratom, please.
None of the pharmaceuticals helped me..ativan is much more addictive and doesn’t even work well..
With kratom I’ve gotten up and showered everyday, and began to live WITH the worst pain and grief you could possibly imagine..
Kratom isnt just for people who suffer opiate addiction, it has so much potential to change the world..
Kratom needs to be regulated, not prohibited entirely! There is simply no rationality behind reacting this way toward something that has been around for as long as it has with as many positive testimonials from upstanding citizens. Does this kind of reaction occur for truly dangerous drugs that are an imminent threat?
I have been using kratom for five years to help with my depression and anxiety. I used to take countless prescription drugs and none of them seemed to work. I was unemployed and depressed and even attempted suicide. Since I started taking kratom, I’ve had a good job and have been a great mother to my children. I pay my bills, I don’t break the law, and I pay taxes. Kratom has helped me be a contributing member of society and an upstanding member of society. Please don’t let the DEA make kratom illegal. I’ve never had a bad experience with kratom. Kratom saves lives.
As a health care professional working daily with chronic pain sufferers and having experienced debilitating pain myself, I have a few remarks about the proposed Kratom ban:
As to the supposed lack of regulation of product, the DEA or FDA doesn’t inspect tea or coffee, known stimulants/calmatives used in every society, for quality or sources.
If scientific research is deemed necessary, investigators need only examine the populations that have used Kratom for centuries to learn of its long-term effects. Those populations are not dying by the thousands daily from overdoses. Only 600 emergency room visits over 6 years related to Kratom have all involved combinations of other substances; Kratom alone has not caused death or permanent injury.
Considering the furor over the ‘opioid epidemic’ which has been proven to stem from often unavoidable use of pharmaceutical products (having no relation to ‘lifestyle choices’) which have killed hundreds of thousands of citizens with impunity, the blatant hypocrisy of banning an herbal tea that effectively, safely, and non-addictively can eliminate pain AND assists people to overcome addiction to dangerous drugs like Oxycontin, heroin, etc., would suggest a serious conflict-of-interest. I want to know if the DEA director making the decision to label Kratom a Schedule 1 drug has received pay-off from any pharmaceutical firms or lobbyists to influence this decision.
Kratom can and does help the hundreds of thousands of veterans who returned home without limbs, with chronic pain, with unavoidable depression/psychic distress from extended tours, who lost their quality of life ‘defending our freedoms’.
Government was created to serve and protect the people of a nation; this (and other) act(s) of government suggests a total disregard for the needs and safety of those they are employed by to represent.
On behalf of those whose lives have been made bearable because of this gift from God, please give this matter your full and immediate attention. Thank-you for your good works.
I am a 66-year-old retired businesswoman who was a Creative Director for two of the nation’s top business-communications firms, the former head of the International Board of the Software Publishers Association, and included in Who’s Who in American Business for the years 1992 and 1993, to name a few accomplishments. Starting in 2001 and continuing through 2008, my family and I underwent a series of events that resulted in significant trauma. These traumatic episodes developed into a condition termed “compound trauma,” an anxiety disorder similar to PTSD. I was prescribed a number of drugs and found that the only drug I responded to without serious side effects was Xanax. I was then on and off Xanax for the course of a decade. When I decided to wean myself off of it entirely, I found out too late that it was highly addictive and that I needed professional help in achieving the goal of being Xanax free. It took three years of concerted effort in the care of psychiatrists, internists, and other MDs while undergoing horrific side effects to rid myself of Xanax. Unfortunately, it led to even more issues regarding trauma.
Three years ago, a friend of mine suggested Kratom powder to ease my consistently high-level of anxiety. I found that a minor dose of Kratom leaf powder taken twice a day (1/2 teaspoon) produced relief and most importantly, I was able to sleep at night. It is important to me to continue using it since a) it provides relief and b) it is not addictive. To prove that to myself, I have stopped taking it several times and found it to be a simple and easy process.
I have questioned this sudden “emergency action” on the part of the DEA. Online reports suggests a possible link between patents applied for by Smith Kline, of Glaxo Smith Kline & French Laboratories as well as the University Of Massachusetts Medical School and the University Of Mississippi with this sudden need to ban Kratom. It has come to my attention that since products synthesized from a natural plant cannot be patented while the powder or teas made from it are legal, it therefore must be made illegal for pharmaceutical companies et al to proceed with patenting and marketing synthetic Kratom. While I am not suggesting nefarious dealings on anyone’s part, it does lead one to wonder why the imminent need to place Kratom in the Schedule I category without proper time for judicious debate.
When I heard about what the DEA is trying to do, I was speechless. Pretty much my life has been plagued by anxiety and depressive episodes, and I’ve been through the pharmaceutical circus to try and get it under control. The hell I went through because of pharmaceutical drugs is some thing I never want to have to experience again. When I found kratom, I was skeptical at first but I soon came to realize how beneficial it would be to my ability to be productive in life. The symptoms of my anxiety were lessened without me being numbed by pills, and I felt less melancholic and actually wanted to go out an do things. This plant has helped me in ways I can’t begin to describe. And all without the side effects and withdrawals I had with traditional western medicine. If this plant becomes banned, I’m am worried not only for myself but for others that use this herb as a safe alternative to pharmaceuticals. I worry that my anxiety will only grow again and I will lose some of my desire to go out into the world. It helps me alleviate symptoms while keeping me functional enough to work out where some of my issues stem from so I can work to CHANGE then and not just mask them. I sincerely hope that kratom does not end up getting banned.
This plant changed my life. Like so many others, kratom does not give me a high. I find kratom demands respect and it won’t be abused. I could write a book about the trauma I’ve experienced, the years spent searching for relief and the years I wasted locked in my house, isolated and depressed. I hit a lower bottom than ever before when a friend suggested kratom. I believe it’s a gift from God. Kratom eased me out of depression and calmed my anxiety. I’m a better wife, mother and daughter and my family appreciates the changes in me these past 8 years. I’ve won awards at work. Friends laugh, but for me kratom is a terrific cup of coffee that fills my heart and brings me closer to God and the people around me. I don’t isolate. I’m active and involved. I’m living a full life.
I believe the DEA’s proposed ban will ruin lives. Some will turn to illegal street drugs, some will return to alcohol and some people like me will fight to keep the life we’ve built. While writing this I realize I’ve made kratom sound almost magical. While zinc and vitamin C help a body fight infection, kratom helps me fight for a better life. I work with my doctor and therapist but nothing has helped as much as kratom.
What an excellent exposure of government overreach this is! There is no logic whatsoever in the DEA’s decision to ban a substance with thousands of years of safe usage and no deaths attributed solely to it. Between this and their adamant refusal to remove marijuana from the schedule one category, the DEA is on track to lose all credibility. This law will not protect public health, if anything it will harm the public by adding to the already overflowing prison populations and will definitely lead to a large spike in the death toll of the opioid epidemic. The American people will not stand for this abuse of the emergency scheduling procedure.
My close friend opened up about her personal and vey painful journey with TSW. She is a hero in my eyes. She bravely and unselfishly bared her soul and intimate photos of the most vulnerable time in her life so that Kratom can be seen in a positive light for its medicinal benefits. She has suffered a long time and kratom soap soothes her skin and helps her be more comfortable as she battles TSW.
https://youtu.be/u3DJrcDzo5s
I am 63 and have finally found something that helps me deal with chronic pain! I was also fed a steady diet of narcotic and opioid pain medication. Kratom has given me the ability to think clear again, not clouded by the adverse side effects of the medication that’s distributed by our beloved government. It’s appalling that 11 year olds can now get Oxycontin!! The Bible talks about the fruits of the Earth shall be for us to use. It sucks when the DEA believes they are better than God because they sure are trying to act like it
My name is Angi. I’m 37 and I am from Virginia. I suffer from chronic kidney stones and infections. I have had sepia multiple times and been hospitalized more times than I can count. I’ve had my gall bladder removed and two tumors from my abdomen. I was diagnosed with lupus and chronic fatigue syndrome As well. I suffer from migraines and cluster
Headaches. I have vertigo as well as depression, anxiety and add. My issues come from a car accident from 1999. I was only 18 when I broke my hips, ribs, fractured my spine and punctured my lung. I was paralyzed and told I wouldn’t walk again. I’m happy I’m here to share
With you ,!I was blessed to beat all odds , I am walking and I have a 9 year old son.
Kratom has helped me cope with the chronic pain and fatigue. I cannot take pain medicine because it was causing the kidney stones. Kratom has given me a better quality of life then pharmaceuticals ever could.
https://youtu.be/kiI2LO_17aU
I am a 14 year Kratom user. I am also a law abiding citizen and I think the DEA has overstepped their boundaries with this potential ban on Kratom. I’m worried that the DEA isn’t even listening. Whether they do or not I want to state this:
I am a 38 year old male from Virginia whose life has been saved because of Kratom. I was a drug user. Now, 14 years later, I am a prominent member of my society here in my town. Kratom helped me take my life back, get off drugs, and overcome depression.
This plant doesn’t make me high, nor is it an opiate which most schedule I drugs are. I am completely baffled by the reasoning behind this ban. There have been no specific research proving their points behind why they want to do this.
I am a law abiding citizen. On September 30th, if this ban does happen, a lot of people will be forced to make the decision of taking harmful opiates to sustain their pain instead of a natural plant.
Please don’t allow this to happen.
My name is Cindi, I’m a 46-year old female from California and I’d like to voice my concern about the making Kratom a Schedule 1 drug.
I was diagnosed with DDD, bulging disks, osteoarthritis, raw nerve exposure and stenosis. I was going to a pain management Dr. and he put me on Norcos and then in a couple of months took me off. I was in constant pain 24/7. I had no idea how I was going to live with the constant pain. At that point I was only existing.
I happened to be in a pain group skimming over some posts, when someone mentioned Kratom. That it was all natural and helped with pain, anxiety and depression. I was very reluctant but I thought it might be my saving grace. I researched it and joined a group. I was able to get a free sample. I was still very reluctant, but thought what do I have to lose. I took a tsp and at first got no results. A day later I took it again and went about my business. Within 30 minutes I realized I felt my pain was disappearing. I almost couldn’t believe it. My pain was gone and I was able to do things I hadn’t done in a long time like drive in a car for more than thirty minutes, play outside with my son and do housework more than a few minutes at a time. I’m able to be a functioning wife, mother and woman. Kratom gave me my life back. Instead of existing. I’m living. For that I am forever grateful. It’s truly a miracle plant.
I have taken Kratom every day for 2 years, it has helped me so much to be productive during my work day. Every week I usually work 70+ hours and Kratom helps me to stay on my feet. Now the DEA wants to step in and say it has no medicinal value? I have seen so many of my friends take this natural remedy to stay off hard drugs. I have seen it help so many to live normal productive lives. Don’t take this away from the moms, addicts, and people in pain who really need this miracle herb. It has helped so many of us!
To whom it may concern
Recently the DEA has announced its intention to make Kratom, a herb which grows in nature, a Schedule 1 drug – on par with Heroin. I am emailing for two reasons – firstly I want to share my personal story with you and secondly I want to share larger concerns that I have with this ban as a US citizen. I am 34 year old male. I am a CPA and work as a senior manager in a large professional services firm. In 2011 I had a bacterial infection which caused nerve damage. The nerve damage resulted in debilitating pain. This situation unfolded fairly quickly for me and the doctors put me on medication which quite honestly didn’t ease my pain and significantly affected my mental wellbeing. I missed many days from work over the following 3 months. After doing some research online I discovered that a plant – Kratom – might be able to assist me in managing the pain. I tried it out and found it to be very effective in managing my pain. I was able to significantly reduce my intake of prescription drugs as a result of my use of this plant. Secondary benefits also accrued. Consumption of Kratom tea significantly reduced my anxiety and depression – both of which I have struggled almost all my life to manage. The plant allowed me to be a productive, tax paying member of society. I’m afraid that if this plant is banned I will have to go back to less effective, highly addictive pharmaceuticals with many negative side effects. I’m afraid that I would be at the mercy of a physician who may not fully understand the side effects and addictive nature of drugs that he or she prescribe (I have found this to be common occurrence). I’m afraid of having to choose between becoming a drug addict or living with debilitating pain. I know that my story is not unique. There are tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands out there that have a similar story to mind. Beyond myself, I am also sad for the thousands of recovering heroin addicts that have been able to give up heroin and prescription opioids as a result of all natural Kratom leaf. It’s my strong belief that heroin related deaths will sky rocket across this country as a result of any Kratom ban. It is widely known that heroin related ODs skyrocketed in Alabama as a result banning the plant in Alabama, and I have no doubt that similar results will be replicated nationwide if the ban takes effect. A ban on Kratom will have the opposite effect to what the DEA intends. These are not my most significant concerns though. My most significant concern is that the DEA is planning on scheduling this plant without a.) any evidence at all to support its claim that Kratom is an imminent health hazard (there have been 0 deaths that have ever proven to be caused by Kratom), b.) any allowances for comment by the medical and scientific community, and c.) without the authorization of Congress. This in my view is an overreach of authority by the DEA, which has much larger ‘go forward’ implications for our society than simply the “now effect” of plunging thousands back into addiction and/or chronic pain. The real question here, in my mind, is should the DEA be able to arbitrarily ban a natural substance without evidence to support its decisions, such as the result of serious research.
I leave you with this – the DEA says Kratom has been “associated” with 15 deaths, meaning that they have found 15 people that have died with Kratom in their system among other substances (but never able to attribute any death to Kratom itself). By contrast, lightning strikes cause the death of 51 people annually. I am atleast 3 times more likely to get struck by lightning than I am to die of Kratom ingestion. This issue is so much bigger than just Kratom. A message needs to be sent to the DEA and to the government at large. This HAS to stop. It just HAS to.
Thanks for your time
Sent from my iPad
Kratom helped me get off of pain killers w/o any side effects whatsoever. this plant is amazing and safe. what the DEA is doing is completely irrational and dangerous to millions. you have already taken away pharmaceutical drugs from chronic pain patients and now you are taking away their last hope. this is a tea leaf. no additives and no compounds. leave it legal. listen to all the voices. the chronic pain patients, veterans, older people and everyone else who is seeking something other than the poison offered to them by their so called doctors. #iamkratom #kratomsaveslives
After seeing the march on washington yesterday and the level of maturity most of the crowd was, clearly this plant is not a drug for people to get high. It is a natural plant helping those with chronic pain. It is saving lives not destroying them like heroin and cocaine. How could you even clasify these in the same schedule. The DEA really needs to stop this ban or over a hundred thousand people will be forced to go back to the streets and pharmaceuticals.
It’s a shame that those of us who experience pain buy don’t want to be heavily dependent upon pharmaceutical pain medication are having our rights ripped away from us. I am a mother, a home schooler, and a daycare provider. Not a law breaking drug addict. This is unbelievable and it’s hard to believe that a government agency can get away with unilaterally declaring a tea leaf illegal.
I have been taking Kratom for 5 years now daily. I have rheumatoid arthritis and chronic pain. Kratom has helped me live a normal life. I used to have to take narcotic pain medication and live my life in a fog so to speak. I’m 39 years old and I’m a mom, a wife, and a baker. My job requires me to be on my feet and on the move sometimes 9-10 hours a day. I would not be able to complete my duties without the help of Kratom. I am a law-abiding citizen, I’ve never been arrested and have the utmost respect for law enforcement. After hearing the news that the DEA wants to ban Kratom I was, and still am devastated. I don’t know what will happen to me. I suppose I will have no choice but to either be in constant pain or return to using narcotic pain medication. Honestly I think the former is the better option for me although I know that would lead to depression and I probably would ultimately turn to the pills. This ban is not right. I would be considered a felon if I continued to use Kratom and that is mind boggling to me. I want the right to take care of my body and what ails me however I choose. They will ruin lives if this ban goes through. They have no basis for pushing this ban and it isn’t right that they are trying to manipulate people into believing Kratom is dangerous. I am a living, breathing testament to the benefits of Kratom. Please help us to stop this abuse of power.
Thank you cre for looking at this. This is a huge overstep by the DEA. The DEA is supposed to enforce laws, not create them. Kratom is not an immediate threat to public safety like spice or other synthetic drugs. Unadulterated Kratom is a plant that has been used for centuries in Asia and decades in the United States. I prefer to take kratom to help with my chronic pain over harsh and addictive prescription drugs drugs. I am a more productive citizen with my Leitrim use than I was on prescription drugs. I have not had a single sick day since adding kratom to my regimen. I called out sick at least a couple times a month while on prescription drugs because of pain and flare-ups. Please don’t make me go back to that.
Kratom has helped me regain my ability to function normally. I suffer from fibromyalgia and spinal issues. I’ve had a long and emotional years of trying to get doctors to listen and many years battling to get a diagnosis. Thought once diagnosed the doctors could help but years of harmful medications and procedures that have made my condition worse. As a Native American I decided to look into natural remedies and herbals to ease my symptoms. Found kratom after long research. This plant has helped me so much to be able to take care of my kids, household tasks, and help with my boyfriend’s farming our only income. Was looking into returning to work which I was unable to do before and get off assistance. Now with the ban this will not happen. And back to painful steroid injections that do not help ,but that’s all my pain management doctor has given me for treatments. Can’t live in constant pain and now they’re taking the only thing that helps me function. Guess I should start the disability paperwork and be a continued burden on tax payers.
Im a 34 year old male from Minnesota that has been dealing with IBS and subsequent depression that went along with a poor quality of life. I’ve taken different prescriptions with varying success but when I discovered kratom my life changed. My daily quality of life improved so drastically I didn’t need any of my prescription medication anymore and am no longer held captive by my ailments and can enjoy a normal life. I can eat any foods I want, run, bike, take hikes and fly anywhere without worry. I can’t explain why and how kratom works so well but to schedule this as a level 1 controlled substance is a huge disservice to me and hundreds of thousands of other Americans. There is so much undiscovered potential here and substantial evidence that kratom has many beneficial uses. Saying the DEA is performing a disservice is an understatement, this is a tragedy and detrimental to the very people they are claiming to protect. We need to end this unanswerable irresponsible action immediately.
There are clearly much more harmfull substances legally available on the market . This is a obviously bought and paid for by the pharmecuitical companies . Ridiculous and blatent lies to demonize this botanical. If regulation is necessary then restrict sales to 18 or 21 and up . There is absolutely no valid reason to ban this plant and create more pain and suffering for people . The government needs to stop taking donations and bribes from drug companies . If they had to rely on tax payer dollars instead, as it should be, perhaps we’d get some respect and have our opinions count for something.
I was taking 3-4 percocet 10mg a day having to buy them off the black market for a few years until I found Kratom. Since then I have been able to treat my pain and my opiate addiction with this life saving plant. Now that the dea is banning it I fear that I will have no choice but to go back to black market narcotics to treat my pain once my Kratom supply runs out.
I’ve been using kratom for a year now after my back surgery. Not only does it take away my pain but also my anxiety. Please don’t take away the one thing that works!!
I’m 36 yrs old. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s at 16, between the meds they had me on for that (several different injections and loads of steroids) and the fact that it causes my body not to process calcium properly I’ve developed severe joint issues and kidney stones. Since finding out about kratom a year ago I’ve stopped the pharmaceutical meds and gone strictly herbal. I’ve had 0 kidney stones in the last 7 months where as I was passing 6 or more a month and it helps tremendously with the joint pain . This ban will make life miserable for me and the thousands who use it instead of having to deal with the “side effects ” of pharmaceutical meds .
We here in Idaho are shocked at the assertion that Kratom qualifies for Schedule 1. I know thousands of people from all walks of life that benefit greatly from Kratom. None of which consider Kratom dangerous. In fact most believe Kratom is as safe or safer than coffee and other caffeine containing products.
660 poison control center calls over nearly 6 years does not justify alarm. The motivations behind this proposed ban are clear. The drug companies are tired of losing money to another natural product and they are close bedfellows with the DEA and FDA. This is absolutely sickening that this has become the status quo in our great country. Kratom should be classified as a supplement. The only regulation that may be appropriate is to only allow sales to individuals over the age of 18 (This should be the regulation for caffeinated products as well).
A joint study by the Florida Department of Health and Human Services and Florida law enforcement agencies concluded that Kratom should be legal and does not appear to pose any threat to public safety. There are countless studies and facts that support Kratom. This is a gross overreach by the DEA. The FDA has also been unfairly targeting Kratom shipments for years without any data or facts to support their actions. I choose to support and consume Kratom after thorough examination of the facts, all available data and documented safe historical use. I do not consume alcohol because it is verified by fact to be negatively impacting on health. Alcohol qualifies as a dangerous substance, kills millions and costs taxpayers billions yet it is legal. Kratom is a gentle herb that has been safely used for thousands of years to improve quality of life.
I have consumed Kratom tea for over 3 years and I am in perfect health, productive and more fulfilled with my life than ever before. Please, we cannot allow this blatant disregard for fact, scientific data and historical evidence to be enacted into law. What type of nation do we want to be? If Kratom becomes illegal it will be another strike against this great nation. If we allow our regulators to act without evidence and scientific data what will this country look like in 10 years? If the DEA applied the same “logic” to other currently accepted products, coffee would qualify for Schedule 1.
As a 51 yr old mother and grandmother ,I had a severe neck injury,that was debilitating,after going through the nightmare that is pain management,becoming addicted to their drugs ,loosing my insurance,ultimatly having me end up obtaining medication s illegally ,nearly killing me ,I found kratom ,I no longer have pain ,can work to support my family ,to ban this miracle PLANT ,will result in ten of thousands of people sliding back into a deathly spiral ,overdoses will increase , families will fall apart suicides due to people not being able to live on pharmacy drugs ,crime will increase in order that people can obtain relief ,there will actual DEATHS DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE BANNING OF THIS PLANT ! The DEA NEEDS TO RETHINK THIS ACTION. the blood of this countries citizens will be in their hands
Help us fight the addiction epidemic by keeping Kratom legal. Thank you
When modern day medicines have failed me, Kratom gave me hope once again PLUS a much better quality of life than I ever had with the 13 prescription meds I was on for 8 years. My husband is worried that I’ll go back to the medication induced “zombie” I was before I found Kratom. My children are 8 & 6….their entire existence on this earth has been with their mommy doped up to try and stop the pain enough to function somewhat during the day. My children have their true mother back thanks to Kratom. It’s made me a more productive person all around. I can get around better having Kratom in my system than I ever could with all the meds I was on. I’ve had over 30 injections in my neck to try and stop the pain of chronic sub-occipital migraines due to narrowing in the foramina of my c5-c7. They helped for a few weeks at a time and then it was right back to the pain and agony again afterwards. I was beginning to lose hope….I was put on heavy doses of Hydrocodone 10/325, Soma 350, Gabapentin 300, Lyrica 150, Prozac 40, lamictal 20, Xanax 1, Celebrex 50, cymbalta 75(?), zanaflex 15, Mobic 10, oxybutinin 10 and trazadone 50. I’m 35 this year and I was on all those meds for 8 years with zero improvement in my health. I was just being rx’d stuff to muffle the pain and other symptoms and never was worked with to find the cause of why I was deteriorating at such a young age. The day I started taking Kratom is the day my life changed and for the better. I was scared to death of experiencing withdrawal and in front of my children. My husband has his own health issues as well, such as chronic pancreatitis & liver issues. It’s my responsibility to take care of them all and if I’m medicated to the point of being numb to everything and passing out from the side effects of meds, my family will fall apart. I can’t have that….taking Kratom away from us will be a devastating, life altering blow that many people will suffer from. Why is it so bad that we’ve found something to help us that’s 100% natural and is simply a leaf from a tree? How can nature be so wrong??? Please, allow it to be studied more and kept as an herbal supplement for the human race to use at their own will. There are many vendors out there that have their product lab tested for purity so they don’t distribute anything other than 100% organic Kratom. But then there are others that add stuff to it that may harm people. We, as a community, have a pretty strong relationship and already know who those few people are that are doing bad things like that. There are numerous vendors that are honest, responsible and dependable. Please, reconsider this strange “emergency” scheduling of this amazing leaf. It’s being labeled “herbal heroine” when it’s absolutely nothing even close to heroine. There’s zero euphoria as a matter of fact. It’s more like a sudden realization that you aren’t hurting and want to get up to actually do something. I’ve lost 15 pounds since taking Kratom and I’ve been all-around healthier from having found Kratom. It requires you to eat and drink plenty of fluids so your body is nourished properly. Those that choose not to adopt a healthier lifestyle usually don’t have as great of a success with Kratom as those that do. Leave the choice in our hands as responsible adults. We’ve been doing pretty good on our own before it became a huge topic. Thank you for hearing my story and taking my opinion into consideration. I was scared to death of withdrawing. I had even gone so far as researching methadone clinics to try out and was terrified to even make the call to one of them. I felt like that would validate what the dr had labeled me and turned me into: “Opioid Dependant”. But then, from just asking the question on fb, “what is Kratom?”, simply because I was getting a lot of friend requests with ‘kratom’ in the name, one thing led to another and I was introduced to the man and woman that saved my life….gave it back to me! Henry Lamb & Rachel Vasquez. They supported me through my fears & cheered me on in my successes. We became just like family. They stuck with me through my entire journey and they were always so excited to hear of others success with kratom. I, personally, have mentored over 2 dozen people to a great & responsible relationship with kratom. I don’t do it for any money or advertisement purposes. Knowing I may have saved someone’s life or at least changed it for the better is enough satisfaction for me while introducing a beginner to kratom responsibly. That last sentence, I believe, is probably what every single person that’s ever experienced the true medical value of kratom has thought also when they’ve introduced someone to this amazing leaf. Taking your health back into your own hands is so completely liberating!
Kratom is amazing stop trying to make it harder for people tpw enjoy themselves
I found kratom after my pain management doctor retired because the DEA was raiding offices of pain management physicians in the area. Despite the fact that this physician had never pushed any medicines and in fact did the opposite and tried to cut back on medications if I was doing well as well as the fact that routine drug tests and checks of the online pharmacy database were regularly performed on patients, this doctor felt that their very livelihood was in jeopardy if the practice remained open. This was done on a month’s notice to patients meaning there was quite a large number of people in a panic to find a new doctor so even if one was found, the wait for an appointment was months away. I was conservative with the pain medicine I had left but knew it was not going to last so I searched for alternative natural supplements that might provide some relief in the meantime. I researched kratom extensively before finally deciding to try it. I was still very skeptical but desperate for relief from my back pain due to a failed fusion and metal cage implant, the bone graft leaving me with a great deal of pain at the donor site as well. With my very first dose, I felt relief in 20 minutes. I was shocked no one had ever recommended this supplement to me before and that I had to find it on my own, but then I also knew we are not really “wanted” to find natural therapies. That sentiment alone is extremely sad. Now, after successfully intimidating physicians and pharmacies to either stop altogether or severely cut back on prescribing opioid pain medicines (which the DEA continually denies yet doctors and pharmacists alike have letters, etc., showing otherwise) many people have followed suit and found kratom as an alternative. As if the first blow with the pain medicines was not enough, they are now trying to ban responsible adults from this alternative natural supplement. I thought this was a war on drugs, not a war on people in chronic pain! I know I am not alone in feeling like this is indeed an attack on the chronic pain community as we all know that a ban will not stop addicts from getting high. Human behavior cannot be regulated. Those who choose to get high will still find a way, they will just move on to other substances, usually for the worse. This is one reason why we are facing a heroin epidemic right now. While prescribed medicines may have been sold on the streets, at least addicts were getting safer medicines than the heroin laced with the illicit versions of fentanyl and carfentinil that is currently killing on the streets! In my small town, we see anywhere from 2 to 5 overdoses PER DAY, some while people are driving. Now THAT to me constitutes is an immediate public health threat – not 660 calls to Poison Control over a 5 year span. Kratom has actually helped people stop using heroin. I have a friend whose adult child has successfully stopped using heroin and is now working, taking care of children and once again a productive member of society. Why on earth would the DEA want to ban a supplement that is actually HELPING people get off heroin at a time when heroin abuse is at a record high? It actually makes very little sense to me unless there is an ulterior motive such as big pharma influence as others have theorized. I have never taken any illicit synthetic drugs in my life and certainly would not start now in my middle age – kratom is NOT a drug. It is all natural plant material, not synthetic in any way. Using the powdered leaf at responsible doses is entirely safe and causes no high, although if you abuse it or take too much, it will make you vomit as it has a built-in safeguard against overdose in this fashion. It also has a very bitter taste and is not pleasant for those seeking a “high”. Anyone with average intelligence knows that if this legal herbal supplement was anything even close to “herbal heroin” there would be a lot more people using it right now, in the midst of a heroin epidemic!! This is simply not true and is media hype. Please stop the emergency scheduling of kratom and allow for commentary and research into the medicinal benefits. We are entitled to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
I am a mother. I am in pain every day of my life. Kratom helps manage that. PLEASE do not take this away from us.
I’m very thankful for groups like yours. Everyone needs to be held accountable for the actions even if it doesn’t turn out the way it’s should at least we tried. I hope for everyone that chooses to benefit from the all powerful natural leaf Kratom continues to be able to do so including myself and the ones that have not been fortunate enough to try it yet get the option to do so if they choose to! It has helped alleviate my severe anxiety and panic attacks I’ve experienced being able to NOT have to depend on pharmaceutical drugs that left me groggy and blah at best. The most wonderful part of Kratom is that I feel NOTHING! NOTHING but a sense of well-being, calm, and motivation to go to work, take care of my 5 children, and live without fear of having a debilitating panic attack while having to take a daily dose of Xanax & Zoloft.
Please dont take kratom away i used to be addicted to pain medicine went to rehabs i have severe depression severe back pain and severe lethargy do sime more research on it please
I have fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, hypothyroidism, PCOS, and endometriosis. I have been on everything from oxy’s, to a whole slew of other rx drugs. I am a stay at home mom to 2 boys. I was unable t do most daily activities. If I was not on heavy duty drugs, I was in excruciating pain. If I was on pain meds, I was barely able to function because I was so tired and doped up on medicinal cocktails prescribed by my doctor. When I found kratom, I was able to get up in the morning & go through my day. I was able to do the daily chores needed in my home, I was able to take care of my boys, even getting in the floor if I needed to. I am able to smile, breath, laugh, and go through life without so much pain and with a smile on my face.
I have depression and anxiety. I also have mild to moderate chronic neck pain. I had only discovered kratom about 2 weeks before the DEA announcement. Suddenly this herbal tea that had allowed me to wake up happy for the first time in years was going to be taken away. It’s not a drug. It’s an herbal supplement. It has no harmful effects and no place on the DEA radar, let alone as Schedule I.
I take Kratom for various reasons and Kratom helps relieve all of them. I’m 23 years old and about 3 years ago I injured my back and now I have a bugling disc in my lower back. I also have been diagnosed with PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) it makes me extremely depressed and gives me tons of anxiety and paranoia. When I take Kratom I don’t feel my back pain. It doesn’t make my pain go away forever but it gives me the relief I need when I’m doing my everyday tasks. Before I found Kratom I didn’t want to be alive because all of the pain and emotional roller coasters I was going through. I am very shy but I work in a job where I need to be able to communicate confidently and Kratom helps me to be motivated and confident, I think clearly and all the perfect worlds just flow out naturally. If the DEA goes through with the Kratom ban there will be a lot of people in my situation that will be hopeless in relieving there pain and emotional suffering. I don’t know what I will do. I just know I will be back where I was being paranoid, depressed and in pain all of the time and I don’t know how long I will be able to stand it. The DEA needs to stop this or else so many lives will be taken from this planet
I have battled depression for the majority of my adult life, I started having severe mouth pain and didn’t have insurance for a long time. I took painkillers but I always felt like crap after they wore off. I was researching anything I could find that was natural and not addictive and found kratom. I have been using it for over a year and it’s saved me. The idea that I might not be able to use it anymore is devastating.
I replaced several opiates with kratom as they were destroying my life. I almost died. Kratom allows me to be pain free, opiated free, and to function as a working class member of our society. Taking his plant away will kill millions of people who’s lives were saved by kratom. Don’t take this lifesaving plant away from us.
My wife is terrified of living in pain again with her arthritis after the kratom ban. We are hardworking taxpaying citizens. I know thousands of people are saying the same thing and its time to listen and do some research. Contrary to the DEA’s lies there are no deaths caused by kratom alone and it is not a drug like heroin or prescription opiates. Stop the ban!
I’m not sure what the DEA thinks they are doing here. The “emergency scheduling” of a benevolent botanical based on so-called evidence that literally makes me laugh out loud. If you are going to take such extreme measures (along with purposefully suppressing public comment and the feedback of the scientific community) you had better have some rock solid data to back up your action. You do not, DEA. This sets off alarms of all sorts and goes against the values of transparency and accountability that are core to the peoples trust in their government. Congress should be furious at this blatant overreach as you are basically usurping their law making mandate with a poorly executed end-around that a Pop Warner linebacker could sniff out and quash were it attempted in a actual game. The thing is, this is not a game. This action will take away from we, predominately mature, rational, hard working and law abiding citizens, who need it the most. Whether we suffer chronic pain, grave affective disorders, injuries both physical and mental obtained fighting proudly at home and abroad for this nation of ours, or are trying our best to put our lives back together by shuffling off the chains of addiction and alcoholism; this leaf is our hope. It is our aid and a path to wellness and we are terrified to lose it lest we be forced back into our former lives of misery. I hope that Congress, or the Attorney General, or perhaps even someone in the executive branch acts soon to halt this unethical act (I suspect your motives are less than humanitarian, DEA, because you excuses are paper thin). If they do not there will be blood on your hands, DEA. Every relapse that ends in overdose. Every worker forced back onto disability or SSI. Every veteran who commits suicide because they are forced back into a life of unbearable pain. We will hold you accountable, DEA…and the truth will out.
I live with fibromyalgia, and kratom has given me my life back !! I am not bed ridden on my heating pad and I just feel better overall. …I love that there is no overdosing, if u take too much for your system it makes u puke !!
I am a 35 cardiovascular sonographer with a bachelor’s degree and masters degree. I am a wife, (mother-to-be), daughter, sister, friend and colleague. I own a home and pay my taxes, I’ve never taken street drugs and don’t smoke or drink and #IAMKRATOM. Ever since I was a kid I’ve struggles with depression and anxiety. At points in my life it has been so debilitating for me that I’ve been hospitalized for anxiety attacks. I’ve tried the pharmaceutical route and found that anti-anxiety perscription medication left me feeling foggy, drugged and lethargic. After researching alternative and NATURAL methods of anxiety reduction I came across Kratom and began drinking Kratom tea 3 years ago. Kratom, along with a healthy lifestyle (diet and exercise) has SAVED MY LIFE. I’ve felt almost suicidal since I found out what the DEA is doing and I pray it does not happen. I fear for the well-being of not only myself, but millions of people if they are no longer allowed to use Kratom safely. There is plenty of research and personal stories out there to support the legality and safety of Kratom as a legimate and healthy way to live your life productively. PLEASE DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN, I can’t go back to the way I was now that I know what REAL living is, living a life without the mental and emotional shackles of anxiety and depression. In 35 years I haven’t found another medication that works better.
Kratom helps with my fibromyalgia and Hashimoto’s symptoms, especially pain, exhaustion, and brain fog. I don’t get a high from it, but it does give me the energy to get through my work day. It’s been especially helpful during our busiest uniform season ever, allowing me to work almost 200 hours in the last 4 weeks! With that much craziness, I would’ve screwed up so much at work, as my brain fog gets bad enough that I forget things within 2 seconds (literally) at times. Banning this natural plant is unnecessary and uncalled for, as regulation is the route that needs to happen.
I am a 41 year old deaf mom of five kids. I was diagnosed with Chiari malformation and Ehlers Danlos syndrome in 2012 and after under going brain surgery, referred to pain management. There is no cure for Chiari and Eds, only surgeries, physical therapy and pain management. I was prescribed fentanyl, Valium, and dilaudid for three years. I weaned myself off fentanyl in the summer of 2015 but was still taking various muscle relaxers, and oxycodone up to five times per day to manage my pain. After having a cervical fusion surgery in feb of 2016, I was prescribed long acting oxycodone, 8 mg of dilaudid every three hours, nuerontin, Valium, fioricet, imitrex and zonisamide to cover my post surgical pain and healing. After my surgery, no pain medicine helped my pain. My to,era de was much too high and I had to undergo a ketamine reset to fix my tolerance issues. It scared me that the pain medicine would not work at the volume I was prescribed. After six weeks in a hard collar, I read about Kratom on an Ehlers Danlos support forum. I did more research, reading many testimonials and finally joined a Facebook group with thousands of people like me. They all had found pain relief and were able to wean off most if not all of their opiate medications. I was nervous, but I finally ordered some herbal tinctures with a free sample of Kratom. I was able to stop all of my medications in just two days. I still had some withdrawal symptoms but they were very manageable. Over the next few weeks, my energy came back. My spark returned. I felt well enough to begin looking for work again. I found myself…the person I was before I was diagnosed and was feeling the way I never thought I would again. Kratom has helped me so much. I’m on the path of returning to work, going off social security disability income and my family has me back. I can’t imagine living life the way I was before. This ban will impact me in such a negative way. I will never have a life without pain, but with Kratom I can live again. I’m not chained to my medicine, counting the hours till my next dose, going to the doctors all the time and facing judgements from my peers, pharmacists and others who can’t see my disability. Thank you for all you are doing to save this wonderful plant!
I am one of the many Americans who use the herb kratom for chronic pain. I had previously been prescribed opioid painkillers by my doctor but became horribly addicted to them. Kratom relieves my pain and the physical dependence to it is much milder than all opioid painkillers I have taken. Plus it has the added benefit of lifting my mood and giving me energy and focus. It does not make me feel “high” or “stoned”; I am completely able to perform my job, drive safely, and be a good father and husband to my family while using kratom.
I, along with many kratom-using Americans, believe he DEA have exaggerated the health risks of kratom. They state that poison control centers received an increase in calls — over 660 in the past 5 years, but this is presented out of context; this is actually still a very small number, considering the many thousands of calls per year for prescription and over the counter analgesics received by the same poison control centers. The purported 15 “kratom-related” deaths per year were all the result of combining kratom with other, more dangerous drugs. Also, the claims of seizures and other adverse effects seem to be taken out of context from studies of patients with preexisting medical conditions that predispose them to these types of effects. Most importantly, the DEA claims there is no recognized medical benefits of kratom, while many studies exist and are readily available by doctors and scientists showing the vast promise this plant for helping chronic pain, opioid addiction, and other illnesses.
On the whole, it appears the DEA has “jumped the gun” with its declaration of kratom as an “imminent public health hazard.” Some oversight should be exercised to cancel or at least delay the placement of kratom onto Schedule I of the controlled substances list, until further research can be conducted, and the kratom plant can be better regulated and/or placed on a more appropriate schedule. I fear that, as a Schedule I controlled substance, research into kratom would become extremely difficult to pursue, and we may never know the true potential of this plant to help America’s opioid addicts and chronic pain sufferers.
If the DEA wants to ban Kratom, then they should ban cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine. These have been proven to be more dangerous than Kratom and yet they are available to all adults. Alcohol causes car accidents, alcohol poisoning, violence, and how many people die each year from alcohol and cigarettes? Why doesn’t the DEA have an emergency ban on those?
I am dumbfounded at what the DEA is doing! They are trying to ban a harmless plant that helps millions and has been used for 100s of years with great success. Kratom has played a huge role in decreasing my anxiety disorder and clinical depression with no side affects. I have quit drinking and using other drugs for the last 3 years. The irony here is that when we are so concerned, as we should be, with the opiate problem, the DEA is taking away the one safe and natural thing that helps. The repercussions from this will be extraordinary!! People will return to all sorts of conquered issues, vets, elderly, and productive members of society would become felons. It is truly absurd! Please follow the CREs recommendation and postpone this at least until viable research and conversation has been brought to the table over the next year. Otherwise, God help Us.
I am opposed to the DEA proposed ban on kratom.
If ban is allowed to actually take place the DEA will be doing to America exactly what they are trying to protect America from.
This is why.. most people will have no choice but to go back to or start taking more of the drugs they fought so hard to quit or keep someone from having the chance to see if this works for them.
This will put more people on those drugs. Most of the people I know, including myself, were prescribed such drugs by a doctor. We all know prescribed or not… these drugs only take people into addiction.
Why would the DEA want all these people back on pills or some other drug?
Dont they see what all these pills and drugs are doing to America …. robbery, overdoses, child neglect, murder and suicide!!
Kratom has thousands of people begging…. Please dont put me back on pills.
I have never seen such a obvious injustice in my life!
If you let this happen you will also be part of Americas Drug Addiction. I welcome you to not only stop this but to take criminal action against the DEA for even thinking about doing this to America!
Unless the DEA can prove they have no idea what they were doing. After all the emails, utube videos, and protests that is Impossible now.
Darlene Marziali
Dear Sir or Madam,
Please don’t let the DEA make Kratom a Schedule 1 drug.
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
This is not true for Kratom, it has been shown numerous times in reports from users to help, treat pain, combat depression and anxiety, recovering Opiate addicts and much more.
Deaths that involve Kratom being a persons’ system have always been from the result of mixing Kratom with other drugs, rather than Kratom alone. In states that banned Kratom, Alabama specifically, opiate usage and deaths went up after Kratom was banned in the state. Please stop the DEA from scheduling Kratom as Schedule I, there are many people who will suffer from this.
Yes there has been an increase in Kratom usage; however the users are typically mature adults using the leaf for pain management, and other medicinal uses. I am 50 years old and use it to ease the pain and fatigue associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Before Kratom I could barely get through my work week and I would just sleep through the weekends. Since I have been using Kratom I am thriving at work, still have energy after work, exercise and enjoy activities on the weekends.
Sources:
http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2094342
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3670991/
Sincerely,
Bonni Cutler
Bonnicutler@yahoo.com
619-723-0085
I am totally opposed to the ban on kratom. A relative who suffers from Ollier’s Disease told me about it when I was complaining about my knees. Lo and behold, I can go to work and work all day with so much less pain than before! Please, please don’t turn my work day into a torture chamber again.
SCHEDULE I is a status reserved for dangerous drugs, not those that heal and help people live normal lives. I cannot help but feel that this is a corrupted decision brought on by the desire for the pharmaceutical industry to increase their profits. Of course, when people are healing themselves with natural plants, they don’t make money. This can only create harm for American citizens as a whole. The DEA is more interested in maintaining failed drug policies than in making decisions based on scientific evidence. The drug war is a failure. We do not need to be making criminals into citizens just trying to get by and live a normal day to day life.
Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine in the form of the kratom leaf, is typically used by naturalists who do not want to poison their bodies with the dangerous drugs and narcotics that are being peddled by the pharmaceutical industry. First, the effects are not nearly as strong as the the commonly prescribed and much more addictive, codeine (one of the weakest pharmaceutical narcotic). Users of kratom are not “junkies” and “addicts” – they are people that do not want addictive poison in their bodies.
Schedule I drugs are claimed to have no medicinal value. This is outrageously untrue in this case. It has medicinal value in the control of pain, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, to name a few. Of even more importance, it has the ability to help those truly and hopelessly addicted to narcotics kick that habit, without side effects, withdrawals, or getting addicted to some new substance. I and many others can attest to each of these claims. If the ultimate goal is public health, this decision is going to make us all worse off as a nation.
Kratom is a safe alternative with important medicinal uses and has changed the lives of so many Americans. I fear this action by the DEA will only lead to more tragic deaths of victims of the opiate epidemic by effectively casting them back into the abyss. We should be looking for solutions to addiction, not creating more! DEA, consider the actual well-being of the people and NOT the financial well-being of the pharmaceutical industry. The people should not be forced to accept their peddled poison or live a low quality of life if they choose not to do so. Please do not infringe on the most basic tenets of what makes American society great – “the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness.”
In addition to the obvious consequences of harming those who use Kratom to heal themselves (and more to the point, turning their life into a living hell) the repercussions reach beyond that alone. The DEA would also be devastating hundreds, possibly thousands of U.S. small businesses that base their business around selling this plant for it’s healing properties. The intent of this is clear. We know that you are in the pocket of the pharmaceutical industry. Clearly the only ones who benefit from this action are them. It is not right on so many levels!
Does the DEA really have the authority to take away an herbal tea that has helped so many Americans deal with chronic pain? My 68 year old mother has drank kratom tea off and on for years to help with the pain from her rheumatoid arthritis. She is a model American citizen and has been here whole life. To think that in only weeks she could be thought of as a drug addict and a criminal is completely preposterous. Please help my mother and countless other Americans and don’t let the kratom ban go through.
I couldnt be more against the ban of kratom. This amazing plant has worked wonders for my ptsd and other problems. It is by no means a cure all. BUT KRATOM IS NOT HARMFULL!!! IT IS A PLANT ! Please keep kratom legal. My heart breaks for those who need it much more than myself . Countless people will suffer from this ignorent ill informed decision. I could write page upon page about how kratom has helped me my family and many others . But that has been said . Now i am angry. This must not happen . Millions and millions of people die from alcohol related deaths every day. You can go tight down to the local corner store and in one fail swoop you can buy enough alcohol to kill yourself and maybe even some innocent people while your at it. I go to the doctor twice a year for health exams
Ive been using kratom for four years daily and suffer no ill side effects. When my doctor asked me about it i schoolef him on the subject of kratom. He had no clue about kratom but was a believer after we had a long talk. I work for one of americas largest corperations and hold a.leadership position and have been there for the last eleven years injury free. I would never use a substance that would cause me to be fuzzy or out of sorts because thr lives of the men that work under me are so important to me. They are like family to me and ill be damned if i would ever use a substance that would cause me to get one of my men hurt or killed. I could go on but all i will say in closing is. Kratom is the past present and future of helping people. You cant rightfully take away somthing so pure and natural that helps so many people where medical science has failed . There is room for holistic and medical science. #keepkratomlegal #kratomsaves #iamkratom
I lived through 12+ years in a doctor prescribed haze. Adhd, depression, & severe anxiety were my initial diagnoses in college. I was put on medication after medication, none of which did any bit of good. Antidepressants were useless, & some made me feel seriously seriously worse. Anxiety meds just turned me into a complete zombie, leaving me unable to function. Then there’s the adhd meds, which either made me so tired I couldn’t stay awake, or so anxious I couldn’t handle it. Nothing helped. I tried every single thing my doctor suggested for 12 years. I gave it all a very fair chance. I couldn’t stand it any longer. I have kids, I help my husband run a business. I couldn’t be so unwell any longer. I barely left the house I was so depressed. Besides my kids, nothing mattered to me anymore, no matter how badly I wanted it to. I was dead inside. Depressed seems like a very benign word for how I actually felt. I would’ve gladly been dead back then. I quit taking everything, because what was the sense?
Probably 6-7 years ago I read about kratom. I was looking for natural ways to feel like a normal person without resorting to medication that seemed to exacerbate my problems. It seemed very promising, but I was afraid to try it. A few years later I was at an all time low. I couldn’t stand getting out of bed or doing anything at all. I was in the worst depression of my life. Anxiety was through the roof. Panic attacks were often. I was desperate to be normal. Just normal. I ordered some kratom & gave it a try.
Wow is all I can say. Wow, that hundreds of years of medical science couldn’t do what this ancient leaf just did in ten minutes flat. It worked! I felt normal! For the first time since I was a teenager I felt like an actual person should feel. My children have the mother they’ve always deserved. My husband has his wife back. I’m very busy, active, & so happy! Little things…playing a game with my kids, feeding the birds, watering my flowers…those things give me true joy now! I was just going through the motions for so long, & I can’t explain how it feels to be able to feel again. It’s incredible. Completely & totally life changing is what it was. I’ve never been so happy & fulfilled in my entire life.
Now our lives are being flipped upside down. I’m going to have the choice to either live in misery, or go back on god awful prescribed medication that doesn’t make anything better. People will die & many more will suffer if this ban goes through. Nobody has ever died from kratom alone, but without it many will be left to go back into the hell they came from. In many cases that hell was opiate addiction. Those are the ones we are supposed to be saving with this ban? Dea, you can’t see how backwards that is? They can’t die from kratom. They can & will die from whatever substance they have no choice but to go back to.
I’m very afraid they will come out with a “new, miraculous” drug based on kratom’s alkaloids. Does anybody else remember the other new miraculous medications they talked about…tramadol & suboxone? They were gonna be the answer to everything. We all see how that has turned out. They’re both more physically addicting than some of their counterparts. Any new drug they make will have additives & horrible shit added, just like always.
We are supposed to be the land of the free, home of the brave. DEA, be brave enough to admit you were wrong. None of us are junkies, & those who were addicts have seriously turned their lives around. You want to take that from them. That is pure evil.
Nobody will die if you let kratom alone. They might throw up, but that’ll be the worst of it. I understand if you wanna get it pulled out of gas stations & head shops, but allow the reputable vendors to continue what they’re doing. Make it 18+, & respect the decision of the responsible adults of this country to use a leaf that has changed their lives. Quit making erroneous claims to further your agenda. Everybody’s waking up to the drug war bullshit. First marijuana & now this. It’s obvious your concern is not for the people, but rather for the profits. It’s sickening.
My 65 year old mother uses kratom to relieve pain and reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy. She has stage 4 breast cancer and this is currently our only option. Please do not ban kratom and even moreso, do not add it as a Schedule-1 drug along other horrible drug options such as heroin and other synthetic drugs. My mother’s quality of life is she has at this point and this plant has worked miracles in giving her that life that she deserves.
Kratom has literally saved my life! It’s a safe all natural alternative that I have been using safety and responsible for years. There is no solid evidence that kratom is dangerous. Please help me and thousands of others who have gotten their life back. We are everyday people who just want our “right to choose” -It’s called harm reduction. I would like my freedom to choose nature and not be on Pharmaceuticals. Thank you so much for your time!
I have recently publicly shared my story how Kratom has made a POSITIVE impact in my life. Kratom has given me the quality of life that I feel like I deserve. Im putting the link at the bottom of this post. Please, I urge you to please read my post, SHARE the link with whom ever you feel like should see this. Please feel free to contact me with ANY questions. #iamkratom
https://m.facebook.com/groups/339306613078315?message_id=345350272473949¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic¬if_id=1473827630370056&ref=m_notif
I am a 55 yr old grandmother of 8 I started taking Kratom a year ago to help with fibromyalgia, neuropathy, depression and osteoarthritis since then I have gotten off of 6 prescription meds that had horrible side affects!! I haven’t had any issues while taking Kratom!! I also was able to go back to work after 7 years!! This is how Kratom has helped me!!
The DEA ban on Kratom is a huge mistake. I myself have used Kratom for four years for chronic migraines and restless leg syndrome I have been about to get off of prescriptions and only use Kratom. I have many friends who have used it for reasons such as depression, anxiety, and to battle drug and alcohol addiction. I don’t see a problem with regulating this possibly to adults over 18 like cigarettes and alcohol which are far more dangerous. Please help us stop this ban. It is against the wishes of thousands of American.
I’ve been using kratom for 2 years and it helped me completley turn my life around for the better. I have issues with depression and anxiety. I was on 3 pharmaceutical medications that never helped. I barely had enough energy to get out of bed. I work full time and am a mother to a disabled child. I used kratom to get off of ALL pharmaceuticals and continue to take kratom to help with low energy and depression. Kratom saved my life. I’ve never experienced bad side effects and it has made me feel so much more healthy and motivated. It’s a miracle plant. PLEASE do not ban kratom!!
I am writing to voice my adamant opposition to a wrongful action by the DEA. The DEA intends to classify the alkaloids Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, found in the leaves of the plant known as Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), as a Schedule I substance. Their notice of intent is based on deceptive and misleading information. Banning this botanical is unnecessary and it is absolutely not in the best interests of the people.
Kratom is a natural herbal supplement that has been used safely for centuries in Southeast Asia. Kratom is part of the botanical family Rubiaceae, and one of its closest relatives is actually coffee. It has a slight caffeine-like stimulant effect at low doses, and it helps many people who suffer from a variety of conditions, such as chronic and/or acute pain, anxiety, and depression. It’s also been reported to help improve the lives of people, especially veterans, who suffer from PTSD. Users report that there are few to no side effects and that it’s far milder than their prescription medications. It even has built-in mechanisms that prevent the development of dependence associated with increased tolerance and dose escalation (see source #6). It also shows greater promise in helping people recover from opiate addiction than any other currently available treatment, including medications like methadone and Suboxone.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence and first hand testimony of millions of Americans in support of kratom’s safety and efficacy, the DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg is trying to classify this TRADITIONAL TEA LEAF as a Schedule 1 drug. They want put kratom into the same category as illegal drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, and MDMA. This would effectively turn millions of Americans using this plant into felons overnight, costing taxpayers millions while obliterating current research on the plant. This action is not going to help people, protect citizens, or solve problems; it will only create problems and deprive people of their choices and freedoms.
The DEA’s notice of intent to classify kratom as a Schedule I Controlled Substance is full of deceptive partial-truths and alarmist misinformation. First of all, the DEA is absolutely incorrect in its repeated statements that the alkaloids in kratom are “opioids.” They are not. According to Walter C. Prozialeck, a professor of pharmacology at Midwestern University who wrote a comprehensive literature review on kratom for the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, the actions of kratom’s alkaloids are very different from true opioids such as morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, etc. Furthermore, Mitragyna speciosa has absolutely no relationship to the opium poppy.
According to Marvin Patterson of the DEA, the DEA does not even conduct any research on the risks or safety of a substance; instead, they simply notify the FDA of their intent to place a substance on Schedule I.
It’s very clear that the FDA looks no further than the applications to their own agency. Even the most cursory search turns up a significant amount of published, peer-reviewed research on kratom showing that kratom is both helpful and safe. (See sources below.) The same cannot be said of many of the pharmaceutical drugs that the FDA approves, some of which come with so-called “black-box” warnings.
Furthermore, the accuracy of the FDA’s response to the DEA is highly questionable. Instead of applications for kratom, they have applications for modified versions of kratom’s alkaloids. Pharmaceutical companies are currently working on using kratom’s non-opiate alkaloids to create synthetic opioids, and have been since 2008.
“Three synthetic opioids, in particular, were synthesized from the alkaloids in kratom from 2008- 2016: MGM-9, MGM-15, and MGM-16. They were synthesized from kratom’s alkaloids Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine: to make what is essentially patentable, pharmaceutical kratom. The first study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18550129 ), published in 2008, took Mitragynine and used it to synthesize ‘MGM-9’.
“The second study published in 2014 (http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/348/3/383.full ) synthesized MGM-15 and MGM-16 from kratom’s other primary alkaloid, 7-Hydroxymitragynine.” (http://thefreethoughtproject.com/pharma-kratom-dea-patent/ )
Another example is US 20100209542 A1, application that was entered for University Of Massachusetts Medical School, University Of Mississippi in 2010. The patent clearly states “This invention was made with government support awarded by: i) the National Institutes of Health (grant number NIH 022677); ii) the National Institute For Drug Abuse (grant numbers DA022677 and DA014929); and iii) the National Center for Research Resources (grant number P20RR021929). The government has certain rights in the invention.”
The details of the first study reveal that they turned kratom’s alkaloids, which are very modest in the natural plain leaf, into an opioid that’s 7-22 times stronger than morphine. In essence, this is an attempt by a government agency, the DEA, to ban a non-patentable plant that’s both helpful and safe so that there’s less competition for new and much-stronger pharmaceutical opioids, some of them developed with government support. Meanwhile, the DEA insists that plain leaf kratom is highly dangerous.
The DEA also states that there were 660 kratom-related calls to poison control centers between 2010 and 2015, implying that that’s a huge number. It isn’t. Poison control centers receive millions of calls every year about a wide range of substances, from over-the-counter medications to household plants. To put kratom risks into perspective, consider that poison control centers received over 6,000 calls about young children ingesting laundry pods in just the first seven months of 2016.
Kratom is indigenous to Thailand and several other countries in Southeast Asia. The DEA states that kratom has long been banned in Thailand, but they fail to explain WHY. It wasn’t for safety reasons, despite what the DEA is implying; the truth is that one of Thailand’s significant sources of revenue at the time was the opium trade, and since kratom was helping people to overcome their opium addictions, the country’s tax revenue was declining. It is repugnant for the DEA to use such a blatantly corrupt ban as an example in support of their own wish to ban kratom.
The DEA claims that kratom poses an “imminent hazard to public safety,” which is ridiculous, outrageous, and false. Consider, for instance, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), which released a December 2015 report finding that “Kratom does not currently constitute a significant risk to the safety and welfare of Florida residents.” The report also stated that the Florida Department of Health found that “no pervasive health issues can be attributed to the ingestion Kratom products in Florida.”
Kratom is a safe, natural alternative supplement that is changing people’s lives for the better. I fear this action by the DEA will only lead to enormous suffering for many people, in addition to halting the very promising research on this botanical.
I use Kratom every day for my chronic back pain. It has been a godsend. It alleviates all of my pain and allows me to function as a productive human being without all of the side effects of narcotics nor the addiction worry. I am in complete despair about this impending ban because I know the effect it will have on my life, my family’s life. It is sad because not only does it reduce my life quality but it reduces that of the vendors and the farmers and everyone in between. I believe needing to be 18 to purchase but banning completely is very upsetting because of the very real and dismal impact it will have.
I have used kratom for 6 years now with no issues. The statement that it’s an immenent health risk is absolutely untrue. It is the dea’s job to know the difference between bath salts and other research chemicals versus a plant like kratom. I use it for depression and anxiety where I was drinking heavily before and no longer do. As an adult I should be able to choose what is best for my own body. Set an age limit like tobacco and alcohol, which for the record have done way more damage to humanity than kratom ever could.
My wife introduced me to kratom 2 years ago. She has lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome and did quite a bit of research on it. She tried it and it literally gave her her life back. I have degenerative disc disease and a twisted spine with sciatica pain daily. I work a strenuous job so she gave me some capsules one day and said try it and see if it helps better than the ibuprofen. I was virtually pain free for the first time in years. Kratom has changed our lives.
I have chronic pain problems. One doctor said its fibromyalgia. I also have arthritis in my back and chronic tailbone pain. Not that I want opioids, but the government has regulated those to where you can hardly get them anyway. I can’t take NSAIDs due to stomach issues. What is may alternative? Kratom. It doesn’t get me “high.” It doesn’t affect my cognitive functions in any detrimental way. It is something that the Lord put on this earth to help us. It disgusts me that our government is so overreaching. They are caving to Big Pharma. If a profit can’t be made by a pharmaceutical company, they want it outlawed.
I am also disgusted that they are implying that Kratom is in the same category of heroin, cocaine and meth! Kratom does not DESTROY lives like those drugs do. It makes life bearable without the horrible side affects and addiction properties of opioids. I am devastated that I either have to try and cope with my pain in some other way or pray a doctor will give me pain meds, or I become a criminal! Seriously?!?!?
Anything natural and not patentable is immediately targeted by Big Pharma. STOP THE INSANITY! #keepkratomlegal
Kratom has helped me in many ways.I have horrible pain from sciatica.I also suffer from depression and aniexty.Doctor prescribed hydrocodone for the pain.Also Xanax for anxiety.Plus I was put on various medicines for depression.I researched for different supplements for for pain and aniexty.Kratom was being discussed in a sciatica forum.A few people were talking about kratom.I was willing to find something to help.I have used kratom since May 2009.Never had any side effects.I work with seniors everyday with my job.I have talked kratom as an alternative for them.Almost all of them had started using kratom for arthritis and depression.They are very nervous as I am about the misinformed public about kratom.This truly is a tool to help with a variety of ailments for so many people.Please don’t take this away from us..Research completely before you make this harsh decision..I would happily volunteer to help show what this plant has done for me..
Kratom has been so useful to me over the last year or so. I fractured my back about ten years ago, got rear ended by an ambulance nearly two years ago which resulted in me having several bulging discs and a tear in my shoulder. I also have migraines. Needless to say, I am a legitimate sufferer of chronic pain and kratom has helped me feel better. I’m back in college full time, I am able to work (not much, but once or twice a week which is better than it could be). I don’t want to take pills and I rarely take my tramadol anymore. Kratom is wonderful and without it not only I, but my husband who is also a sufferer of chronic pain, and one of my lovely coworkers, will be back to square one and back in the hands of big pharma.
I’m 42 years old, married with no children.
I have had tremendous boosts to my health and well-being since occasionally enjoying kratom for the past decade or so.
I live with a number of autoimmune conditions for which medicine simply has no solutions. Kratom supports my health and energy and helps me to be the productive member of society that I am.
Kratom is not mind-altering. If it were, I wouldn’t be able to ever use it, as I work in a clinical environment. I need – and want – to be alert and present. It lifts the mood slightly, like coffee but without the jitters. In fact, it is a relative of the coffee plant. It could hardly be described as a drug – the effects are much closer to caffeine and nowhere near even as strong the legal herb kava kava. They do not come anywhere close to anything else in the Schedule 1 Category. This plant with hundreds of years of safe use in its native culture does not produce a “high” or euphoria; anyone looking to kratom for a high will be sorely disappointed. The fact that head shops market it deceptively is not a reason to deprive responsible and productive adults of its benefits.
Kratom is not an opioid – it is THOUGHT to act on opioid receptors – just like chocolate and cheese.
It’s also not addictive, and as a former cigarette smoker who battled the addiction for a good seven years before I was finally able to quit all tobacco forever, I have personal knowledge and experience of what is and is not mentally and physically addictive.
The 15 deaths resulting from kratom use that the DEA cites ALL involve other substances; out of the TOTAL 50 deaths worldwide EVER involving kratom, NO deaths can be attributed to kratom alone, they all involve alcohol or drugs in combination. To put that into context, around 25,000 people died of prescription drug overdoses in the United States in 2014, the highest number ever recorded. Visit drugabuse.gov to see that statistic for yourself.
On the same site, you’ll see, if you search for tobacco, that “Between 1964 and 2004, more than 12 million Americans died prematurely from smoking, and another 25 million U.S. smokers alive today will most likely die of a smoking-related illness.”
On the same site, you’ll see, if you search for kratom, that Kratom by itself is not associated with fatal overdose.
There is absolutely no reason this supplement should be scheduled by the DEA. I am a law-abiding citizen who contributes to society and I can’t imagine a peaceful person like me being put in jail for the occasional enjoyment of a tea leaf. #iamkratom #kratomsaveslives
Arkansas already outlawed this by a crooked method. A methadone Dr, aka legalized drug dealer pushed it and it was done without the vote of the people. I was a Texan and before I moved and I was free to take Kratom. I never tried it until I had exhausted myself and my family with countless Dr visits and countless prescriptions most of which were all newer expensive Fibromyalgia drugs like lyrica and cymbalta and then there were arava, steroids, zoloft, zofran flexaril, they only gave me tramadol for a few months because the Drs. really discriminate against Fibromyalgia patients. The drugs made me sicker not better.After giving up on Dr.s and eaning off of very dangerously addictive drugs (lyrica and cymbalta were much worse than tramadol to get off) I suffered in silence. My life was over. Then I discovered Kratom. It gave me my life back, at least 50% or so. I could go out again and do more again. I have a passion for ending slavery because of all the human trafficking going on in Houston and a passion for setting women and children free from domestic violence. I want to live contributing to society and have a job. Thanks to Arkansas’s crooked policies I may be forced to be dependent financially on an abusive husband who left us but controls us, and I cant work to break free when I am sick. The kids loved having their mom back and now they watch me writhe in pain. My whole body shakes as it has for years the pain is so unbearable. I have painful lymph nodes, headaches, cement in my veins that has to be broken free every time I move. I a no good. I absolutely hate, despise and have no respect for the government or medical community at this point. First, they left chemical companies control our food supply (monsanto) then expect us to line up for big pharma to “make it all better” creating sick life long customers. Do they think we are stupid? No, they just don’t care and evil at the core. But in fact, they are stupid, because if we could work we would make them more money… we are a burden to them and becoming more costly than we are creating a profit. You may make billions but you spend it as fast as you make it. Currently the government its a fattened tick, ready to pop at any moment from sucking the life out of its own people to the point it can no longer contain the blood on its hands. This will eventually come around full circle and bite the gov. in their own butts. Nature has outlived all governments that have come and gone, they fall nature doesn’t. Plants are our birthright, our religious right, and part of the fabric of humanity, take that away and you are tyrants and terrorizing your own people.
I use Kratom to help control my pain. I have Crohns disease and Behcets.
Without Kratom i would of given up the freedom to walk and be wheelchair bound for the rest of my life! 2 teaspoons of Green vein X 2 a day releaves the God awful pain if had I my deformed feet which I’ve had my whole life and for the the past 14 years the Dibetic Neuropathy Pain of being stuck with pins and needles from the bottom of my feet to my to mid way through my knees & in the palms of my hands and the lower side if my forearms. 3 – 10-325mg’s of Percocet’s at one time doesn’t do a 1/5 of pain relief that 2 teaspoons taken twice a day (And the Kratom removes ALL the Pain for about 15 hours!!! Besides that Kratom is 100% a leaf & Percocet’s have other things that are very harmful to your Liver & Kidneys and messes up your brains and the way you think!!!
Please don’t take away my Kratom
I am a 58 year old grandmother and I did extensive research before trying kratom. I studied the science, asked questions, and went to my doctor first. I have been taking kratom now for seven months and can honestly say that it has changed my life. For the first time in years, due to degenerative disc disease, I am able to grocery shop, go to the pool with my grandchildren, attend family gatherings. I have found a new lease on life, no longer thinking that I would end up wheelchair bound. What the DEA is attempting to do is down right criminal, in my opinion. Please help us stop them. I agree that more tests need to done, and that it should not be available to those under eighteen, but it is safe, in its natural form, and clearly has medicinal benefits. The DEA has this one wrong. And the underhanded way they went about it raises some real questions, in my book.
I am a 36 year old Security Engineer from Seattle, WA. I wanted to comment on the recent decision to put Kratom on the list of Schedule 1 drugs by the DEA.
In 2012 I was diagnosed with cervical cancer and after 3 surgeries I was left with chronic pain which left me bedridden most days. The doctors provided me with all types of pain killers which still left me bedridden and unable to work due to their side effects. I would be slightly out of pain, but be too “high” to function. In 2013 I was introduced to Kratom by a friend who was utilizing it for her fibromyalgia. I tried it soon after and was amazed at it effectiveness. I was pain free, had some energy and it did not have the “high” that narcotic pain pills have. I have been using Kratom ever since and it has given me my life back. I am now working which I could not do before, I am able to fully function which I also could not do before.
Not long after I tried Kratom I began reading what could only be described as propaganda against Kratom on different media outlets. There were misconceptions that Kratom was the new pain killer stronger than Morphine that cause relapses in opiate abusers. There were reports of deaths, however they were not proven to be caused by Kratom, just anecdotal evidence stating Kratom was the cause. For example there was recently a death attributed to Kratom by a mother who’s son had committed suicide and she blamed it on Kratom since she found empty packets in his room. The young man was also on a mired of anti-depressants which are known to cause suicidal thoughts in young people. Correlation is not causation and I have not seen one credible death linked to Kratom where the cause of death was proven to actually be Kratom. I would like to also mention that while 15 deaths have been erroneously linked to Kratom, Four deaths in the UK and up to 60 worldwide have recently been directly attributed to the substance 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), an industrial chemical that has become popular among people wanting to lose weight, including bodybuilders and people with eating disorders, however this is not on an emergency list for Scheduling. The DEA notice also attributes over 600 calls to poison control, however to put that in perspective poison control received 4201 calls in regards to energy drinks and caffeine in 2013 alone.
Current peer reviewed studies on Kratom and its constituents have shown that Kratom has no acute toxicity, displays powerful antioxidant and antibacterial properties, assists with drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, contains several oxindole alkaloids which have exhibited potent immunomodulation properties, and even contains constituents that have exhibited anti-cancer properties! A brief search in any scholarly database will present many peer reviewed studies and clinical trials that can attest to the medical potential of this plant. In short, Kratom does not present a significant threat to human health or safety on any level and does not belong in Schedule 1, period.
If Kratom does end up on Schedule 1, even temporarily, we will never be able to research this natural plant as a medicine because as we all know once this has been put on Schedule 1, it’s not coming off. Marijuana is a great example. Adding it will make it almost impossible to do the research necessary to show the medicinal benefits. Kratom has been used for hundreds of years in Thailand and is currently banned, but Kratom, also known as Thang, Thom, and Biak, was not originally banned because of substance abuse. When the Thai government started levying taxes from users and shops involved in the opium trade many users switched to Kratom to manage their withdrawal symptoms. The Greater East Asia War in 1942 and declining revenues from the opium trade eventually suppressed the opium market competition by making Kratom illegal. Thailand is now looking to legalize Kratom once again as people have been using this for thousands of years with no cases of overdose, psychosis, murder, violent crime. Never in all of recorded history.
Not to mention this plant is saving lives. People that were addicted to opiates are being helped by it and getting their life back. That is not because Kratom is the same as opiates, because it isn’t. It doesn’t get you high, it takes away the withdrawal symptoms associated with strong opiate pain killers. Kratom was something they could use to manage their disease on their own time. It was easily accessible and affordable unlike the other options such as Methadone or Suboxone which is hard to get on a program if you don’t have insurance or can’t afford the drug. Now, with the DEA taking away that option I’m afraid people are going to go back to whatever they were doing before causing the death toll will skyrocket. If you want to save lives and keep people save as you claim, you will keep Kratom legal.
I do understand there should be some regulations concerning Kratom, such as the “extracts” and “drinks” that people have made and added other known or unknown chemicals. Why can’t you just regulate/ban everything with the exception of the whole leaf for now until research has been completed?
In closing I would kindly ask you to please don’t take my life away again. I am a mother of 4 who has to work full time to support her family and I am unable to manage my pain effectively in other ways. Me and hundreds of thousands of others are begging you to reconsider this decision and look at both sides of this situation, not just the unproven fear driven side.
As many of my friends and family know, about 7 years ago I was hospitalized with severe anxiety and panic attacks. This was caused by medications I had taken for depression and anxiety. I was given practically every antidepressant and anxiety medication available which only made things worse. (This in no way means I am against those medications as I know many people they have helped). But, there are people who cannot take them.
My son, Robert McMahan, did research (as only he can) and developed a program for me: exercise, prayer, meditation, and Kratom. THIS SAVED MY LIFE!!!!
I only take it now for stressful situations and big events. But, for those people who need it daily, my heart breaks. Please sign the Kratom petition and keep this in your thoughts and prayers. This is such an injustice. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I know it’s long. ❤️
Kratom is simply a leaf in the coffee family that helps countless people. If you try to abuse this leaf, you’ll simply vomit.
It has greatly benefited me.
I know of some people you call to when your life is in danger who use it to this day, and it helps them. I feel the DEA will ruin thousands upon thousands of lives by scheduling this miraculous leaf.
Kratom has saved my life. I have been having severe anxiety and panic attacks and depression for about 4 years . I used to be house bound . When my kids would go to school I would stay in my bedroom. Until they would get home. My anxiety and panic attacks would get so bad where I couldn’t even breath and I would have very bad chest pains from them. I went to numerous doctors and hospitals to see if maybe I was having a heart attack it sure felt like it . Well all the doctors told me it wasent a heart attack. I was in perfect heath only thing that was wrong with me is that I have severe anxiety and panic and depression. I constantly would have suicidal thoughts and even came close to taking my own life two years ago. Well almost two years ago I prayed to God and asked him to send me something all natural that would help me. Cause if I didn’t find something soon I am scared I will lose my mind with all this mentally pain. Well I was in a smoke shop almost two years ago and a lady told me about kratom it supposed to help with anxiety and panic attacks. She knows people that takes it and it has changed there life around. Well I ended up doing research on kratom for months before buying some and I heard all great things from it. So I figured I would give it a try. I knew I had to try something if I didn’t I know things would get worse for me. So I ended up ordering some from a great reliable vendor on here and wow my first time taking it is was feeling amazing all my anxiety and panic attacks were gone it took away all my thoughts of suicide away I was actually going out to to stores and events with my kids and husband and I was more talkative and I didn’t close my self in my room anymore. It took all my mental pain away I was smiling again and I had a spark coming from me again which I have not seen for years. Kratom has surely saved my life and the thought of losing it scares me to death I’m afraid not to be able to take it after September 30th . I have tried anti depressants and they just made me even worse then I was already. My kids and my husband sees the big difference in me. I’m happy again . I don’t wanna feel that emotional pain I was feeling two years ago I don’t want the full blown anxiety attacks and panic and tracks to come back. That’s why I take kratom. It’s a miracle herb that’s needs to stay legal. It is helping so many people out. My heart goes out to everyone that might lose this amazing herb.
Cassandra Simonson
I suffer from several health issues that require me to be on several medications. Some of this medications led to side effects, requiring more medication. It was a vicious cycle. I had enough. I liked into kratom after hearing about it online. I did a lot of research, talking to a lot of people and reading a lot of articles. I decided this was the way for me. My anxiety, depression and pain are no longer enemies of mine. I am a mother, a wife and a productive member of society. Banning kratom would destroy so many lives. Please, please hear our stories. We are people who should have the right to choose the way we treat our ailments
Kratom saves lives and gives many people a better quality of life to live over the “alternative” of being on many prescription medications! The DEA’s emergency scheduling is going to result in chemical dependency to prescription narcotics, relapses, overdoses, and ultimately deaths! Their interest is clearly not public safety and well-being in this case. There is not a single death where Kratom was the only substance in the toxicology reports and the reasoning for emergency scheduling does not add up when you look at the facts! I have been prescription free for a year thanks to Kratom and have lived a much more productive positive life with my family because of it!
It needs to stay readily available like it is one, that is how it helps so many. A lot of elderly and chronic pain patients can’t jump through hoops to get prescriptions esp for something harmless, only helpful. If narcan is so available now for help imagine how many others this can help and bring people back to their families! Please, keep available!
I am a 61 yr old disabled woman. I suffered for 25 yrs with excruciating chronic pain and depression and PTSD even longer. I was confined mostly to my home. I very rarely went out anywhere due to the pain that limited me. Because of my depression and PTSD(caused by yrs of abuse as a child and young person),I could not socialize without anxiety and stress.
I refused pharmaceutical medications for these things because of the innumerable side effects that cause even more problems requiring more medications. They are also addictive and cause you to be unable to function due to brain fog,lethargy, and unclear thinking. They have a record of killing thousands every year,yet these are deemed safe. Really?
A year and a half ago I discovered kratom. It has brought a pain level that was a consistent 8-10 for 25 years to a manageable 3-4. It also helped to stabilize my depression and PTSD so I could function in social areas without severe anxiety.
I had my life back! I had a quality of life I hadn’t had in in all those years. I felt productive and useful again.
Kratom is an all-natural plant in the coffee family. It is not addictive,at least no more than coffee. It does not get you high in any manner,hence your thinking is clear. You cannot overdose using it. If you do take too much it makes you nauseous making you to vomit it up. There are no jitters or feelings of separation as with other medications. It is a plant. Not a drug as the DEA is calling it.
This plant has been used for thousands of years without harm to anyone. There are NO deaths attributed to kratom ALONE! Each time the users had other drugs in their systems. The legal pain killers and psychiatric drugs cannot make that claim.
Making this plant illegal would condemn thousands of people back to the private hell we were all in for one reason or another before kratom. Overdoses and suicides will rise as a result of this.
Not only is this a civil right to be able to choose our own way to medically treat ourselves,but it also a religious right. These plants are put here by God for food and healing. Revelation 22:2 states: In the midst of the street of it,and on either side of the river,was there the tree of life,which bare twelve manner of fruits,and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Please do not make kratom illegal. Study it. Learn all it can do. Even put an age limit on it if you choose. You will come to understand the innumerable medicinal uses of this plant. Thank you.
This really is a bit of a reach on the DEA’s part. I am a 55 yr old grandma and lost a nephew to Heroin a few years back. I saw a news story about Kratom helping people get OFF HEROIN. They were NOT using it to get high but to help them get through the withdrawals of Heroin. My nephew would NOT HAVE DIED had I found this amazing herbal tea. I did my own investigation and soon found myself drinking it or taking it in pill form for my severe sciatica. It really does help with pain and gives you a nice little jolt of caffeine energy. Who doesn’t need that? It is not a drug but a really nice tea that has the wonderful benefit of helping with pain WITHOUT the drugged up feeling you get with pharmaceutical drugs. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ANY DEA AGENT TRY IT AND TELL ME IF IT IS HARMFUL. All the deaths that supposedly were caused by this herbal tea had other way more toxic ingredients found in their system so you cannot place the cause of death on Kratom. There is such misinformation about this leaf. Please stop this ban on an amazing natural leaf that has been used for thousands of years.
I’m a 32 yr old disabled single mother. I’ve had been on opioid medication since my Son was born. He’s now 10yrs old. When I can’t afford my medication I get horrible withdrawalike symtoms. About 6 months ago I was introduced to Kratom. Since then my quality of life has improved drastically for myself and my Son. Thanks to kratom I live a more productive life. I have started volunteering at my son’s school. Something I could have never done while taking opioid medication especially since I couldn’t drive while taking the opioid medication. Kratom has helped me take my life back and I’ve become a better person and mother for my son.
This proposed ban is an outright assault on every American adults right to choose whether they get to use an all natural herbal remedy for their ailments, or harsh pharmaceutical chemicals that have debilitating side effects and kill thousands of people, year in and year out. Their entire premise is flawed because none of the supposed deaths they are blaming on kratom were actually caused by kratom. They all had other drugs in their system. And even if they were because of kratom, which they absolutely weren’t, 30 deaths worldwide is hardly what anyone would call an emergency. 600 calls to poison control centers over the course of 5 years is hardly an emergency. Poison control gets far more calls over aspirin on any given year than that but you don;t see DEA rushing to ban acetaminophen. They are using lies and deception to the ban of yet another plant down our throats and it’s all because kratom hurts the pharmaceutical industry’s bottom line. Not only will they be hurting thousands, if not millions of Americans by banning this plant, they will also be putting tens of thousands of had working Americans out of work, overnight. We the people are calling on congress to do the job they were elected to do and put a stop to this nonsense immediately and leave our plants and herbs alone.
I am a wife and mother. I am a nurse and firefighter, medic and survivor. I am Kratom. When I was a firefighter my back was injured and the state of Ohio retrained me as a nurse. I enjoyed that career for many years because Kratom eased the pain in my SI joint. In 5/2012, while working as a nurse in people’s homes, I had a patient refuse to provide lights for me and it was so dark that I hit my head while moving at a fast pace. I ran into a freestanding solid wood staircase. The resulting injury was a TBI and back injury. I began having daily seizures and debilitating headaches as well as memory loss and cognitive impairment. Kratom again eased my pain but it also appeared to lessen the severity and the frequency of my seizures. Either during the initial fall or subsequent falls due to loss of balance or having a seizure, my L2 became fractured and 12 discs began to bulge into my spinal nerves. Kratom has eased this exceruciating pain. Thank you for hearing my story
I am a 47 year old women, four daughters six grandkids, I have struggled with addiction to pharmaceutical drugs prescribed by my doctors.5 years ago I decided I was done feeling controlled by them I got help.I struggled from depression and my quality of life was sad. My daughter heard about Kratom, struggling with depression her self, tried it. I couldn’t believe the change I saw in her, so I gave it a try. Its been three years now and we both have full lifes. No more prescription drugs, I was able to move up in the company where I work, The best part about my life now is that I am not high!!! I am able to be there for my daughters, six grandchildren, and work in a very fast paced job. I am now wondering how the quality of my life will be? So many years struggling, God sent, that I found something that truly has helped me and my daughter, and the government wants to treat it as if I’m using Heroin!! I am out raged! The more stories I read about the people Kratom has helped, I just want to cry!!! What is wrong with this counrty of ours?
I successfully utilized Kratom to detox off of opiods 12 years ago. I suffer from Major Dreppressive Disorder and Anxiety. I spent over a decade bouncing from one Medication to the next(sometimes 3 different onesat a time) and then became dependant on benzodiazepines. I was able to get off the benzodiazepines without help but was never able to find sustained relief from my symptoms. A couple if years ago i turned back to Kratom to help with my depression and anxiety. I am sumpton free for the first time in my life. I am an active member of society expending my energy in dog rescue. I am a Mother of four and a dog parent to five special needs dogs. Without Kratom i will begin to experience symptoms of anxiety and deep depression. I am not ibe of those who gound relief in traditional medication so for me its a life sentence. Thank you gor taking the time to read this abd to ensure proper due diligence is followed.
I was suffering 4 years with 24/7 severe pAin caused by fibromyalgia,osteoporosis of the spine and degenerative disc disease. I’ve been on Cymbalta which gave me severe depression, Lyrica which made me feel like a zombie with even more pain and percocets. None of these worked to relieve my pain and I was at the end of my rope. Even though I was a happily married mother of 3 the pain made me suicidal because I couldn’t stand it anymore ,until someone in my fibro group suggested I try kratom. That was almost 3 years ago and that was one of the happiest days of my life. I was able to stop taking Lyrica and Percocet and go about my daily life relatively pain free. My mind had never been sharper or more focused. It was my miracle, the one thing that has helped me function. Please don’t take our beloved , miraculous, plant away. That would be criminal,
I am a 53 year old mother of 2 with a husband and a high pressure sucessful career. A few years ago I was struck with a bad depression along with anxiety. I tried Pharma meds like Zoloft and they made me feel like a zombie. I thought I was going to have to close down my business until I discovered Kratom. It has been a lifesaver and lifted me out of my depression. I was able to get on with my life. Now i do not need it, but I thank the lord it was there when I did. It is crazy to just schedule this plant without comment. I beg the DEA to reconsider.
I have been sober for 3 years now from alcohol and opioids!! Kratom SAVED My life!!! Imagine those Vets, chronic pain suferers, ppl with diseases that want to stop opioids for theyre problems getting theyre right to chose a PLANT over big pharma!! IAMKRATOM!!! It is a miracle!!!
I suffer from fibromyalgia and an autoimmune disorder as well as crippling anxiety. Pharmaceuticals left me unable to function most of the time, I hated it. I ended up losing my health insurance and after awhile my doctor couldn’t see me anymore, I couldn’t afford to pay him or for my medication. After tapering myself off my pills I spent the next six months fatigued and in so much pain. I started looking into natural pain relief and stumbled upon Kratom. My life was mine again. I had more energy I went from feeling about a 7-8 on the pain scale to 2-3 Kratom doesn’t completely take my pain away but it takes it down enough I can function.
This is the exact opposite direction of where the war on drugs should be going. The DEA is so far out of touch with the rest of America. They are stuck in the 1950’s in their war on any form of pleasure, or natural pain relief. They need to be forced to come to terms with what their employers, us, want.
Kratom has helped both myself and my husband who is a disabled veteran. By banning Kratom we will be forced back on pills that were killing us. I have finally found something that helps with no side effects, i am able to work again, play with my children pain free, clean my house pain free, sleep through the night pain free. Im terrified of having to go back on pills m im praying this doesnt go through.
I have been taking Kratom for around three years. I am an OIF veteran of 2 tours. Soon after my last deployment I was prescribed hydrocodone, became addicted, and started down a dark path. Then a buddy introduced me to Kratom. I have not taken an opiate since. Shame on the DEA for their lack of compassion they show towards the people who pay their salaries and for ignoring the voices of those who fought to keep their way of life intact.
This is the most unacceptable infringement. We must not take away the right of a person to make decisions they find suited best for them.
I am not in recovery nor am I in chronic pain; I take kratom recreationally, because I like the way it makes me feel. However, for those who utilize this plant to give them the energy required to be a productive member of society, this ban will be the difference between life and death. How dare an agency, funded by the very tax payers they have absolute control over, have the nerve to take away someone’s choice?
Where has my “America the Free” gone? I see nothing but a nazi regime and it’s time for a revolution. This must be stopped!
I am a 55 year old woman and have taken Kratom for years. It is safer than coffee in my opinion. I am a coffee lover as well. I am still struggling with the idea of this ban actually happening. This is America!
Kratom helps lessen my chronic back pain with no side effects. The DEA’s action is a huge mistake that will force thousands of people to resort back to prescription opioids or illegal drugs, which may be their intent. Congress needs to act to overturn/rescind this ban.
I am a 38 year old mental health provider, who suffers from chronic pain due to a couple of accidentsvand surgery. I unable to take the recommend pharmaceuticals for pain due to the very long list of side effects. I have been using Kratom for 6 months now and I am able to do things I was never able to do while living in a fog of pharmaceutical pain killers. I have my life back. I go to the gym 4 times a week and have a new lease on life thanks to this miracle plant.
I suffer from endometriosis and a genetic disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome hypermobility type. The combo of these two conditions causes me debilitating pain and fatigue that leaves me bound to my bed most of the day. Three years ago I had to leave my job because the pain became so severe. My doctors put me on a combo of medications (tramadol, Norco, oxy, gabapentin) that caused my health to spiral out of control. I became ill, unable to eat and my pain became more severe over time. I wanted to stop my medications but I found myself getting sick from withdrawals every time I skipped a dose. After reading about Kratom online and researching it for months, I decided to see if it really could help me get off my opioid medications. It worked. I’m 100% drug free and my pain has gone down so much from what it was, my hair stopped falling out, I’m able to eat again, I’ve gained 7 pounds and my body is slowly recovering. An added benefit I found is that kratom helps me immensely with pain control, anxiety relief and energy. EDS leaves me exhausted but Kratom helps me function like a normal person. I was excitedly planning my life again after finding kratom. I thought I’d even be able to work again, but that isn’t going to be possible without kratom. I cannot go back on opioids due to the side effects and health consequences. I use kratom to get me through my bad days and I only use it a few times a week. It doesn’t give me any kind of high, the only euphoria I feel from using kratom is the happiness I feel from being able to get out of bed and function and play with my daughter, cook and clean my house. It’s the joy I get from having the ability to do all of the little things that healthy people take for granted.
Kratom is part of the coffee family, and helps countless good citizens be pain-free, thus more productive. A Schedule I ban is knee-jerk and unfounded.
Kratom’s helped my clinical depression and anxiety when prescription medicines had too many side effects/addictive qualities. I’ve never had a negative, addictive, or “high” experience. I’ve taken it on/off for over 3 years and sometimes daily for months straight. I didn’t realize so many others benefited immeasurably from this medicine, but now everyone’s speaking out. How can they still say it has no medicinal value after watching and reading all the touching, amazing testimonials? People also take it for endometriosis, chronic pain, PTSD, opiate addiction, blood pressure regulation, alcoholism, and plenty more conditions. How can the DEA ban this beneficial leaf (from a tree related to coffee that’s indigenous to Southeast Asia) when it’s helped hundreds of thousands of Americans? This is an outrage and a huge step backwards. Sign the petition! Read the facts! Save kratom.
I am a social worker who works with children and adolescents. I am also diagnosed with fibromyalgia and hashimoto’s. Due to these diagnoses, I experience incredible fatigue, pain and brain fog. There are days when I can barely get through work, and I get home and can’t take care of other responsibilities. I am not sick enough for disability, nor is that an option I am even interested in because I love what I do. I also have astronomical student loans to pay for my loans as well as support my children while they go through college.
When I found kratom, it was almost life changing. It took me two years to try it. Initially I believed all the propaganda because I am in the mental health field and deal with substance abuse pretty regularly. I thought kratom would be super addicting and I would have a problem with it. I thought I would feel “high” and be unable to accomplish anything. I researched it for two years and finally decided to try it. I found out I experienced absolutely no high, no head nod, nothing but relief. I felt clear headed, slightly more energy and no pain. My ability to provide effective therapy has increased quite a bit due to no brain fog. I can maintain my home and provide a better home for my children because of kratom. Please do not take this away and make me go back to where I was.
It is said in a study that Thai men prefer their daughters to marry a kratom user vs a marijuana user because they are so industrious. At this point in history, arent industrious workers with friendly service attitudes what you are looking for? Why do you try to take away ANYTHING that makes a poor working man’s life a little easier? Cant vape to quit smoking. Now you cant use kratom to quit other addicitve substances. Where will it end? Will someone get a patent on oxygen and declare the air illegal?
You can quit smoking by vaping. It’s really true. I have experience. I’ve been using Vaporizer for about half a year, and I can share my impressions. It has allowed me to stop smoking tobacco completely. Thus reducing nicotine consumption.
The DEA’s logic is setting a very dangerous precident. They should not be afforded the power to unilaterally ban any substance, and definitely not without comment and proper research. Kratom has the potential to help many people for many reasons. Opiate addiction, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, PTSD, the list goes on. Seems to me the pharmaceutical companies are concerned with the amount of money they may lose because people are finding a holistic alternative. I’m a 41 year old woman with debilitating chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. Kratom has enabled me to discontinue 5 medications and help manage my pain and depression naturally. I honestly think, were I still dependant on meds, I probably wouldn’t be here. And even if I were, I’d still be a pain addled zombie curled into a ball and crying. The government, OUR government, should not have the authority to tell me how I may and may not treat my health if I am doing so in a responsible and educated way.
I posted earlier, but think I got the link wrong. Please view my story:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339306613078315/permalink/345350272473949/
I’m a 37-year old mother and professional. Three years ago I discovered kratom in an online support group for chronic pain sufferers. I USED TO suffer from migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic myofascial pain syndrome, severe menstrual cramps, degenerative disc disease, bulging/herniated discs, major depressive disorder, anxiety, and yes, after trying pain management clinics, addiction and alcoholism. I have dealt with most of these conditions since childhood, and I have tried pharmaceutical medications, physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and alcohol when it became more difficult to get the pain medication in Florida. I could not function with my illnesses. I could not function in a pill/alcohol stupor. I am grateful that my children do not remember those times, but they were absolutely a factor in my divorce. Twice, the use of antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications led to Grand Mal seizures. Since I began using kratom 3 years ago, I have been able to stop using all prescription medications and alcohol. For years, I was not able to hold a full-time job. I could not perform daily activities of living. Some days I could not walk, or could not get out of bed. Since I discovered kratom, I have held a respectable position in a Fortune 500 company. I can do the housework. I can exercise. I can play with my children. I am even rekindling my relationship with my ex-husband. I know that my own quality of life as a productive member of society will not be the same without kratom.
I’m a 37-year old mother and professional. Three years ago I discovered kratom in an online support group for chronic pain sufferers. I USED TO suffer from migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic myofascial pain syndrome, severe menstrual cramps, degenerative disc disease, bulging/herniated discs, major depressive disorder, anxiety, and yes, after trying pain management clinics, addiction and alcoholism. I have dealt with most of these conditions since childhood, and I have tried pharmaceutical medications, physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and alcohol when it became more difficult to get the pain medication in Florida. I could not function with my illnesses. I could not function in a pill/alcohol stupor. I am grateful that my children do not remember those times, but they were absolutely a factor in my divorce. Twice, the use of antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications led to Grand Mal seizures. Since I began using kratom 3 years ago, I have been able to stop using all prescription medications and alcohol. For years, I was not able to hold a full-time job. I could not perform daily activities of living. Some days I could not walk, or could not get out of bed. Since I discovered kratom, I have held a respectable position in a Fortune 500 company. I can do the housework. I can exercise. I can play with my children. I am even working out my relationship with my ex-husband. I know that my own quality of life as a productive member of society will not be the same without kratom.
JOURNEY IN TO CHRONIC ILLNESS
THE STRUGGLE, ACCEPTANCE, A GLIMMER OF A HOPE, AND WHAT SEEMS…A NEW FEAR
9/11/16
THE SLOW DETERIORATION
WHAT WAS WRONG?
I am 34. Just turned 34. I do not feel that age. Most look at me and think that I am more than fine…
I really think many of the first symptoms began in mid to late twenties. Things started to really come to a head about four to five years ago. It started with becoming slower much faster than expected. I had always had things popping up, little illnesses or odd infections here or there. Things kept getting worse. My health, getting worse, was of little concern to many medical professionals. Most convinced that nothing was wrong other than mainly trauma and fibromyalgia, if anything.
My condition kept getting worse. I was getting put on all these medications to treat things that it turns out I never had and most likely exacerbated my conditions. After switching doctors and finally being referred to a rheumatologist, (by an urgent care doctor, one of the only doctor’s that would listen) we found out that I not only had fibromyalgia BUT has epilepsy and Rheumatoid Arthritis. The combination is crushing. My life was coming apart. My husband having to do more and more while I struggle to move and watch from the sidelines.
What was being placed in front of me were not choices that I was comfortable with from many of the doctors I was seeing. Most wanted to start pain plans and add things called biologics or add stimulates of some kind as well. It sounded like a medicinal cocktail that would lead to nothing but early death. There was also a very limited pool of which I could work into pharmaceutically, my RA, epilepsy, and my allergies restrict me so much that there was an even smaller collection of options.
I had been doing research on other alternative methods that may improve my situation. That is where, I’d say my #Kratom journey begins. I had already begun implementing more rigorous rehabilitation routine by trying to up my exercise, in addition to eating strictly organic and wheat-free after discovering I am celiac as well.
I, by chance, got reconnected with a friend from high school. She, too, had a chronic illness and had just heard of #Kratom herself. She had been telling me of her experience with it and then introduced me to where I could find out more about this possibility of gaining back my life.
What I discovered was life changing. It was difficult at first. The result was nothing short of amazing. I slowly started getting my life back. I went from being almost crippled to gaining strength back and energy. My pain was not fully alleviated, however, it was drastically improved.
Up until that point I never had taken anything for pain other than Tylenol and I had to be dying to take that. My tolerances to most medications is too high. Most anti inflammatories can cause or induce seizures. I am opioid intolerant. I had been living only on my epilepsy medication and methotrexate (a chemotherapy drug). I had never taken anything for my pain other than those things that are not dependency building. It was never an option. I simply refused to start a path of “pain management” when it simply did not work anyway.
#Kratom became a godsend. I was able to be a mother again, a wife, exercise when allowed, etc. Everyday is still a struggle. However, those struggles are not as hard when my pain is dulled and my energy is boosted. It gives me a better outlook on life. It is very difficult being mainly home bound with a husband, three kids, and a small farm to maintain, with #Kratom helping my pain and energy, I am able to have a bit more energy to go to their game, have a day out with my family, and keep up with a little house work.
I order 100% organic #Kratom. It is untainted by other substances, as most have advertised or written of. A small amount is all I take on most days when my pain is very severe and/or we have something planned. I became such an advocate that I began telling anyone and everyone I could. I also started volunteering to spread the word of this amazing leaf and all of it’s many life quality boosting properties!
THE NEW FEAR
My new fear, my impending doom, is that come September 30, 2016 #Kratom will become illegal. At first, I was shocked and scared. My new hope was now not only getting taken away but labeled and equated with heroin! I am someone with personal experience. I am someone that knows many people with more personal and long term experience with #Kratom and have been appalled at the reputation and association this simple leaf seems to be getting, ESPECIALLY, when the people who are responsible for doing it have no experience with it!
Since this has come to fruition it has undoubtably caused a shockwave and backlash of epic proportions…sounds so cliché written that way, yet so true. We, as a community, are outraged and shocked. We have been seeing the ripple effect these bans have been having in some counties or states.
#Kratom has many unique ways of improving many people’s nature of life. One of those benefits is it helps people who are addicts or who have built a dependency and get them off safely. Personally, I have never had an opioid dependency, I have had a family member who was. When the doctor’s and hospital’s cut her off, she resorted to using Imodium AD to somehow hit the same receptors in the brain. Trouble was, she was not thinking of her heart. Most do not think of the toll it will take. She disappeared. It seemed almost no one cared, even as I called out to family members for help, no one seemed to think a thing was a miss. Everyone knew she had a problem but no one would speak of it or admit it, instead, it was more joked about. I called every hospital and eventually found where she was. She had gone into the hospital with heart failure and pneumonia, she had overdosed and almost died. I often think and know now that it would not have been that way if she had known of #Kratom. She was lucky. Most people are not.
I share this story, inside of my chronic illness story, to illustrate it has many different attributes. It saves so many lives, in so many ways, EVERYDAY!
I am writing my testimony in effort to #KeepKratomLegal #StopKratomBan #Kratom #iamkratom AND educate others on what #Kratom is and how many ways it has improved my quality of life.
http://cnycentral.com/news/local/way-too-much-imodium-is-newest-way-of-getting-high
What the DEA is doing is wrong! Kratom saved my life and the DEA is turning good law abiding citizens into criminals! People aren’t robbing raping or stealing for kratom! We are a rare breed of peaceful folk!
I have 3 years of sobriety off of opioids!! Imagine the millions who will have to go back to the pills and heroin just because they either have debilitating pain!!! Its not fair to take this away #IAMKRATOM!!! Look at all the success stories!! Not everyone can afford the pills and are uninsured!! Why take the one thing that allows ppl to stop hurting naturally??? BTW, Im on Kraton now and am not high, nor a zombie like those other things used to do to me!!
The announcement by the DEA regarding Kratom was devastating to me on a very personal level. My name is Beth Smith and I have a chronic pain disease. I have Tmj, degenerative arthritis in my jaw, I have broken my back twice in the last 3 years due to early onset osteoporosis, ( I’m 51) which has led to degenerative disc disease, MS, Barrets syndrome, neuropathy, and migraines. I have taken all the prescribed medications for years and while it relived some of my symptoms I was unable to focus and be a normal functioning mom/human. I discovered Kratom 2 years ago, it has been a saving grace in a way, it hasn’t “cured” me but it has relieved my symptoms without making me “druggy” or sleepy or just feeling yucky. I have been a participating mom and partner. My mood is better, I don’t dread stairs, I know I will be able to do thanksgiving dinner.I am no longer going broke buying prescription drugs that don’t work. This ban will affect almost every aspect of my life, and not in a positive way. Please help. Please.
My name is Christeen. I am 28 years old and a mother of 3 kids and 1 angel. In 2005 I met the love of my life it was love at first site. A year later we had our first child she was beautiful and so perfect. I was the happiest girl alive and I couldn’t ask for more and then few months later we found out we were pregnant again. I was so so happy and even more happy when we found out we were having a little boy. We were so happy after him we would be complete with one girl one boy and us happily married the perfect family. We of course wanted him to have the perfect name and we did his name was Cole Nicholaus Bramlett…it was perfect. I did everything I was suppose to do as a pregnant woman should. We started his room it was gonna be light blue and dark blue walls, we had picked out the perfect crib set although he was gonna sleep in our room for first few months we had his room perfect for when it was time to move him. We had the bassinet, diapers and everything ready. I told him all about it and read to him while he was in my tummy and he would kick like he couldn’t wait to get out and he just knew he was loved so much. At 32 weeks I had my appointment for just a check up on things and ultra sound and the Dr. Told me everything was perfect he was growing like he should be he heartbeat was perfect and was just a couple more weeks and I will get to meet our perfect handsome son. On Saturday July 7th 2007 I woke up and went downstairs ate breakfast, took shower and went on with my day around 4 that afternoon I noticed he wasn’t moving like he usually does. So I knew if I read to him he would get excited and move I read to him for hours and nothing. I called my Dr. And he said to be safe come on in to hospital and we will check everything out. So we got dressed and headed up there and I started to feel empty, I felt something was terribly wrong we got there and I was right somehow our perfect baby boy’s heart stopped and sometime threw out the day he had passed away I didn’t want to believe it, I told them they were lyong and to check again and they did and I just sat there for seemed like forever as tears rolled out of my eyes silent. After hours of silence the Dr. Came in and said that they need to force me into labor so he can come out. I went threw 36 hours of labor to deliver my son that I will not get to see grow up. He won’t get to see how much he is loved and or how perfect we made his room for him. I will never here the words mommy or I love you from him. He will never get to meet his beautiful big sister who was so ready to have a little brother to play with. My husband won’t have his perfect little boy to take fishing or teach how to play baseball. We did everything right made everything perfect and we can’t take our sweet boy home instead we will be burying him. That day changed me it put a hole in me and I was empty, When my husband got me home I went straight to my bedroom where his bassinet was and yet no baby boy to put it in and laid in my bed for days starring at that empty cold bassinet. Each day I grew more and more depressed and disconnected from the world, my husband my daughter not only lost their son and brother but was losing their wife and mommy to. For years the Doctor’s put me on this pill that pill and all it did was either make me more distant then before or cause horrible side effects even to the point of one medication Ambien that caused me to have suicide thoughts and I was almost successful but my husband stuck his hands down my throat called 911 and I was rushed to the emergency room. I was there for a 48 hour reservation. Then they sent me back home and my husband had been doing research all this time and every online remedy to help wasn’t a help at all. Not until he found Kratom by then I was ready to give up and the Kratom sat on our bar for about 3 weeks before I caved and gave it a try and so it saved me it gave me mi life back little by little each day. I would drink a tea in the Morning and I noticed I was out of the bed playing with my daughter and getting up taking care of things that a normal person would. I was able to get up and smile and laugh and be a mommy again. I was being me again but a better me. I started seeing life again and it wasn’t for all the prescription drugs the dr gave me, it was because when I was at my lowest God showed my husband what I needed and it was Kratom. I have no bad side effects of Kratom if me being able to get up out of bed with no pain and to be able to be a good mom again or even better then before is a side effect to Kratom then I am happy to have them. Since Kratom I have been blessed with another perfect baby boy not to replace my loss but to help fill the emptiness inside of me and then 2 years later was blessed with another baby girl.Kratom saved me and it has helped me so much over the years. I can get out of bed in the morning to get my kids ready for school and I can go on field trips and eat lunch with them at school.can get out of bed in the morning to get my kids ready for school and I can go on field trips and eat lunch with them at school. I can go to baseball and softball games and watch my kids play and grow. I can go to dance recitals, help with late night projects and be room mom to my kids classes. I am a better and I am healing each day more and more with Kratom. I am Kratom for me, I deserve to feel alive, to be happy, to be a good caring person. My kids never go without their needs, we don’t spend all our money on Kratom. You don’t lose control on Kratom, you don’t do crazy things on it either. When we take Kratom we are taking it so we can have a normal life and by that I mean simple things like just to get out of bed in the morning. To not go all day in horrible pain and to be the best possible person we can be for ourselves, our families, our community. #Iamkratom #Kratomsavedme #prayingforkratom #Americanshaverights #myrighttolive
I drink kratom tea as I drink coffee and tea. It is not a “drug” to me anymore that coffee, standard tea or chocolate. Yes, it relieves my (thankfully) minor aches and pains when I drink it, so i don’t reach for aspirin or Tylenol. I drink kratom tea (not “take”) because I like it. I don’t feel the need to justify to a government regulatory authority that it makes me feel better (or worse), but I don’t mind saying that I enjoy the relaxing but at the same time a sharper mind. I do not eat it everyday at all, and most times I only take a small bit of the red variety and it lets me sleep easier. I empathize with others with real problems they are able to deal with and hope that the scientists at the Drug Enforcement Agency will realize this is a terrible application of the powerful scheduling authority given to the agency to deal with real problems, such as untested synthetic substances. I also wholeheartedly argue with the CRE reasoning why this should proposed action should be fully vetted through the Federal Register, public comment and recognition of the real science that does exist that there are useful, medical purposes. I also agree that the harms are wildly (and falsely overstated) and threats blown completely out of proportion and therefore not a legal scheduling action on the part of DEA. I still put kratom in the same category as cinnamon, chocolate and green tea. Please let us be responsible humans that don’t need to be “protected” from our selves, much less draconically jailed, prosecuted and harassed. Thanks, Mark
As a Veteran who takes kratom as a means to help me have a better quality of life because of health issues I will not comply to any unjust laws enacted by corrupt men.Give me liberty or give ne death but bring a few body bags along when you come to the party.
Mark, correction to last post…
*agree with CRE, not argue!
Thanks guys for so eloquently stating why this is harmful, not helpful action by the DEA.
Keep kratom legal! It has proven to be a harmless alternative to dangerous drugs and is also known to boost the immune system and can be used as an antioxidant. Saying it has no benefits is a blatant lie. DEA, you are out of line!
I am a cyber security engineer, ethical hacker, inventor, husband, and father.
Nothing could compare to the pain of a joint popping out of its socket. After 2 failed and a successful surgery I found myself taking a lot of pain meds. In addition I have the arthritis of a 70 year old pre-40 along with a few other conditions.
Kratom helped me off of the pain meds and got me on the right track again!
I am a 46yo wife, mother, nurse and grandmother. I have fibromyalgia, pinched nerves and other diagnoses. I have a busy but wonderful life taking care of my family, patients and friends. Before I found Kratom, I could not do half as much as I do now. The pain and fatigue would not let me and because of this, I had some depression as well. I tried the prescription medications and it left me foggy headed and still fatigued. Kratom allows me to enjoy my life with a clear head and energy. Kratom is not a danger, it doesn’t make someone ‘high’ and it’s impossible to overdose because if you take too much, you throw it right up. It’s a safer alternative to what pharmaceuticals out there have to offer. Help us save lives and enrich lives by stopping this ban. Thank you so much for your time.
I’m a biochemistry student of six years with long term consequences from Lyme disease. I do not use Kratom often, but when my pain is especially bad it is a godsend for productivity.
First of all, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! ALL of you are working so hard to stop an extremely suspicious overreach by the DEA. If we can do anything to stop or even delay this, thousands, perhaps millions of lives will be saved! The fate of every person who uses kratom to replace illegal drugs, dangerous and expensive prescription drugs, and alcohol to treat their depression, anxiety, IBS, PTSD, PCOS, endometriosis, arthritis, energy and so much more is depending on us to save this medicinal plant. If this ban takes effect, millions of people will suffer. They’ll be forced to go back to dangerous Rx meds, illegally buy drugs, alcohol, become a criminal to illegally obtain kratom, jail/prison. Some will suffer and lose their quality of life as they are left with boring safe, natural or effective to relieve their ailments. I fear their will be a significant increase in suicides, overdoses, inability to work/function and the list goes on.
I’m a 35 year old, married mother of 2 elementary age children who is currently on injury leave due to a broken foot. I have replaced all of my SSRI’s, opiates, benzodiazepines and nerve pain medicine for 4 years with kratom. Kratom works better than the pills. Pills made me a zombie and often gave me negative side effects. Worst of all, they weren’t effective! Minor relief at best. Kratom is superior to synthetic drugs in every way imaginable.
I believe it is obvious that the DEA, specifically the man behind the ban (I can’t remember his name) was appointed by Loretta Lynch and they both worked at Pharmaceutical companies immediately before they took their current jobs. That’s an extremely suspicious conflict of interest! There is no reason to take swift and drastic action when this is clearly not an emergency threat to our country. This action would only benefit pharmaceutical companies, pain management clinics, rehabs, methadone clinics, drug dealers and ‘for profit’ prisons. If they actually cared about our safety, they would ban opiates or cigarettes or alcohol, etc. Those substances kill people EVERY day. This is NOT about our safety, it’s about money. It’s a grave injustice to our democracy.
This is comparable to making coffee a Schedule 1 drug as they are plants in the same family. Withdrawl from coffee is severe compared to kratom. I wouldn’t even say there is a withdrawal from kratom. The worst I experienced was a return of my anxiety, depression, chronic pain, IBS and PCOS. I felt slightly tired for about 3 days but that was it. When I quit coffee suddenly when I was pregnant, I suffered 2 weeks of fatigue, nausea and spent most of the day with a head shattering migraine.
Kratom is safe. I realize there are adulterated teas, but most of us do our research before ingesting anything. I learned the hard way that ‘ less is more’ compared to opiates where ‘ more is more’. Kratom has a safety feature that prevents you from abusing or overdosing on it. I personally don’t believe anyone could die from pure kratom. The worst that could happen is a headache, nausea and vomiting. The way it works is brilliant and doesn’t exist in prescription/illegal opiates. You can’t get high due to this natural safety feature. When your brain is flooded with too many agonists and antagonists they cancel each other out leaving you with either no effect at all or the above symptoms .
I realize that people can and will abuse anything, but they are a very small percentage of those of us who have chosen a safe, effective and affordable alternative to poisons. I think all the fancy packaged kratom junk sold in gas stations should be banned. I support it should being regulated so no one under the age of 18 could purchase it. However, I have to take a stand against this horrific proposal.
Thank you!
I meant nothing safe, not ‘boring’…autocorrect
I’m a 32 year old mother who has chronic pain and fatigue. I also suffer from extreme anxiety and cervical cancer. I became addicted to the meds the doctors prescribed me I was miserable and my family was falling apart I had tried everything rehab, Suboxone, cold, turkey, methadone I always felt like I was trading one evil for another until I found Kratom. With Kratom I can live a productive life I can be the mother my son deserves. I can feel human again. I go days sometimes a week’s without taking Kratom and I have no withdrawal symptoms just a little more tired than usual but nothing like with opiates. KRATOM SAVED MY LIFE. I am scareof what will happen not just to me but to so many others if this plant is banned. The DEA should not have the right to take away our God given right to natural medicine. We should not be forced to choose between being in pain or being an addict because they are taking away our solution. I personally don’t understand why they are urgently coming after Kratom when the opiates and heroin are the real issues here. I personally believe that this is all about money they want us to be addicted it keeps them in business. The truth is Kratom is a plant a harmless god given natural harmless helpful plant not a drug. Kratom saves lives opiates kill period.
I am a recovering addict who was able to kick opiates, such as Percocet, hydrocodones and oxy.
My pain was so severe that I need at least 2 of each pill just to get out of bed. I wasn’t an addict because I wanted to get high, I was an addict because the pills locked me into their grips. When I found kratom, I was able to function and be pain free. If kratom goes away I’m afraid of what I will have to turn to in order to suppress the pain. Getting off of pills was the hardest thing I’ve had to do because of the physical dependency, with kratom I am to live again.
I am a 34 year old man. I was diagnosed with cancer when I was only 17 (i am now 33). I was prescribed morphine till i was done with remission which was 5 years. I still have a lot of pain in my hip from the surgery and for years i have struggled with pain medications and their ill effects for years. I finally found kratom 2 years ago. Since sept 2014 i have not taken any pain medication at all. I am also pain free and my disposition on life is much better. I owe this to Kratom. Not only does it keep me off the awful pain meds but it also makes me happy. Its no worse then tea or strong coffee with similar effects. To take this miracle plant away so suddenly would have a devastating effect on my life and many tens of thousands of people just like me across the nation. Please do not bam Kratom!
I am a 35 year old lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts. I have suffered from chronic low back pain due to an injury as a child for 25 years. I have tried absolutely everything to address my pain: I have been to doctors, hospitals, pain specialists, surgeons, accupuncturists, physical therapists, and massage therapists. I have taken NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, and prescription painkillers. I have found kratom, taken in small doses, along with regular yoga and exercise, to be the most beneficial combination for managing my pain. Before discovering kratom, I missed months of work each year because I was frequently incapacitated by pain. I believed I would never be able to work full-time again, and that I would eventually be unable to work at all. Today, I happily work full-time and am a highly productive member of society. I work on complex litigation matters, and without tooting my own horn too much, I have been extremely successful at it. Without kratom, I will almost certainly have to return to prescription medication, which has far more significant side effects, and frankly, is far more harmful to society as a whole. But I honestly will not have any other option. I’d greatly prefer to take an all-natural herbal remedy like kratom, but apparently the DEA has unilaterally decided that it is a greater threat to the United States than prescription opiates like fentanyl. I am deeply disturbed by the unsupported, and frankly ludicrous, claims that they make in their notice of intent to schedule kratom as a schedule I drug. If I were to make such baseless assertions in a court of law, I would be lucky not to lose my license to practice. I know I would most certainly lose the case I was arguing. Which brings me to my final point: I am deeply disturbed by the absolute impunity with which the DEA operates in this arena– without any form of judicial review or avenue of appellate relief. There ought to be a judicial remedy available when an agency’s decision is so thoroughly arbitrary and unfounded. Equally disturbing is their determination that public comment is unnecessary. If the claims they were making regarding an “imminent” health threat were in any way founded, one would assume that such a comment period would do nothing to detract from their position. And, if it is unfounded– as I believe it to be– then one would assume that such comments from the public would be of great assistance to any agency attempting to act in good faith on behalf of the public. It would be better practice, particularly in a democracy such as our own, not only to allow public comment, but to listen to such comment with an open mind.
I am not sure why the DEA would consider taking a substance that can actually help an opioid addicted person kick their addiction and ultimately spares them from a deadly addiction. You eliminate a deadly addiction and return an addicted life back to functionality!
Kratom has literally saved my life. I am disappointed that such misinformation and fear mongering is being spread just because its an “unknown.” I wonder if anyone that is trying to ban kratom has stopped to think about how much you are going to impact so many lives ina NEGATIVE way. There are so many people that only function WITHOUT OPIOIDS because of kratom. What are you going to do for ALL of us?!?
Put us in prison for possession of a schedule I controlled substance or back on the six month waiting list at the suboxone clinic.
I have written everyone that would listen on this matter. It is the voice of the people that make decisions in this country. The people are speaking. We do not want the same brush of and the same awful decision making process and over reach that we have had from the DEA for the last decades. This is more than about Kratom for America. It’s about criminal justice reform and drug reform policies that work for this country. That actually work. Also, and equally important it is about the people on this thread who are telling the DEA that their mental health and wellness are going to be challenged by this ban. Please wake up America. Please let’s reform what does not work.
I have a Masters Degree from the University of Texas at Austin. I have a great job. I am a well functioning member of society. I pay my taxes. I take care of my family. I love my garden. I do not pollute. I recycle. And I take Kratom for anxiety. I take it because it takes off the edge much like s cup of coffee does if someone is tired and needs a pick me up. I am an American that deserves my freedom. I AM NOT A FELON
I suffer from SLE. I live in pain and found Kratom a few years ago. Since then, I have gone from lying on the couch miserable to owning my own business to working 50+ hours a week. I am not high and it isn’t hurting anyone by my consumption of this herb. My quality of life is the best it’s been my whole life. PLEASE RECONSIDER THE BAN. I do not want to be the miserable nonproductive person I have been for most of my life. #kratomsaveslives
Kratom has given me my life back in many ways. I suffer from migraines, and lower back pain from time to time as well as depression and anxiety. I am also a recovering opiate addict and with kratom and the program I am working I have been able to stay clean almost a year.
I am a 44 year old mother and home maker. I have numerous diseases and diagnosis but primarily Mixed Connective Tissue Disease and I have been ill for over 23 years, my whole adult life. I experience daily chronic pain to the point that I wonder if I am dying. I have tried every allopathic remedy given to me by my doctors and I only get worse due to negative side effects. Kratom helps me get out of bed everyday. I wake with shooting and burning pains from hip to ankle in both legs from neuropathy. During the day it helps me care for my family and myself. Without Kratom it is nearly impossible for me to do simple things like dishes, or walking my dog. If Kratom is made illegal I will have nothing to help me. This scares me to the depth of my soul as there is nothing left to try in Western Medicine. I don’t want to go back to pain doctors. I want to live an independent life. Kratom is a Godsend. Thank You for helping us keep it legal.
In my 63 years of life I have never had a traffic ticket. I have paid my taxes. I have volunteered in my community. I babysit my grandchildren. I am currently helping my son get his business going. Kratom as made all of possible. Kratom has managed my pain, anxiety and depression. On September 30th 2016, if the DEA has it’s way, that will ALL stop. #iamkratom
I ha e friends that will likely die if kratom is banned. Period.
For me Kratom has no side effects. I’ve been on many Antidepressants with little to no success and always unpleasant side effects. Kratom has consistently elevated my mood sithout side effects the need to increase my dosage. My automobile driving is accomplished without any impairment. Some talk of euphoria, however, it’s just not true that there is euphoria. What i feel is a normal feel.
Banning Kratom is being done in a short sighted manner. I find the bad simply ridiculous.
Curtis
I am a 64 year old retired, disabled, widowed, Veteran thet NEEDS Kratom to fight the Depression, panic, and Anxiety I have after the death of my wife from cancer, and a massive stroke…NOTHING else will work for me…Please don’t remove the ONLY hope I have for a normal Happy life…
While I can honestly say that Kratom did not help me much (for depression and chronic pain), I will tell you about Tinker.
Tinker was a homeless man who lives in my city. He was a 2-3 shots a day heroin user. He stole, cheated, and did whatever he could to get that next fix.
I saw him at a local super-store, and asked him if he’d like a hamburger. We went into McDonalds, and as he ate, we talked. He said that nothing would ever help him get off of the heroin. The hold was too strong. He’d tried methadone and suboxones. His body craved the heroin.
So, I offered him some Kratom that I happened to have in my purse. He said he’d try it the next morning, after his present “high” wears off. I also gave him my phone number.
The next afternoon, I got a call. Tinker said he’d not even wanted heroin all day, and that he had no pain, no withdrawal, and lots of calm energy. He asked if I had any more, and I told him I had a kilo of the stuff. So I gave it to Tinker.
I heard from him three months later. He had a place to live, a girlfriend, and a full-time job. He hadn’t touched heroin since he started the Kratom. He wanted to know where I got it, so he could order more.
This is the herb – the PLANT – that the DEA is banning as “dangerous.”
There is nothing more dangerous than a government that will not listen to its citizens.
This Kratom ban must be stopped. We have opiate solutions that ARE Approved to be used for the US’s opiate epidemic. You, the DEA & FDA, have enough information right now to know that not only will this affect small businesses from Kratom vendors, smoke shops, alternative therapy stores, & sober and/or Kava bars, this will affect the LIVES & the FAMILIES of those who take this as a SAFER, SOBER, way to manage their pain or addiction. The thousands you will be taking from “recovery” is just unconscionable! A non-narcotic, non life threatening, CHEAP, way to handle this epidemic is what is NECESSARY. Take Kratom away and it will only get worse.
Btw, I have taken Kratom three times DAILY, EVERY day, for the past 2 years w NO PROBLEMS. I have stopped for days to a couple weeks at a time a few times w minimal w/d symptoms. I use Kratom for energy, focus, mild aches/pains, relaxation, acute pain, & sleep. I suffer from PTSD & severe anxiety. I have taken with benzodiapines regularly with no problem at all. It has never made me extra groggy or decreased respirations. One does NOT Potentiate the other. I have decreased want to go “out” to drink or even a glass of wine at home is usually only half drunk. Alcohol cravings or the want to finish a glass is now gone. I have also had Kratom in my system and drank w no adverse effects as spoken of before. Kratom is not and does not act like a depressant.
With the fact pain control w/o opiates is now an issue, I would behoove whoever is in charge to leave this as it is and go for regulation. It needs studied & researched and there are universities & companies willing to do so. This ban halts all research and in my opinion, at 129 people dying a day in this opiate epidemic and that’s not even including the suicides of vets or the chronically ill or chronically in PAIN, this should be extended and researched. There is no “emergency” here to save the public from. The public wants it left alone!
This plant had literally saved my life and several of my friends lives! I broke my back several years ago when a CEO for Metlife decided to drive drunk and fell asleep at the wheel. I was misdiagnosed for several months and didn’t get the therapy I needed during that crucial time. After several months of severe pain I had to drop out of school and quit my job that I had been working at for 6 years. I spent the next two years in daily physical therapy, chiropractic therapy, injection therapy and massage therapy. I was also prescribed pain medication during this time. I became very depressed from the medication, extremely anxious and still continued to suffer with chronic pain on a daily basis. Eventually, I became completely addicted to my meds and truly believed that after years of trying I would never be able to get of of them and live a normal pain-free life. During this time I was barely functioning on a daily basis. I had extreme social anxiety and rarely left my house at all. I wanted more then anything to be off these meds that were destroying my life but failed continuously. Thankfully , after years of agonizing addiction I found out about Kratom. This plant has given me my life back! I have never had the quality of life that I now experience every single day! My anxiety is completely bearable, my chronic pain only surfaces every once in a blue moon and my depression is completely gone. I owe my life to this natural plant! Please do the right thing and let all these people who have suffered enough have the choice to use a natural plant over prescribed pain medications that are killing people on a daily basis. This is an epidemic that needs to change! So many people are going to die if this ban goes through. Please listen to our stories… Thank you.
I have lupus and degenerative disc and joint disease. Under a doctor’s ‘care’, I became dependent on opioid prescription medication. I refused to continue taking the pills, I refused to go on to Suboxone. I went through 14 days of the most agonizing pain I ever knew while withdrawing from the meds at home with only my husband for support. My normal pain, which is pretty bad, was amplified beyond anything I could have imagined. Then on day 15, I woke up “normal”, meaning I was back where I started before the diagnosis, in pain, exhausted, barely capable of getting off of the couch to cook dinner for my kids and husband. I was miserable again. The pain gets so intense sometimes that I cannot think, let alone function. Then I did some research and started looking to nature for help. Kratom completely changed my life. I could walk, I could garden, I could chase my children around in the yard, push them on the swing. I had to drop out of school shortly before I was diagnosed. After kratom, I went back! I am now two classes away from graduation from a double degree fast track program, Bachelors in Communications and Psychology. I have four grandchildren now. They have never met that sick, sad, broken woman. I eat healthier, I dropped the alcohol and energy drinks, I am always moving, always learning, always loving life. This cannot be permitted to take place. This is wrong. Please, listen to the American people. Listen to us. Help us to help ourselves. Do not take this precious, gentle plant from us. Everyone knows how wicked and senseless this proposed action is. Someday you yourselves may develop a terrible chronic illness that saps your strength, dims your light, and leaves you wracked with pain in an endless nightmare. You will appreciate that this herb is there for you if you ever do. I would not trade my cup of tea for any prescription pill on Earth. I don’t get high, I don’t get hyper, I don’t get sleepy. I just feel better. I feel healthier. I feel alive. The plants were put here for our use. Now please, let us use them in peace. Call off this ridiculous, nonsensical, barbaric ban. Please.
We went through years of hell getting my sis off of opiates. It was bad. Lost her kids, lost her right leg from the knee down from wrecking her car during a nod off. Drank a lot too. We almost lost her multiple times to overdose. Domestic battery charge from being violent with our Mother. Completely disabled now. She was able to function again and stay clean with the use of Kratom. We have been so proud of her. Well, I guess we are going to go through all of that hell again. Im pretty sure she has already contacted her doctor for pills and I was told tonight that she may be looking for a new dealer as we speak. I’ll keep updating here. I do not want to go down this road again. I do not want to lose my sister, or anyone else, due to this ban. I am just in shock and awe right now. And quite frankly I’m scared. Prayers everyone… pray that they do the right thing and see just how much harm this is going to cause. More death, divorce, hurt, pain, abuse, it’s just not right. Thank you everyone for trying. Pray for my sister please.
Im praying for your sister!!
I’m praying for you and your family! This situation isn’t right.
Why would you do this? I just dont understand, my husband was in a serious accident and the pain was and is still so bad he didnt want to go on, he took the pain meds he was perscribed and they almost killed him, we almost divorced and my son was losing his father, the perscription meds he was given altered his personality, made him have serious stomach issues, he was physically sick all the time and it only masked his pain he went through all that to decide he was done with it, and my son who was 5 at the time, lost his dad because he was sick, and not himself taking that gosh awful crap, but docs still wanted to pump him with those meds, one day he discovered kratom, he found a new life, he felt better than he did in yrs, could walk without his cane more and my son watched him feel so much better, and was his dad again, he was the man i married, he was full of life and just lived LiViNG AGAIN!!! now u want to take that away from him, how could you!!!! , this is our freedoms our families lives, and though it seems you care less about my family, we r just abunch of mice running in your wheel and thats so not right, its helped so many people live normally again to want to get upand face the day with hope and purpose! But its ok for a heroin addict to shoot up and throw dirty needles at my sons park where he plays and then go to the clinic and recieve new needles to do it again, then more overdoses and deaths, or its ok for someone to drink themselves under the table and then get behind the wheel and endanger our lives, alcohol stays legal, needle clinics are busy, and the overdose drug is given to high schools just in case, so what msg are you sending to my son, please please stop this ban, if not for me, do it for all the lives that will taken, the veterans who fought for OUR freedoms who rely on kratom to get up and live, make them proud that they put their lives on the line for us, and that giving us our freedoms was not a mistake they made, we are asking you as hunman beings, please stop this madness and let me continue to live with my husband, the man i married! Stop, Listen, Learn!
I was an IV heroin addict for three years. I learned after I got clean that I suffer from depression and anxiety, the heroin cured that in the beginning. I tried big pharmaceuticals methadone and suboxone. I was a zombie, it rotted my teeth and made me sick dropping to 98 lbs. Even worse was attempts to get off of them, worse than heroin itself. After another attempt to get off suboxone, I found kratom. It saved my life. No anxiety, no depression, no withdrawal, no cravings and best of all no relapse. I graduated college as a CPA. I’m a productive member of society again because I make a tea in the morning. If kratom is banned, I’m terrified I could relapse. How can you do this to people DEA? I thought you wanted us off drugs.
I have used Kratom and discovered that I no longer need the medications that do more harm than good. Pharmaceuticals was destroying my body. I only wish I’d known about kratom sooner. I suffer from debilitating anxiety, PTSD, ADD, And pain from Schiliosis and an injury I sustained when I was 16 during a hail storm from slipping in a deep concrete ditch backwards. I was practically agoriphobic, never expected my life would change. I pretty much summed it up as my life is over before it ever begun. It was all to much to handle. The abuse I suffered for so very long, on top of my medical issues I just never realized one plant could make everything all better again.. I no longer need benzos, amphetamines, or opiates. I can’t drink coffee because it messes with my stomach, kratom is my coffee. I can now hold a job, live a life, go out in nature and continue my photography. I have Gained more with kratom than I ever have on any of those pharmaceuticals. I have returned to my pagan roots, I am a child of this earth, she has always had everything I needed in reach. Making this a schedule one drug will only harm the millions of us that consume and rely on a natural herbal supplement for relief. None of us take kratom for a high, we could do that legally if we desired with prescriptions. This is infringing on my right to practice my Earth based religion. I wish to keep my right. You do not decide that I have to take pharmaceuticals, that is not your choice to make. My God put this plant here for not only me, but all of us. Taking it away would mean the DEA is responsible for every death that could have been avoided with this plant. Don’t infringe on my health and don’t infringe on my God. Plants before Pills, Big pharma doesn’t control me and you shouldn’t let them control you either. You should be ashamed if you let this happen to us! I pray you make the right decision , and if not, may you live with everlasting guilt by what you have done.
I am a mother of three active kids, one with autism. Both me and my husband are vets. Both of us with chronic pain and depression. When I take Kratom it helps lower my pain enough so that I can function. Things like clean dishes, do laundry, cook dinner or even just brush my hair. I am not addicted to it, I do not get high. I have gone without before and have never suffered from withdrawls. The only thing I suffered from was my pain and fatigue increasing and my depression bringing me down. I take it 3 times a day with the rest of my medicine. Please, understand that this decision has me wondering about my future, it doesn’t look very bright at this point, in fact it’s looking to be a hell with me trapped in my own body. This is the only option that I have found that helps with the nerve pain, believe me, I have been put on other medications and had to suffer with side effects that got worse and worse as they became less and less affective.
My 83 year old step mother who up till this year has suffered with multiple painful issues from not being able to swallow to back shoulder hand arthritis and disc issues the prescription pills were leaving her in a fog constipated and naseus I introduced her to Kratom and our family has watched this woman live again literally garden again sleep at night again feel energized enough to go for a walk round our yard this is all because of her switch to two simple cups of Kratom a day I’m appalled the Dea of this great country is acting in such a selfish prehistoric way of regulation and dishonest policy making. This is a plant for people to have better quality of life
A tsp of Kratom with my morning breakfast then off to work I go at my local hospital long work days helping others who are less fortunate than me i don’t drink coffee but Kratom I drink as a source of natural energy and to help with my add . I was on all sorts of medications since I was 12 years old always struggled focusing and being able to get things done I failed despite being smart early on in school my mind raced and I struggled with social anxiety all thru high school . I was introduced to Kratom years ago and it changed my life no more prescription pills I’m able to feel completely clearheaded sober and I’m productive this is not an intoxicant in any way there is so many lies and false news stories this plant has given me a balance and peace to my life I haven’t had since I was in elementary school the fact that the dea won’t even look at the facts and stories of us so many is criminal … We the people don’t have the luxury of being in these corrupt circles of policy makers but maybe in this movement we will finally get some sort of respect and help from our government which is what this country is supposed to be all about
Kratom has been a lifeline for me after repetitive surgeries on my back due to a car accident. I spent 6 years in an OxyContin fog and finally was able to take care of my kids, go back to work (I’m a 3rd grade teacher) and my quality of life is better than its been in years. The idea that they aren’t allowing the public to speak is an absolutely sickening move by the DEA. This is a topic that should be discussed and education is severely lacking on the subject of Kratom. This will ruin my quality of life. It will make me a felon. Me, a teacher, a mother, a productive law abiding member of society. This cannot happen
I am here to say that as a 64 year old woman I never thought that i would take something like Kratom. After many decades of pain due to spinal stenosis and fibro and trying all that the doctor’s told me to try .. pain pills, antidepressants, spinal blocks, physical therapy .. i finally just didn’t use anything for years because none of those things worked and why should i spend money on something that didn’t work and could potentially make me an addict or worse. So after going another decade just getting by because of constant pain and fatigue and after much, and i mean much, research and encouragement from family I tried Kratom. I could not believe how much relief I had almost immediately. Now I don’t take it on a daily basis, but when I am really in pain or having a flare I know that I can get relief and that is a life changer for me. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, my daughter and granddaughter wanted to go see a cave because granddaughter had never been in one. Well, i took the Kratom that morning with some orange juice and for the first time in a very very long time, I walked for over an hour down stairs, and ramps and uneven ground in a cave. Yea, I might have a life back to enjoy with the grandkids… sign the petition to help get DEA AND WHITE HOUSE ATTENTION THAT THE BAN IS SO WRONG.
First you take away our opiods for pain and now, when we turn to a harmless herbal remedy, you take that, too! What are chronic pain sufferers supposed to do when our states have inadequate medical marijuana laws that you need to be on your death bed to qualify for? WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST WE DO? Suck it up and die? That’s what we’ll wish for as a result of this foolish War On Drugs goes too far!!!!!
Like so many others, I became addicted to prescription painkillers when they were prescribed for pain resulting from endometriosis. Nothing has ever destroyed my self-esteem and sense of self-worth the way addiction has. I am well-educated, have a graduate degree, and come from a long line of medical doctors. And while addiction doesn’t discriminate, people do. The stigma around drug addiction is persistent, and very few of my friends and family know about my struggle because I have felt so ashamed by it, and I still do. I tried Suboxone – twice – and it did not help at all. Then I found Kratom and within 6 months, my cravings for opiates were gone. Most opiate addicts will hunt around in other people’s medicine cabinets, even though they know it’s wrong. When that compulsion completely vanished, I knew I had found something lasting, and it was amazing. Amazing to not be preoccupied by thoughts, scheming, etc. of where and when I might obtain more opiates. Amazing to stop dreaming about pills, and living like a complete slave to a substance. Amazing to feel like a good person rather than one who is immoral, pathetic, and dishonest. In addition to it freeing me from addiction, it also combat my pain, but without producing any of the awful side effects – and there were SO many – that pharmaceuticals did. In addition to being devastated about the DEA’s decision to make Kratom illegal, I’m also extraordinarily shocked. The research is simply NOT THERE. They state in their docket that those using heroin and opiates turn to Kratom as a substitute – as if that were a bad thing! There is NO logic to their decision, and there is no doubt that it will lead to intense suffering, pain, misery, and relapse for a massive portion of the population. The DEA does not have the statistics to back up the claim that Kratom is dangerous. This makes it very obvious that this decision is not about having Americans best interests in mind, but something else entirely. I feel betrayed, enraged, and defeated to a degree I have never felt in my entire life.
I am a mother and a teacher in Mississippi. I’ve struggled for years with anxiety and depression, and when I discover ed kratom, I felt like I had hope for the first time in a long time. I’ve been taking it for over a year. It gives me energy to be the best that I can be for my child and my students. I can stop easily, as I am not addicted. I choose not to, because I believe that it helps me. I believe that it should be my right to choose. Thank you.
Dear Sir/Madam, I am a 51 year old female in Northern Virginia and depend on Kratom to manage degenerative disc disease and other medical conditions. I can speak to my situation and why further examination of this plant should be done.
I found Kratom out desperation and if you take it away I dont know I will survive the alternatives again.
I treated pain with alcohol which led to me becoming an alcoholic. I went through Alcohol Rehabilitation because I developed Pancreatitis and was in the hospital for over a week. Apparently my enzyme count was off the chart and left me close to death. I had no health insurance because alcoholics cannot hold jobs like healthy people. I am thankful I never got arrested or killed anyone and landed in prison.
Soon after my rehab I got a job and insurance. This is when my doctor started me on Pain management told me I would need to take Percocet for the rest of my life (seriously said that)
My job situation deteriorated along with my health and I was a slave to my pills. The horror of withdrawal turned me into a liar and a thief. I decided I wanted my life back so I went into Rehab again to get off Percocet. It took about three months to get healthy and look for a job. I’m sure by now you have heard enough about how bad Percocet is and highly addictive with life destroying consequences.
Finally clear headed and healthy I found Kratom which helps my pain without the fear of addiction, side effects, inebriation, withdrawal or clouding my judgement. I am a good weight and glad my parents dont have to worry about me and I can see me sober as they are getting older and I think they are proud of me.
I’m getting scared that they will have to watch me deteriorate again as I am forced down the path of opioids and/or alcohol.
How is this law saving me from the dangers of this plant?
It would be very disappointing if there were a ban placed on the sale of Kratom. This plant is not a dangerous medicinal. Imposing a ban benefits the pharmaceutical industry alone. I hope enough speak out to stop this senseless, money grabbing move. If it’s about protecting the people from harm; let’s start placing a ban on the countless dangerous pharmaceutical drugs on the market today.
Let me start out by saying I’m not only a former state trooper, but also a retired federal agent. I discovered kratom years ago after an on duty accident. If not for kratom I would still be on Oxycotin and hydrocodone daily. Kratom is NOT a “legal high”. My brothers and sisters at the DEA, I KNOW the political pressure your under to ban this. Someone PLEASE stand up research this yourself and help try to make change to stop this ban. Ask your retired officers in your life, you’ll be surprised by how many use kratom to stay off the opioids we pulled off the streets daily!
This ban is a very bad and Is going to be detrimental to a lot of people suffering from all types of illness. Pharmaceutical are the problem not this plant that has hundreds of years of human testing with no problems.Besides the ban being totally illegal and morally wrong it is a contradiction to keep the public safe if this was truly the case than pharmasutical opiates should be banned. Please use your better judgment and keep this God given herb available to those who need it. It is our right and your duty. Thankyou in advance
I suffer from MS, lupus, fibro, vascular Ehlers Danlos and a severe panic disorder. Before kratom I was on at least 12 prescriptions at any given time. Kratom does not “cue”me of anything, but it makes it so I can actually be mobile. I still suffer, but not to the same extent. My husband is a combat veteran with ptsd and chronic pain from his time spent in Afghanistan. Kratom dies more for him than the VA does, considering it’s been 3 years since he got out and they still haven’t gotten him in with a counselor. This plant helps people like us, and those who are even worse, survive. My MS medication, for just one month, would be over $6000. It is essentially just low dose chemo meds with an insane amount of side effects. Both my doctor and neurologist know I am on kratom and are happy that they don’t have to prescribe me medications that will do more harm than good in the long run.
I took Oxycontin for five years of my life 4 times a day was prescribed by the doctor. It was ruining my life couldn’t keep a job family left. Until I found kratom it wasn’t God sent I’ve been 4 years clean now got a new job got my family back. I’m literally scared for my life if the ban goes through. What the DEA is doing absurd. That should be ashamed they don’t care about the people that they’re supposed to protect and listen to. They didn’t even give us a chance the speak out against it in fact they did the exact opposite they told us our opinions don’t matter they’re not needed. If this ban goes through I have lost hope for this country. The very Foundation of this country if the people speak out that should be listened to if you don’t like the laws we should be able to change them. In my state Missouri we’ve already fought this on the state level and we won. This is just a slap in the face to us.
DEA is removing a safe botanical that has and will continue to rescue addicts, pain sufferers, help those with PTSD, those who suffer greatly from anxiety and panic attacks, those who have seizures (epilepsy unknown) from TBI, there are more uses than I can name here. My story is one of spending 30 years hopping from one anti-anxiety medication to another. I have been hospitalized for PTSD, stroke, severe back injuries and pain and put on many different meds. At one point I was a 100mcg fentanyl patch every 2 days for the 6 vertebra with old fractures and damaged disks. Kratom took me off Fentanyl, Xanax, Keppra all which was at the tax payers expense at the VA. Now I buy my kratom and dont take any of the aforementioned drugs. So not only has it saved my life but has saved taxpayers thousands of dollars a year. Since you eant to schedule it I will now spend the rest of my life on dangerous pharmaceuticals at the expense of our government. I made a commitment to this country to defend the borders and people. After being diagnosed with PTSD in 1984 from Beirut, Lebanon I was discharged and medicated at your expense. In 2010 the VA decided that opioids were too dangerous to handle my pain and put me on Piroxicam, a NSAID that after 4 months caused me to have a hemorrhagic stroke in November 2010. I was and still am a 100% service connected combat Veteran. I felt this horrible pain on the left side of my head. I was told I had a stroke and was told I would be admitted. They called the VA Dallas for me. No answer, they admitted me and my neurosurgeon tried for the next 3 days to have the VA pick me up, Never happened. He told me that it was about o9% sure the stroke had been caused by the so-called safer drug Piroxicam. After I went home, now suffering from the worst headache I have ever had the VA saw me. A pain specialist then told me because of govt policies he could keep me on hydrocodone for a month. At the end of the month he was going to put me back on a strong NSAID. Long story a little shorter I complained and was put on a series of pain meds up to fentanyl. In August of 2011 I had a gran mal seizure related to the stroke, now they put me on keppra. So I blame our govt for my needing kratom in the first place. Last year the DEA made sure all doctors who prescribe pain meds were afraid to write scripts fir anything. So I went looking for a healthy choice, I found kratom, I was glad you overstepped your bounds. Now you are coming after the one thing that had saved my life. You must stop this attack on kratom or we will all be left in the cold by the very government I had been proud to serve. It is really ashame that you have to lie yo create this false attack on such a Godsend.
After 3 years taking prescribed medications, percocet, klonidine and seroquel I found myself dependant on these medications to function or so I thought. My dependence on these RX meds were not only affecting my physical and mental health, they were affecting everyone around me. My children were concerned I was becoming addicted and they were right. Hindsight is 20/20. My doctor had no advice to give me. He said ween yourself off the meds and stop taking them. My life was becoming unraveled and I was falling apart at the seems. I was in constant pain due to severe degenerative arthritis which was compounded by injuries sustained in two car accidents over a two year period and 12 plus years working as a certifed nursing assistant which included years if heavy lifting, pulling, pushing. The physical strain on my body had become to much to handle. I lost time from work, I could no longer even do the basic things we take for granted like cleaning my house or playing with my grandkids I found myself taking more than I was subscribed. Running out before time to refill. The sad part was the meds no longer gave me any relief from the pain, depression and anxiety I was living with everyday. My clouded judgement at the time helped me justify taking more and more. The only purpose the meds were serving at this point were to keep me from getting physically sick. My mental state was being seriously affected. I was also diagnosed with bipolor disorder years ago. I found myself falkibg asleep duriing the day. Literally nodding out. I couldn’t sleep at night. I was miserable and unhealthy. These meds only made it worse. I reached out to a friend who told me about kratom. I decided to ween myself off the meds and give kratom a chance. Without kratom I never would have made it through the following 4 long weeks of withdrawals I experienced. Kratom gave me relief from not only the symptoms of withdrawal but gave me better relief for my pain and depression and anxiety than RX meds ever did. I gradually started to feel better and was able to function thanks to an all natural plant. Its a plant not a drug. I do not get high on kratom. Nor do I nod out during the day anymore. I can clean my house, go to work, enjoy time with my grandkids. I feel like a different person. I’m happier, healthier, mind, body, and soul. I am but one face of kratom. Thousands upon thousands of people have been helped by this plant, and thousands upon thousand if people will suffer if this plant is banned. It would be an outrage and a shame to force people back into a life of addiction, pain and misery when they can get relief from kratom instead of highly addictive medications that only serve to destroy mind and body. I do not believe for one minute the ban on kratom is motivated by the DEA or FDAs concern of the well being of the people of this country. It is greed and money that motivates these appointed entities. They do not have my best interest at heart. Kratom has given me a chance at a normal happy life. Please don’t let them take that way. #iamkratom#kratomsaveslives#keepkratomlegal.
I am not a junkie and i never have been but i have chronic pancreatis due to being born with cystic fibrosis and kratom has not takin my pain completely away but sure has helped when there is no dr s that will srrm to help me so i turned to this natural herb and i agree that kratom alone is safe and just because a few people do something very stupid like mixing kratom with street drugs or prescription meds does not mean it should be taken away from the millions of pain suffering ppl it is the last thing so very many had to use and worked wonders so i ask of the DEA to plz reconsider this natural herb and let the ppl have that life saver of a herb lteft alone so everyone can live natural everyday life to fullest that they can
I literally cried when I learned about the DEA’S plan to add kratom to the Schedule 1 list. I suffer from chronic pain in my spine, hips and knees. I also struggle with depression and anxiety because of the constant pain. Kratom is the only thing I have ever tried (and I have tried just about every treatment) that eases my pain. It has been nothing short of a miracle for me. I can once again enjoy social gatherings with family and friends, go grocery shopping and clean my house without suffering agonizing pain. And, I do not have to take opioid pain medications anymore. Kratom controls my pain better than any of the prescription pain medications I was on and without the side effects.
Please do whatever you can to stop the ban on kratom.
I suffer from chronic dehabilitating cluster headaches. I have a prescription for hydrocodone. I rarely use my perscription because I am afraid I will become addicted. I use kratom to manage pain. Like so many people I have a job and a family. Without managing my pain I cannot work. I cannot take my kids places because I never know when the headaches are going to hit.
I am so disappointed that the DEA wants to get involved with our plant, Kratom. It has done nothing but good for me. I had a bad car accident in 2002 in which doctor’s over-prescribed me medications for pain control (opiates) and I became addicted to them. Following my car accident, I was diagnosed with a brain injury and fibromyalgia, both of which cause me many residual problems. I discovered Kratom quite by accident and it has literally changed my life. With kratom, I was able to overcome my addiction issues with opiates (doctor prescribed pain pills) and control my pain problems naturally. For my brain injury, Kratom helps me to think clearly and decisively. No brain fog here! Kratom eases my depression symptoms and takes away my anxiety that goes along with it. I am a normal functioning person while taking Kratom. I hate to think of what my life will be like without Kratom and back on pills again. Please don’t take my life away and take Kratom away from me. Stop the ban. I don’t want to become dependent on pills once more.
I use kratom to treat the pain associated with MS, DDD, scoliosis, spondylosis, OA & SA… After about 10 years of using doctor prescribed narcotic pain meds, and NOT one of them controlled MY PAIN, I was at a cross roads thinking there was never going to be a solution to my chronic pain and that the rest of my life would be spent in this misserable existance in which the pain meds heavily contributed.
Four years ago, in a random conversation with a gentleman in the lobby of a hotel, I was introduced to Kratom. From that day forward my life has steadily improved.. I am actually living and working and enjoying my life again.
Kratom has been and is the only thing I have tried in 15 years that controls my pain to a tolerable and livable level without the life sucking side effects.
Kratom does not get you “high”. If you try to get high on kratom you will sorely be disappointed and believe me before I found Kratom I was getting plenty “HIGH” on the 112 30mg oxycodone, 84 10mg Percocet, 54 xanax, and 84 soma I was prescribed every 28 days.
I am at a loss for words when I think that my government would prefer I live the former misserable existence, not able to contribute to society but rather live as a burden on government on disability..
When there is no end to the number of testimonials on Facebook and YouTube and various websites all over the internet about how kratom has steadily improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people..red blooded Americans.. how can our government want to take this away from us especially when there are an equal number a testimonys on Facebook YouTube and various websites about how the government approved pain management treatment programs have destroyed lives!
How does this even make sense??
Thank you CRE for your proposal to postpone the ban on Kratom. I’m truly hoping we Never see a ban on it. If I lose access to Kratom I just don’t know I’ll do. I’ve been using it to manage fibro, arthritis, sciatica, anxiety, depression and insomnia as well as fatigue. Such a miracle that this plant can help with ALL that depending on the strain. So much more relief than I ever got from pharmaceuticals. My elderly mother uses it for managing arthritis pain and is terrified of losing access to it. Shame on the DEA. It’s abundantly clear that the issue here is Not concern for our safety.
Having suffered from anxiety since 2008, I’ve tried many antidepressants and have been prescribed benzodiazepines. The antidepressants changed me as a person to where my husband didn’t know me anymore. The benzodiazepines scared me, as I lost my mother in law to an accidental overdose which Xanax was part of the combination. In 2013 I was prescribed xanax, which help amidst a panic attack, but make me very tired and not productive afterwards. I was having horrible anxiety at the time, so I found myself needing them almost everyday. I started to research side effects for long term use and my hear of this drug free tremendously as you can get seizures after stopping cold turkey after long term use. Thankfully, I had only been using them a couple of months and I tried hard not to use them daily, so I was able to not take them anymore without danger to myself. Yet, my social anxiety made leaving my house hard and made otbvery uncomfortable when I had no other choice. Being afraid of these and not wanting to try the roller coaster of antidepressants again, I started to research natural ways to treat myself and found kratom about a year ago. I have not felt this good since mybforst panic attack. See my anxiety led to depression, because I just didn’t understand why my mind wouldn’t let me feel normal. Antidepressants took my anxiety completely away, but some anxiety is normal and helps steer people away from bad choices. Unfortuatley I made some bad choices while on them. Not with kratom though, I am relieved of most anxiety, but still have enough to keep me in line. I don’t feel like an addict, I just feel like my normal self before anxiety appeared in my life. I’m able to leave without fear of the unknown, but don’t wind up tired and in bed. I can’t understand why the dea thinks that I don’t have this right to treat myself naturally. I don’t want to be high as the Xanax made me feel, I just want to feel like a normal productive person. For the first time in a long time I have started a new job, yet I fear being able to continue working if my anxiety and depression return. I want to be optimistic that won’t happen, but my history keeps replaying in my head and it scares me very much. Also, I live in an area got hard by the opoid epidemic and wonder how much this herb could help clean up all of the victims of these terrible drugs. It just seems like a very irrational decision in my opinion.
This was my post, I apologize for the typos, as it’s hard to write on my phone. I wanted to add that I am a 35 year old mother of three and married to their father whom I have been with for 20 years. I’m not someone who generally makes rash decisions. I do everything for my kids, including taking kratom. Because of this, we have been able to enjoy many things which my anxiety stole from us!
Your story is so similar to mine, except I took the benzodiazepines daily for 11 years! Long story short, even after a long taper, I still had to go to a 21 day inpatient detox because I couldn’t handle the withdrawal and my psychiatrist was worried about the seizures. A few months afterwards, I was still so depressed and anxious. I learned about kratom from an online support group. I researched it a lot because I was worried about addiction. It helped me in the same way it helped you. How can they say there’s no medicinal value?
I, too, am trying to be optimistic, but I’m worried the debilitating panic attacks will come back and I’ll be much less functional as a Special Education teacher and in life.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your story!
I suffer from multiple sclerosis, fibromyagia, degenerative disc disease. I live a life of chronic pain. With all the new rules for doctors not being able to prescribe opioid pain medication, I was left to suffer. Doctors are too scared to treat chronic pain these days. So I decided to take control and find a natural solution on my own, since that was the only option I had. I discovered Kratom and decided to give it a try. I was amazed at how much it helped my symptoms! I am now able to get pain relief and live my life to the fullest. I’ve been taking Kratom for well over a year, and I’ve never had any issues with it. So now the DEA has decided to ban Kratom. I don’t understand, why are they taking away our god given plants? Why should chronic pain patients be left to suffer? I don’t want to live my life in a bed.
There is no reason why hundreds of thousands of Americans who purchase kratom should be turned into criminals by the end of the month. Why create a black market?? There is no kratom public health crisis today. There needs to be a open discussion where studies and tests could be done openly and the Kratom users welcome this.
I’m disgusted at the government. It’s totally corrupt. Makes me
sick. This herb saves lives. Keep it legal!!!!
When I first met my current fiancee (this was about 8 years ago), she was in the thick of a months-long opiate pill addiction. She told me it was the only thing that relieved her depression and anxiety. Psych meds had failed her. It also didn’t help that she had nothing to do all day as her psychiatrist recommended temp disability from her job to try to get these medication combo right. She hated herself even more for taking these pills, so she eventually began taking suboxone. She was on it for over a year and eventually tapered herself off. For her, the withdrawals were pretty bad. She read about kratom and found an reputable, online vendor. It really helped with her withdrawals, but she also noticed an anti-depressant/anxiolytic factor. Now, she’s been taking kratom on/off for 4 years. It helps with her cravings (which are very rare, thanks to kratom), but REALLY helps with her depression/anxiety. I’m so proud of how far she’s come and I don’t want to see her backslide. I know she can stop taking the kratom fine (she’s been fine before after months of once daily kratom), but it’s the fact she won’t be able to get it if she feels stuck in a depression pit again. The DEA needs to reconsider and come up with a new plan. They could be destroying lives here!
Kratom at least deserves a 10 month-3 year “study” period where we weigh the arguments of keeping it legal or scheduling it.Let’s take a short period of time out to actually STUDY what kratom scheduling will do to this country, and let’s do some studies that will either prove or disprove it’s safety. I know through my unique perspective, if passed the kratom ban will turn potentially MILLIONS into felons, punishable by 5 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON. We don’t need a reefer madness part 2. We don’t need millions to become felons over a safe plant. We also don’t need to lose the tax revenue of kratom vendors. Tens of millions are paid to State and Federal Gov’t from kratom vendors. All their employees, their livelihood, and their respect for the DEA stands in the balance. If the DEA is serious about the “war on opiates”, how about we have a public debate first? I know it’s because hardly anyone even knows what kratom is, and they are trying to sweep us under the rug. Don’t let kratom turn into another “Drug War” nightmare.
Im tired of deceptive misleading information being promulgated by DEA…Simply untrue…..DEA has no right to say they are the supreme authority in deciding what is good for us and what isnt……they do nothing about all the adds on tv……all the poharma company shit that has 3 seconds of the benefits and the remaining 10 seconds of warnings of death and stroke, anbd heart attack etc from use…..give me a break DEA….It’s so obviously corrupt…..Chuck Rosenberg has disgraced good people and truth..
A couple years ago I was diagnosed with chronic daily headaches and migraines. You know what my doc did? Instead of doing tests and trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with me, she gave me tons of tramadol. I mean she said I could take the most allowed a day. At first it helped but then it stated working against me. I never ate, my head was getting worse and do you know how HORRIBLE it is to come off tramadol??!! It’s such a weak opiate but so addicting! Kratom helped me come off it and a couple other scripts. My head is waaaaay better now!!! Kratom helps my head and doesn’t make me a irritable zombie!!!! I hate taking prescriptions!
The DEA are being bully’s on this and need to back off. So many people (including myself) are being effected already. It’s bad all the way around. Not one good reason for this being done this way. I keep trying to think of one good reason to make it easier to swallow as an American but there just is not one.
Something needs to happen. It’s absurd that the DEA can do whatever they want with complete disregard and without any scientific backing.
Kratom saves lives!
How powerful is the DEA? How can we simply cut the snake off at the head? They are a group funded at the surface by tax dollars. How can we just eliminate the group? What do we need to do. We the people. This is getting ridiculous. I wish someone with some serious cash would step in and help us with this cause. That’s all we need is to make enough noise that the entire populous sees the injustice occurring here.
Kratom saved my life. Please don’t let this all natural plant become illegal!
Most heroin (opiate) users will say the ‘high’ is long gone and their daily struggle is to stay above the horrific opiate withdraws. Some OD to avoid them. Now there is hope. Heroin (opiate) users are flocking to the internet to buy kratom after hearing that it eliminates 80 to 90% of opiate withdraws. For $100 they are purchasing enough kratom to dose themselves to freedom. They are forming and joining online groups and sharing compassionate, respectful friendships with members they call family. Grateful members are inspired to nurture newcomers through detox to freedom. It’s empowering! And, it doesn’t cost the government a dime. Could this be the basics for a new treatment model? In Ala where kratom was banned heroin OD doubled. In NC where it was legalized for adults heroin OD dropped dramatically. Let’s make kratom as available as heroin and let the user make the choice.
I’m a retired police officer from New York City. I moved out west after I retired. 2 1/2 years ago I had gotten myself into the best shape of my life and was training to run one hundred miles, and then something abruptly happened to me that caused nerve damage in my legs. After two stays in the hospital and a back operation and eight epidural injections the pain is still there. Almost constant pain and the doctors don’t have a clue. Hunting around the internet I came across kratom about a year and a half ago on Amazon. I read the amazon reviews and ordered some. It was the first thing that really helped me, and with no side effects. Later I learned that I could order better quality ground up kratom leaves from venders that specialized in it. I even cleared it with my doctor. All I ever wanted from it, and all it ever did for me, was to relieve the pain. I never felt any kind of high. I read the kratom forums that I found online and I feel so sad for people who are in much worse shape than me (I am still in pretty good shape despite the pain – I fight it!) and have found the leaf to be a lifesaver. Why are you arbitrarily wanting to ban this and make it on to the same level as heroin no less!? Do you want to instantly change all the honest people who use it for pain and getting off opioid drugs (which they tried to give me too but I refused…they made me nauseous and didn’t help my pain) and even illegal drugs from which they’ve gotten clean, into instant felons subject to many years in prison…including me? Why!?
Kratom has saved my life! With the help of this UN-ALTERED plant I was able to break the doctor ENFORCED chains of pill addiction! I now live a happy, healthy lifestyle with NONE of the side effects I suffered from while taking Opioids. This plant has the potential to END the pill epidemic that is killing our citizens with force greater than heroin and cocaine COMBINED. We are sick of these chemicals and they are killing us. Please to NOT take away my right to a healthy NON-CHEMICAL life! This plant, which is part of the coffee family, has MANY medicinal purposes and it is ludicrous that the DEA is lumping into the same class as deadly street drugs. This is NOT about our quality of life this ban is about money the pharmaceutical companies are losing and I am ASHAMED of my governments actions! Kratom is a life line to many PATIENTS and I pray it is not scheduled. #IamKratom #PlantsOverPills
Please do not ban this safe herb that has saved my life and allowed me to function..I work 2 jobs about 50 hours a week and am a 43 year old wife and mother of 1. I am not a criminal and I use Kratom to keep me off opiates that I was severely addicted to at one time. The opiates are turning them to Heroin when the opiates run out. I have never done Heroin but I did take up to 20 teb mg Vicodin per day at the height of my addiction. The ban on Kratom is a mistake and will ruin people’s lives and turn them back to addicts. Kratom is as safe as coffee. Listen to the people DEA.
Kratom has helped with my chronic pain that I have with fibromyalgia and reflex sympathetic dystrophy. It helps in ways that other meds don’t. I don’t like opioids and try my best not to take them. Kratom is a natural, safe alternative for me.
The DEA has no science to have this plant banned. If anything, it is based on fraudulent statistics. Every story I’ve heard from people using Kratom has always been positive, without exception. People becoming functional, people improving their well being, and in some cases Kratom saved their lives.
DEA- please listen! You are planning on taking away a natural plant leaf that benefits many. It helps with pain, PTSD, depression and many other uses.
NO ONE has died from a kratom OD. It does not depress the respiratory system like legal and illegal narcotics. This ban will force many down that perilous route. I would rather be dead than in chronic pain and many others feel the same way.
In the name of humanity stop this madness.
Please save our natural plant Kratom!
DEA this is an abuse of power! By implementing a nation ban on a supplement that has been lessening the opiate & heroin addiction, you will furthermore be contributing to the cause that you claim is so adversely affecting our citizens! Bc Big Pharma isn’t making $$$ off of Kratom, they stirred up falseness & rumours abt said supplement.
Do you really care abt the public? Do you really want to reduce the amount of OD’s & deaths due to over consumption of prescribed opiates & illegal heroin? If you (collectively) really wanted to help such issues, you wouldn’t be banning the best herbal supplement that has been aiding addicts to kick their deadly addiction & helping chronic pain & anxiety patients.
I’m no psychic, but common sense tells me that by banning, as opposed to regulating, the one product that has helped so many ppl eliminate drug use, you will be consequently pushing them back into the terrible habit that the were finally able to kick. How do you sleep at night??
Ppl have finally found a means to 1) get them off of heroin, 2) get them off of opiates ( which is notably so bad, hence the recent fuss abt prescription opiates & OD’s caused by them.) 3) help reduce their pain. 4) help reduce some ppl’s anxiety…..
This call for a ban is a knee jerk reaction. Shame on all of you for not properly investigating this topic throughly. I pray that you will honestly & genuinely reconsider this harsh decision. Think abt how you will most likely be pushing ppl back into life that they finally freed themselves from.
May you be guided by common sense & not the greed of Big Pharma & the ignorance of many law makers.
I beg of you, for the safety & health of the public to halt this ban. Please!!! For the lives that will be seriously effected by this act, please stop the ban!!! Investigate this more. You will be negatively affecting the lives of the masses by this ban. PLEASE STOP THE BAN. PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!!
Thank you.
I am another Kratom success story and applaud everyone for all of these well stated comments! I echo them all! I would like to see someone videotape a controlled experiment where 3 people gather and consume simultaneously alcohol, heroin, and Kratom, over a period of time, and then test their performance behind the wheel, in cognitive tests, etc. Then see how ridiculous it is that alcohol is legal and even glamorized, and Kratom is out in the same category as heroin! Better yet, make the very individuals who proposed this ban be the test subjects!! Do they wear eyeglasses? Let’s ban those and see how their quality of life changes. Is their wife on hormone replacement because she is in menapause an miserable? Ban it! How does she feel now? This is just that ridiculous and more so because this is a plant in its most raw form!! At the very least they need to show us the person who had hallucinations that they keep quoting. Where is this person, speak up! Or the person who had seizures. Where are they? Produce your facts for us! I’m so angry and frightened for all of us and I’m so thankful for the CRE stepping in!! Do not take away what the earth has offered us for our healing!!
This natural plant has helped me tremendously. I am a 39 year old mother of two. I take it for chronic pain, depression and anxiety. The pills my Dr had me on had so many side effects, I was on 6 different prescriptions at one point. I was a zombie, unable to be the mother i should have been. For the past year, after starting Kratom, I am no longer on any prescriptions. I am working. I feel better than I ever have and I am the mother that my kids deserve. Please don’t take this plant away from us. #iamkratom
It is truly an atrocity that a Government Agency can supersede the standards that are clearly presented with regards to regulation of anything it seems “Dangerous” with little more expert and scientific evidence than non-cited hearsay. Is the DEA become an agency that just “Does whatever it wants?” With regards to Kratom, I have personally used to herb in substitute for pharmaceuticals for more than 3 years. I have referred several friends to the herb as well who who had become dangerously dependant on addictive and deadly pharmaceuticals. It is an outrage, that in country based upon freedom, that our liberties can be stolen from us with no sound reasoning by those that are supposed to be protecting us. The DEA has not only irreparably harmed my trust in the Government with this action, sentenced me to a life ruled by opiate addiction, and taken away my freedom, but has done so with a flagrant disregard for the proper course of action dictated by the controlled substance act. It has still not responded to the outcry from the public with any more empathy than silence. The points presented in the letter from the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness expressed ALL of my concerns in entirety, and furthermore is what in would have ‘expected’ a protective government agency like the DEA to do. I do have faith that our voices will be heard, and that what seems to be nonsense on the part of the DEA will be acknowledged and explained with the proper course of action. To consider this matter fair, just, acceptable and American would be flagerantly deplorable.
My name is April Smith and I am a Certified Medical Assistant. I am expressing my opinions regarding the DEAs decision to classify Kratom as a Schedule I drug. I take kratom daily to help with several health issues and my life would be negatively affected if this happened. I am 30 years old and developed arthritis in my back in my early 20s. Because of this I developed an addiction to prescription pain pills. My life revolved around them and I could not stop no matter how hard I tried. Because of this I Put myself into a methadone matienence program. The $400 monthly out of pocket cost for the program quickly became too much of a financial burden for my husband and myself to handle with 2 small children to care for. In addition to the financial costs, I was having nasty side effects from consuming such a large quantity of methadone daily. I detoxed out of the program, and even doing a taper the withdrawal symptoms left me unable to function. I came to close to relapsing back to my prescription pain pills from my back pain reemerging and the crippling withdrawal symptoms. After a desperate Google search I became educated on kratom. I can't begin to describe to you how amazing that day . The plant as like a beacon of light to me in an entirely dark world. It took away my withdrawal symptoms and by back no longer hurt! This is something narcotic pain pills had only been able to do in the . There at also no side effects like with prescription drugs. The cost is something my family can afford. True kratom does not give a "buzz" or a "high" feeling. The most Ive ever felt from kratom is a coffee like burst of energy and improved mood because my pain is gone. I have also suffered from depression and anxiety since my teenage years. I had been on strong medications to treat this off and on throughout the years, also with side effects. Since finding kratom I have not had to resort back to those medications. In addition to kratom's pain relieving properties, it significantly improved my anxiety and depression. I do take kratom daily, bc I the dramatic improvement on my life it has made. With kratom I have been able to discontinue several strong medications with known side effects, including death in certain cases, with a natural alternative that has no side effects. I am an educated person. I graduated magna cum laude and have a degree in Medical assisting. I have obtained certifications in Medical Coding and Billing, EKG, and Phlebotomy. I can hold a job now, and be a functional memeber of society. In getting up and gling to worm daily. Something I was not able to do before. Im going to be honest. Im scared. I'm scared that if the DEA follows through with there intent to classify Kratom as a Schedule 1 I will have to return to use of prescription pain pills again. I dont want to live that addict lifestyle anymore. I am on a good path, and I am happy. There are hundreds of thousands of I the testimonies out there just like mine. Please don't take our right away to choose a natural alternative to prescription medications. Kratom has made such a significant improvement in our lives. Please, please don't take this away from us. Your not just taking out plant away, if some cases your taking our jobs, our families, or our ability to get out and function. Your taking our freedom away by removing our access to Kratom. Please reconsider. Thank you.
Kratom is a lifesaver for me. Please don’t make it illegal for us. I use it for neurological issues. Just a small amount enables me to sleep through the night without pain.
I have lived for years from back surgeries, costochondritis, thyroid issues, arthritis, and allergies that cost me some money, because there wasn’t much I could take for pain. I ended up in Chicago getting tons of tests for stuff to eat and live a normal life. Kratom has helped me so much because I was always in so much pain. I finally got it back from taking kratom and wish you wouldn’t ban it. I am so afraid that without taking it my life will not be worth living anymore. I love my family so much and hope I don’t have to quit my kratom.
Please don’t ban kratom DEA!! Kratom has helped me get off opiates! I am a USAF veteran who served during the Persian gulf. I have pain from a motorcycle accident, a work injuried shoulder and carpel tunnel in my right wrist. If you ban kratom I have to get back on heavy opiates to combat the pain I endure each day! I you ban kratom you will be making me a pharmaceutical drug addict!! Keep kratom legal please so I can stay an herbalist!
Ty Yocum
During the height of what could be considered an opiate and heroin CRISIS, this ban is absolutely ridiculous. All sorts of people use Kratom for all sorts of reasons. About 1% might actually think they’ll get high (which to their dismay, they will not). People who are hooked on opiates and even heroin have successfully gotten off those poisonous substances with Kratom. People who live with chronic pain and even anxiety, can now have a high functioning life thanks to this amazing plant that they take as a daily tea or in capsules. I am afraid for what will happen to me and how I will manage my chronic pain from a life of being athletic. I am afraid for my father, a life long fighter and athlete who will now live in constant pain once again, barely able to perform his job. For others who rely on this to live fully. For those who have used it as a substitute for opiates who will be forced back into taking them and becoming addicted once again. For all of the jobs that will be lost, the companies who will be forced to shut down, the honest hard working people who distribute this amazing product who now have the rug pulled out from underneath them. Bodybuilding supplements are not regulated at all – several can have long lasting negative effects on the body – yet the DEA is fine with them. This is obviously big pharma stepping in because they arent making any money off Kratom users. They dont want us healthy and safe – they want us sick and hooked on their pills.
Banning kratom just shows that the DEA does not work in the interest of the people. This decision will kill thousands if it is allowed to go through
Leave Kratom alone! It has helped hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, with everything ranging from PTSD to chronic pain. Banning a harmless drug like kratom will KILL countless more people than the drug itself ever could!
Come on now DEA. If it wasn’t for Kratom i would be dead right now. No ifs ands or buts about it. I was addicted to opiates for 10 years and when I found Kratom I stopped using. I drink Kratom everyday and I have never felt better. I am not out robbing people or stealing. If this gets banned I will promise you that there will be an increase in opiate related deaths. I will put my life on it. Please don’t ban Kratom
The DNA needs to back off of kratom and get its facts right before it starts making inconsistent inaccurate accusations about what this incredible plant actually does! Millions of users of this natural plant have spoken and can all agree that banning kratom would be a huge MISTAKE!!! For once we all have found something natural that can cure the illness of many Americans! The DEA needs to focus on how many lives it has saved from pill overdose which is the real monster!! Banning kratom will just prove to Americans that this government doesn’t really care about all the lives we have lost to REAL SCHEDULE I DRUGS LIKE HEROINE AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS! LEAVE KRATOM ALONE OR AMERICA WILL FACE AN EVEN WORSE NIGHTMARE THAN THE ONE WE LIVE IN NOW.
DEA*****
Thank goodness this is being examined. After reading the plans of DEA adding this to schedule 1 list I have a all but lost my faith in the American legal system. Knowing personally the importance of kratom to my life long hard working all American mom! She was a teacher for 43 years, never so much as to never even received a speeding ticket let alone break the law! After a dehabilitating disease struck and ruined her quality of life. My mother and I never envisioned a future for her away from taking highly dangerous and addictive prescriptions, and not to mention the cost quickly eradicating her hard earned savings. Sad times have changed into hope after discovering kratom, as her quality of life started to improve, and even continues to get better as my mom has been able to step away from 3 of the big Pharma prescriptions and the side effects of those drugs. Her doctor is amazed with her recovery and has stated he is starting to investigate kratom as well, I having not heard of it until my mother (and I witnessed this being a caregiver to my mom) credited her lack of pain and increase in energy and overall quality of life, and not to mention her blessing of stopping some of the medication that we feared would be necessary for the rest of her life, and this medicine she cut off had a side effects almost as dire as the symptoms it was prescribed for! It’s been years now of kratom usage for my mom, and her quality of life continues in a positive direction! We are so thankful, but after reading about kratoms future, I feel both fear for her future, and betrayed by the government bodies responsible for this travesty to the American taxpayers! Not to mention, what will the banning of this plant do to the way our taxes are spent? Pumping millions more into a war on a naturally occurring plant that is a safe alternative to more toxic pharmacological alternatives is not how I want my taxes being spent!
Kratom is an important plant we need to save from the clutches of the DEA. I have found I can manage my pain better and safer with kratom vrs. Opioids. I am more clear headed and not trapped on a substance that impairs my ability to function as much as my pain did. I should have the freedom to use natural plants to help my life be improved.
It is imperative that the US look at the benefits of this plant that far out-weigh the dangers. I can attest that Kratom saved my life and allowed me to cease usage of narcotics. I became addicted to pain medicines after having Lyme disease and Diverticulitis in 2008. In 2011, I began searching for assistance to get away from opiates. Each doctor I called had already reached the patient limits imposed on him or her for treating opiate addiction with Suboxone. Finally, in early 2012, I found a doctor, an hour away that could prescribe Suboxone. The doctor, as many Suboxone doctors, did not accept insurance, causing an excruciating hardship on my family that had already gone through so much dealing with my opiate addiction. I was in the Suboxone treatment program for three years and during that time could not function as a normal human being. Suboxone causes a heroin-like high similar to the pain pills I no longer wanted to rely upon. While on Suboxone, it was common for me to abuse it and at times look for more each month than my doctor prescribed. When I did not have Suboxone, I was going through the same withdrawals as if I had stopped taking pain pills without assistance. I could not function. I was not a good mother, nor a good wife.
In February of 2015, I found Kratom and was able to come off Suboxone without major withdrawal symptoms. This miracle herb also lessened all the physical pain that I had in the past. At this point, I have not taken any Suboxone or opiates since February 27, 2015. This would not have been possible without Kratom. In the beginning, I took Kratom multiple times a day in order to struggle through the initial withdrawals, however now I am taking about a third of the original dosage. I take it now simply to take the edge off or to help me through those days that I feel that it would be easier for me to seek out and take pain medicine. I do not believe it is something I will have to take regularly for the rest of my life such as Suboxone, in order to keep me away from opiates. If I had known about Kratom prior to opting for Suboxone treatment, I would have chose Kratom, a natural growing plant in order to alleviate my addiction instead of living in poverty in order to pay astronomical prices for a pharmaceutical that in itself is highly addictive and dangerous.
It is truly disconcerting to read that the DEA is not interested in comments from the public in order to base their decision. They are unwilling to listen to the people of the United States, like myself that have successfully eliminated narcotics from their lives with a natural growing plant. They do not seem to have any concern for those that will be affected by the ban. What are they going to do to help those that have effectively kicked their opiate habit with this plant? In Alabama, since the state-ban on Kratom, I read opiate deaths have increased. Is this okay? Is it okay for the United States to essentially have a hand in the potential deaths of their citizens because the DEA wants to ban a naturally growing plant without warrant. Without listening to public input, the DEA looks eerily similar to a dictatorship or communist regime. This type of action lays the groundwork for many conspiracy theories, from the DEA being in the pocket of the pharmaceutical companies to a possible attempt at population control in the US. This policy is also not in line with the creed of the United States that expressively says we are a government by and for the people. How can we as a nation feel that our government is for us and by us if one of its agencies is unwilling to solicit the common people’s testimonials and opinions?
I truly apologize for the long rant but feel so very strongly about this. I am very scared, that I may lose everything I have gained back if Kratom is banned. I am scared that I may not be able to control that addictive craving in a month, a year or ten years and could fall back into the dark world of opiate addiction. I cannot put my family through that again. We lost everything during my addiction, from our house of eleven years, our vehicle, my good job of thirteen years, our savings and the ability to hold our heads up. I want to be able to hold my head up, to feel like a human being with value, something I never felt during the years of abusing pain medication and being on Suboxone. Please stop this ban for the people of the United States, for your people, your brothers and sisters.
It would just be a shame for the DEA to ban this! I though we lived in a free country? We are losing so many lives out there to hard core addictive drugs, and to put Kratom in the same class as those is just absolutely ridiculous. I hate living in a country where we are supposed to be free but are actually controlled by our government. Let the people speak for this matter instead of just taking it away based on your excuses! We have a voice so please listen to us! This substance can actually be beneficial to people! Let’s try to help instead of creating more problems! With this ban I guarantee you will be creating way more problems because of it. Please listen to us and gives us our voice back. No more controlling every single thing the American people do!
I am 39 years old, married, 3 dogs, I own my home and I have a professional career in product design. My credit is excellent, I vote, I do my best to help others in need. While living in the northwest, I suffered from general anxiety and SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I moved to a sunnier state to deal with SAD. It pretty much worked. My anxiety, however, remained. I tried medical marijuana CBD drops (non-psychoactive, meaning no high, purely for medicinal purposes), and it provided some relief. I didn’t go down the THC route as I do not like the feeling of being high. The CBD drops didn’t solve the problem entirely and they were very expensive.
For the past ten or so years, I have been using alcohol as a crutch to deal with anxiety and depression. When I seemed to have dealt with my SAD issues, and the anxiety remained, I was still in the habit of drinking 3 or 4 glasses of wine a night. This was a quiet dependency as it didn’t affect my professional or personal life, but it was unhealthy long-term. I had, however, accepted that this was just how my life would go. Alcohol would always be there because there wasn’t a healthy alternative.
A little over a year ago, a friend recommended I try kratom for my anxiety. I was very pleased by the effects from the very first time I tried it. I decided to stop the CBD treatment and try taking kratom daily. By taking kratom doses 2 times a day I found I stayed ahead of my anxiety for the most part. If something triggered stronger anxiety than normal, I would take a dose right then and it would diffuse it.
And then the most amazing thing happened. I realized I didn’t care about alcohol anymore. The desire to drink in the evenings was completely gone. The first night I realized this, I skipped the wine. I was pleasantly surprised. Then I skipped it the second night. This continued, and just like that, I became a person who only drinks alcohol on social occasions. When I do, it’s rarely more than one drink, never more than two. Never. Not because I have incredible will-power, but because kratom changed the way I experience alcohol. I don’t crave it and I don’t enjoy it when I have it.
I am very concerned that if the kratom ban goes into effect, my anxiety will return, and my cravings for alcohol as relief will come back. When a person is thirsty, they drink.
Kratom is a miracle drug. I plead to anyone with any influence to consider my story and all the stories here. We need this plant in our lives.
This is a complete overreach by the DEA. Their argument on OD mortality is specius at best. The hyperbole of an “Imminent Public Health Emergency” is patently absurd. The ridiculous inferment that Kratom is an opioid analog doesn’t even make sense.
The DEA is supposed to be more than just a puppet of Big Pharma. Kratom has helped MANY people break their opioid addictions that Big Pharma profits from. We have an opioid addiction crisis going on, with Heroin filling in the gap when folks can no longer afford the prescription. Big Pharma doesn’t want the competition of natural remedies such as marijuana or kratom. Both substances should be reclassified immediately, and until there’s better research, Kratom has no business even being on the list.
My daughter has fibromyalgia and has experienced adverse effects to both gabapentin and amitriptyline. I want more research on kratom to see if it or a derivative works for her. Fear and shame should not be part of the American way of life.
This plant has kept me off actual real narcotics after my back injury. This is NOT an illicit drug and should never be taken from hard working Americans. This is a blatant governmental overreach in which I feel the nanny state badge is appropriate. This plant has helped thousands of people through pain and to ween themselves off actual narcotics. How dare the DEA violate the rights of so many. Kindly do the right thing and back off this folly. It is apparent there strings being pulled behind the scenes. Back off!!
I’ve seen Kratom positively affect someone suffering from debilitating depression, when medication made things worse. It would be a crime to make Kratom a crime.
I was on pharmaceutical painkillers for around 10 years for chronic pain and kratom help me get off of them and is like a miracle herb it helps me everyday and I just can’t believe what the DEA is doing as if it is such a big emergency problem when nobody has died and millions have been helped.
These are great comments. So much beneficial use is being gotten from this plant that makes people’s lives and communities better. Not to mention it gives recovering addicts like myself a way off powerful, addictive substances like Suboxone and Methadone. Kratom is a godsend to heroin swamped cities like my hometown. I hope we can have some influence over the White House and DEA to help them understand these immeasurable benefits and overturn this proposed ban.
Was seriously addicted to Percocets RX spending 700/month on habit for 18 yrs , tried to quit and went into serious withdraws found KRATOM at a smoke shop took and was able to wheen myself off over about 2 month period. I stopped taking KRATOM about 1 week ago and the worse I FELT was like I didn;t have my morning coffee. I can see myself going back onto illegal drugs without KRATOM knowing the type of person I AM. THE DEA seems to be in the business of creating human suffering and in business to make the Illegal drug cartels richer. The system is corrupt and I think the DEA and government want me to kill myself with hard drugs. I Really believe this. I think the DEA is working to create policies to destroy the people of THE USA because they are controlled by people who HATE AMERICA
I was on “prescribed” narcotic pain killers for a few years because of lower spinal problems. They did help me get through the day but always made me feel tired. I found Kratom on Amazon, ordered a sample to try it out. It seemed to stop pain and never really made me tired like the prescribed medications did. I function better and life is really pleasant, I realized I didnt need any pills and have not had any pills in over a year. This ban on Kratom will put me back on pain killers and a much less productive life. It does not make your body ache when you run out like the narcotic pain killers do. Kratom has been a great product and should never be banned.
I am a retailer who has been offering quality kratom to customers in our community for over seven years now. These customers are real people who have found real relief in this natural remedy. I have heard firsthand stories and seen many people’s lives change for the better while they have chosen to utilize the medicinal properties of kratom. There are too many stories to be able to easily share in a reasonable space. What I can share it that the loss of revenue, loss of jobs, and loss of sleep due to the DEA’s ignorance pales in comparison to the potential loss of quality of life, and lives in general from the community that I have come to know and care for. This is not simply about money, although laying off one third of my staff (8 salaried full benefit employees in three cities) is heartbreaking, the real heartbreak is the government literally wrecking the lives of so many of our citizens. Research and regulation make sense, not prohibition and scheduling it as a controlled substance.
I’m a mother of 3 , I became addicted to Heroin for 3 years and If not for Kratom, my 3 kids would not have their mother right now. Kratom helped turn my life around. God made a simple plant leaf and now the DEA is banning it. The blood the DEA is going to have on their hands for the mess they are about to make for 100’s of thousands will be astronomical. I Pity the soul of Charles Rosenberg, he is going to experience the pain he created for all the people who used KRATOM to turn their lives around when he dies (TIBETAN BOOK OF DEAD) Read it Charles. I’d hate to be YOU CHARLES P ROSENBERG. GOD gave of something and you chose to play GOD , You will suffer for this.
To put it simply, this is just blatant corruption in action. I don’t think I need to say much more to the people reading this. I only wish to give my support and send positive blessings to anyone and everyone fighting against this absurd scheduling for profit.
My heart goes out to those using Kratom to live a manageable life. Hang in there, the resistance seems to be building. <3
Kratom is mainly used by middle-aged adults to mitigate mild chronic pain and it is very mildly psychoactive (a little like coffee or tobacco) it does NOT represent a threat to this country in any way. Passing this regulatory action is really action against the basic freedoms we enjoy. It would be better to focus the government resources we have fighting organized crime or perhaps embracing this God-given natural product.
I am a 58 yr. old woman. I began having severe pain with diagnosis of fibromyalgia and spinal arthritis.
I was on pain pills for a long time, until I needed more and more until they barely gave me any relief.
I am a devout christian and dont use any drugs or alcohol. I prayed because I didnt think God wanted me to live like this. I was also terrified of with drawl of opiates, with the pain I was already having. He lead me to a tree leaf called Kratom. I researched it several weeks before buying.
Before finding this God made plant, I prayed for death every day and was tied to the heating pad, till I got a permanent burn mark on my back.
I was able to stop all pain meds and had great relief of pain. The only side affect was coffee jitters occassionaly. I dont mind that at all because it is the best pain killer I have ever used. There is no “high” ,but it does make you feel like all will be well. It lifts the mood and spirits
I live in a state where it has been banned. One pain management Dr. complained to the Health Dept. and it was banned without any true information and without any public comment. It was done almost overnight behind our back.
I am not a law breaker but a family member was sending me some. I would rather die than go back to pain killers. I just cant do it. Please dont ban this God given plant and educate yourself on this miracle botanical. God has provided everything we need to help us.
I know I am not the only one who would rather die than go back to drugs.
Remember people , you or a loved one may be the next person in cronic unbearable pain.
I even used it for an elderly dog who had his eye removed and he didnt have any pain.
I implore you to have mercy on me and all who are suffering. Most humans would even help and animal in pain. So why wont decent human beings help us ??
All you kratom users remember God does hear and answer prayer and that is our BEST weapon. He put it here to help all people and creatures. God Bless and help us all.
Nothing more effective for lower back pain than Kratom. I mean sure there are more potent RX drugs available, but potent doesn’t necessarily mean better in many cases. I feel high on RX drugs, but Kratom is so completely subtle. I notice the pain relief, but without the high. Such a shame the government is so ignorant about this plant.
Kratom could easily replace antidepressants and possibly benzodiazepines for depression and anxiety. It also relieves most cold and flu symptoms. If I am coming down with a cold or flu and I take kratom it gets rid of 80-90% of my symptoms and I can actually function like normal person.
Kratom is also good for post insomnia grogginess and brain fog. Kratom seems to work like an adaptogen and some strains are very helpful for adrenal fatigue and chronic tiredness.
Please give a voice to kratom’s many other everyday uses. People who are not on opiates need to know that kratom has many POWERFUL everyday uses that they can relate to as well.
I’m living with pain from many severe old sports injuries. I started using Kratom for pain in January of this year before my most recent surgery on my neck. It’s the real deal. The DEA is wrong for making Kratom illegal. It saves lives and it’s made my own life more manageable. It helps me with severe chronic pain. It also helps me with anxiety. It also helps me to sleep. I haven’t found anything else natural that can do all three. Big Government equals Big Pharma. How does the DEA get to decide if Kratom has any medical value? It’s not right.
Kratom saved me from a terrible addiction to pain pills. I will take my life if I have to go back to my former pain pill addict life. The DEA is evil and probably want me to take my life
Kratom has been a blessing to me. I have 2 herniated discs in my back which affects the sciatic nerve. I was prescribed a narcotics numerous times. One day I looked up something natural to help with pain because I was tired of the effects of narcotics. I am able to work everyday now with very little pain if any from Kratom. It has given me my life back. I think its crazy to schedule Kratom as a schedule 1 drug. It is not drug. It is merely a coffee leaf. I don’t want to go back to taking narcotics.
I suffer from chronic depression since being diagnosed at 16 yrs old (I’m now 36). After trying and staying with a few different anti-depressants, as well as many natural remedies in my mid-20’s combined with yoga and Tai chi until I discovered Kratom about 5 years ago (2010-ish) – the only thing that has helped me conquer this depression has been kratom. It is the only thing in this world that sways my thoughts from bad to good and truly stabilizes my moods, without the harmful side effects and strange mood swings that I’d often get from anti-depressants. NOTHING ELSE IN THIS WORLD DOES THIS FOR ME! Kratom has been my life saver and if it is banned then I don’t know what is going to happen to me or everyone else who relies on this medicinal plant for a good quality of life. I felt so lucky to have found something this extraordinary and now it’s going to be taken away from me. It’s not fair to all of us. If it truly was a harmful and experimentally bad psychoactive plant then sure, ban it, but coming from all of these people who use it daily and from myself who has used it for 5 years with no problems (besides being nauseous and sleepy from taking too much a couple of times in the early stages of taking it), there is nothing wrong with this plant medicine. Stop being greedy and stop being a bunch of robot drones who take orders from rich people who only want to patent everything good on the world to become richer, it’s just not fair. You, DEA, are the bad guys this time if you do go ahead with this Kratom ban. Help those who need help and please simply study it before making any rash decisions that will affect thousands and thousands of good people.
I have seen Kratom save soooooo mamy lives. I have seen other schedule 1 substances destroy many lives. I do not believeve that they should be in the same category at all. I also have seen no real damage caused by kratom. A schedule 1 should have no medicinal value. Search the internet for Kratom health benefits and the search will overwhelmingly display tons of reputable doctors who list dozens of health benefits as well as discuss it’s benign side effects. Please reconsider this decision. I cannot understand why the DEA would do this other than to further the self interest of people who have never used it or known anyone to.
Well I’ll try to make this short and sweet as to not waste anyone’s time. I am a former opiate addict but hear me out before you think I just switched from opiates to Kratom. From an early age I had a very addictive personality to anything I put in my body, really just anything that got me out of my own mind for a minute. Opiates came into play when I was about 17 and it was all down hill from there. After several years of abusing absurd amounts of OxyContin I buckled down and got clean, it was very hard for awhile because all of my problems I had always buried were starting to hit full force but I suffered through it vowing to never go back to pharmaceuticals. Now understand as an addict I had a very destructive lifestyle never holding a steady job or being productive whatsoever. Kratom was something I stumbled upon and decided to see what it did for me and it has completely changed my life for the better. I have now held a full time manual labor job 60 hours a week for the past 6 years, have never called out of work not once and am very good to everyone around me. Now being very prone to addiction I have always made sure to keep myself grounded and make sure to not rely on Kratom to get up and live, I’ve taken a ton of breaks from Kratom and it’s always the same thing, maybe 2-3 days of a bit less productive at work and a little trouble sleeping for a few days and then it’s gone and that’s all Kratom “withdrawal” really is. Kratom is not a one thing cure all but what it is is something a lot of people really rely on to get them the relief needed to do their daily activities, it’s not a junky drug, it’s not a cheap high, it gives you s little euphoria and suppresses some of the troubles you may be having in your life.
Based on all the evidence presented (or lack there of), it’s clear to me that the DEA is in bed with big pharma. Why else would a harmless plant such as Kratom be banned [including the likes of cannabis] while alcohol/poisonous pharmaceuticals remain ever so abundant? The DEA is a disgrace to all of humanity and everyone knows this except for the DEA themselves.
I have been suffering with chronic pain for 20 years resulting from a car accident. I’ve been on every opioid imaginable and eventually became addicted to them. My time on these meds were a complete nightmare from being unable to function in society while on them. Until I found kratom I had resigned my self to a life of either constant searing pain or body numbing incoherentness. Kratom gave me my life back and now my government is sentencing me back to hell with ignorant laws not based on anything remotely factual. The DEA is stepping over their bounds into the realm of freedom crushing corruption by being puppets of the pharmaceutical companies. Stop treating the American people like children, we don’t need some government body who is desperately trying to stay relevant after the failed war on drugs stripping our rights away.
What an effective source of some relief from so so many maladies…..this is way better than kava, and when i found that it really helped me get through the day stress free. I hope more research will be done and this ban will be postponed!!
I look forward to living in a country where agencies ask the opinions of their citizens, those they are expected to listen to and honor. That is the way this country was designed. And that is the way it will be the county it in fact deserves to be. There are thousands of people standing up and telling their stories, that are not easy to be told out loud due to the nature of the pain and shame they have felt. These people and myself are fighting for something that helped get them out of that shame. For others, it’s something that got them back to work or on their feet due to chronic disease and pain. We are handing you a natural herbal remedy that deserves to be studied and utilized. Don’t turn your head while Americans continue to die and expect your country not to speak out.
Kratom has given me my life back. I deal daily with anxiety, depression, and back pain. Unlike taking pharmaceuticals, I have no unwanted side effects and no withdrawals when I have skipped a day. This is an absolutely safe botanical option that should not be banned from the public. It poses no danger to the public unless you don’t want a happy pain free population.
it just pisses me off that they admit they know so little about it and thought they where going to quietly ban its use from the free market thinking there is nothing anybody can do about it, then after the response from kratom community (quickly) got thier attention they so arrogantly come out and basically lied and pompously stated they understand its medical use or”lack therof” and “we are fully capable of figuring that ourselves”. just pisses me of. this is not the kind of authority any branch or agency in the united states government is supposed to have, they need to answer to us, “we the people” not the other way around, and im proud of the kratom community thats boldly stepped up to this useless tyricanical goverment agency thats responsible for killing more people than it actually saves, that creates monopoly’s for corporate pharmactuical companies to get us hooked on poison and banning the use of medicine given to us by God (or nature) to heal ourselves and takes away our basic human rights to live freely and be responsible for own actions.
keep fighting the good the fight.
I can’t believe kratom is in the same category with herion ..I have never taken herion but I fail to believe kratom is anything like it..There is no high to it and it relieves my pain and anxiety. .if this is banned I will be miserable..and in pain..I take care of my dad who has dementia. .and I have skeletal diease and fibromyalgia and numerous other problems and kratom helps me be able to move so I can care for him..with the ban on kratom I won’t be able to take care of him.. it helps me focus and not be foggy so I can do what needs to be done.. I done want to have to go back to pain clinics where it’s like a bunch of cattle just moving you through..I think the government has got its priorities messed up..let us have a natural pain reliever so we can function unlike rx pills..I am 55 years old until a year ago I had no hope of pain relief now I do and they want to take it away..
Listen to the people. We are handing you the answer to a major epedemic. We are also refusing NOT to be told how to live our lives. We are good citizens.
Been taking kratom for over a year now. Pills took my mother, uncle and almost me. I honestly thought I’d never be off of the illicit drugs. I found kratom as a last ditch effort to stave off the withdraws when I couldn’t get my fix. Soon as I used kratom I realized it possible to finally getting my life in order. I now have custody of my daughter and two jobs. I’m not being dramatic when I say kratom actually saved my life. When I found out about the DEA’s intentions I was so irate I cried. I’m devastated and terrified what this means for me in the future. I feel this is an uphill battle that’s never ending. Go ahead DEA line those pockets, we know if you actually gave a damn this wouldn’t be up for discussion.
Before kratom I was at deaths door. I was on a slew of Pharmaceuticals that pretty much kept me in Zombie land, and yet still in pain. I suffer from multiple disorders, that are incurable and i live in sever chronic pain. Before kratom, I could have cared less if I dropped dead, I was so depressed and frustrated living with no quality of life. Since I found kratom I have gotten off almost all of the mind altering drugs, I am disabled but have gone back to school and am almost to graduate with my AA as an Alcohol and Drug counselor. I have been in school a little over 3 years now. Problem is, if the DEA bans Kratom, I will have to go back to all the mind altering drugs that really weren’t helping that much anyway and I will be unable to go to work in the field that I have just spent over 3 years getting my degree in. Kratom does not get a person high, Kratom has not killed anyone, kratom helps so many different medical issues, I couldn’t begin to list them all. The DEA, the FDA, and the media are putting so much false information out there to the public. I fully agree that smoke shops and head shops and corner mom and pop stores should not be able to sell these synthetic drugs and possibly even natural substances, that teenagers can go in and buy. Because teenagers are looking for any substance they can to cop a buzz on, and if they bought kratom and tried doing a really big dose of it, to try and cop a buz, it would only make them sick and nauseous and they wouldn’t feel very good at all. Because kratom doesn’t get you high but if you do to big a dose it can make you feel pretty crappy. Most people who do kratom have some kind of and illness, particularly involving pain, we are responsible people who prefer to do a natural substance to help us with our disorders as opposed to all the pharmaceutical drugs. This is the only reason the DEA is calling for this ban, because our use of natural pain relief is hurting big pharma’s pocketbook. They would rather have people out there overdosing on prescription drugs then to let them use their natural substances to help with their pain. The DEA hasn’t got a clue about kratom. It surly isn’t addicting, at least no more addicting then coffee is, and there is no chance of respiratory depression, and the worst that and overdose is going to cause is and upset stomach.
Kratom has saved my life from years and years of alcohol addiction that almost killed me. Thanks to Kratom, I have been alcohol free for 3 years now. I am now able to be a father to my children. If Kratom is banned then I’m terrified that I will start drinking again. Thanks DEA
I spent 6 years as a Military Intelligence Officer – all of them while using Kratom. I was an extremely productive, high performer who consistently produced quality analysis. Looking at DEA’s letter of intent, had I handed my commander a product as biased and poorly researched and with such cherry picked and manipulated data such as DEA submitted justifying this scheduling, my commander would have thrown it our. I find this so hard to swallow, as I have worked many problem sets with law enforcement and I have never seen anything like this. If this were a case, the evidence would not hold up in court. There is simply too much evidence refuting their claims, not only from the thousands of us speaking out with our own personal narratives, but the hundreds of doctors, scientists and academics that have commented through traditional and new media. This needs to be stopped and some serious dialogue needs to happen.
Kratom has benefited me tremendously. I have had four back surgeries and had been on pain meds for years. I tried Kratom and switched from pain medications to Kratom that week. It also works better, has less side effects, improves energy,and helps my crippling anxiety. I have been using Kratom off and on for 3 years now and only need it occasionally. Its much easier to get off of than Oxycontin and Dilaudid BY FAR. I could stop completely but would not now how to handle my anxiety, panic attacks, and pain when I have flare ups.
Both my mom and I have been using kratom for over 2 years now. We have struggled with prescription drug addiction for years. Kratom has helped us in so many ways it would be impossible to list them all. It doesnt get you high however the fact that it makes you feel better because your not in as much pain you get a little energy it must be bad for you. This DEA Ban makes me furious because we don’t even have the science to justify it and putting it on the schedule 1 will make it harder to get the studies we need. Think about how many years it took us to get marijuana thought of as a medicine because it was classified schedule 1. The fact that Kratom isn’t grown here so we can’t regulate it and make it safe for you. Is one of there arguments well why can’t we make laws to get it regulated. Instead lets just make it illegal. Its ridiculous and i feel bad for everyone who is going to lose a loved one to prescription drug overdose because they will not have access to a natural supplement that could have saved there lives.
Kratom has been a great resource for me in the treatment of chronic neck pain, and depression.
I have found it to have no addictive qualities or negative side effects, and far more effective than prescription medications which I have been prescribed in the past. I am a middle aged professional and strongly oppose the proposed Kratom ban.
Please don’t ban kratom i for one will not have anything to get me thru my pain and will probably have my life fall apart ..i seriously am gonna have no options …. i might as well go ahead and commit suicide now …… kratom has been my life savor for the last couple of years, I have not g9 a doctor to turn too …. i can’t afford to buy off of the streets to help with my pain. I barely could afford kratom but now I’m gonna have NO OPTION S.
Don’t yall people care that it’s literally gonna kill thousands of people who need this natural life saver? My life is in such term oil jus knowing of the pain I’m fixing to endure. I seriously am scared for myself and my family because I don’t see no way to go on living … please consider what going to happen to all of us ….. i know somebody important is out there that can help us. Sometimes we need a miracle like jesus and hopefully someone can see this …. please help me and the others that are gonna suffer so much. Please I’m begging for my will to live.
This is antithetical to our most fundamental values.
How can an unelected official circumvent congress, and the input of the AMERICAN citizen, by signing into law a sweeping prohibition based on fallacious claims?!
How in AMERICA are we allowing this madness continue? They are adding to the already insurmountable tab of human strife and loss of freedom that previous short sighted prohibitions have caused (ie.. new black markets, addicts returning to hard narcotics, respectable and productive AMERICAN CITIZENS turned into felonious criminals over night, making medical studies and breakthroughs nearly impossible for potential decades, as weve seen with cannabis research)
Furthermore, given Melvin Patterson’s (spokesman of the DEA) recent admission to the Washington Times, that Kratom doesnt belong in Schedule 1 and will more than likely “drop down to schedule 2 or 3”, how can anyone not see through their dubious logic when even Mr. Patterson refutes it to the press?
They are admitting that they are probably wrong, and are still going through with it.
What will this mean for people convicted of felonies in the meantime of this proposed “temporary ban”? Will the charges get dropped once the DEA is finally forced to yield? Will the resulting law suits of people victimized by their fallacious ban cost tax payers even more?
Thankyou, CRE, for your amazing work, both past and present.
You are a godsend for this republic.
I was addicted to heroin for over 15 years. It led to arrests, homelessness, and suicide attempts. To this day I have been clean from all drugs for over two and a half years. Kratom has allowed me to function normally as a productive law abiding citizen and it has helped create stability. To ban Kratom would take away many peoples stability and would only lead to more heroin overdoses and prescription pain killer overdoses. Inevitably it would do much more bad then good. As unideal as a dependence to anything is Kratom is by far the safer alternative.
Kratom shouldnt even be considered a drug I mean its not like heroin or even a percocet though it helps pain without the side effects or addiction. I see Kratom as being no more dangerous as alcohol or cigs!! Yes they have been people get sick from Kratom but gotta look at the factors of how much they used etc.. I mean anything can make anyone sick if you set and drink a whole bottle of whisky look what happens? you get very sick!! people have to know their limits on what they can do or cant… That being said i hope Kratom will stay free as it is and no scheduling!! Also this plant is not much diffrent from coffee!! or an energy drink which needs to be banned energy drinks make me sick!! and many others i see have same experience Kratom has never made me sick not once!!
I would like to see the breakdown of calls that the cdc revieves every year…maybe represented in a pie chart.
I know they get over 3 million calls a year. Id like to see just how many are for caffiene and related energy drinks, or otc medicine! That would be an eye opener for the unwashed masses that would blindly accept appeals from authority.
Why aren’t these things considered “imminent public health hazards” when they actuall kill people by the thousands?
Thats not even mentioning the over 80,000 alcohol related deaths each year (a drug that has no medicinal value when consumed, and is highly addictive”
Or the 400,000 + annual nicotine deaths…
Or the 20,000+ annual deaths from LEGAL narcotics…..
Or the 10,000+ annual deaths from antidepressants……
Whats that dubious number the DEA cites to warrant their criminal action towards kratom users….was it 16 or so deaths? (These have already been debunked)
This is insane. Logic and reason are not on their side, so they had to bypass congress and the AMERICAN PEOPLE by invoking emergency powers based on fallacious data.
I am ashamed of this country. We need to do better.
I am a teacher and have been using kratom for a long time. I find it works much better than the pharmaceuticals I have tried in the past to help with my depression and fatigue. I am an active member of my community and I am not a criminal. This plant is extremely cheap, works better than anything I’ve tried, and has helped countless others, including several people I know personally in day to day life. I will direct them here and hope for a bit of restraint out of the government here. We do not want to be told we can’t use something that helps our own bodies. Please do not schedule kratom.
I am a teacher also. This ban just can not happen. It has saved my life and is the reason I am able to continue teaching and be the wife my husband deserves.
I don’t understand how the general public can know so much more than the DEA about a plant that has been used by so many to accomplish the very goal which they were founded to support. It’s counter-productive to say the least!
Read DEA spokesperson embarrassingly telling explanation on why “kratom doesnt belong on schedule 2 or higher”
This is insane that they admit this and still move forward with a schedule 1 designation.
People need to see and hear what these unelected power brokers are doing with their insatiable lust for control.
HE KNOWS ITS BULLSHIT, BUT HE DOESNT CARE. It was never about “protecting the public”. Something else is going on, which is why they had to abuse their emergency scheduling powers to try and circumvent CONGRESS AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. We could not be permitted to have a reasonable discussion on this topic.
HERE IS THE LINK
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/09/15/the-dea-wants-to-ban-another-plant-researchers-say-the-plan-is-insane/
Like the hundreds of others here I found Kratom after suffering with back pain for years. My doctors prescribed painkillers that worked some, but had a lot of nasty side effects.
Three years ago I told my doctors I wanted to be off the pain pills, and asked for options. After a good amount of searching I found Kratom and decided to give it a try. I was amazed to find in a very short timeframe I was off the pills I had taken for so long. I felt better, mentally and physically. And while the pain is still with me its manageable.
What’s more amazing is I my health improved markedly.
With this one misguided move the DEA has put all of this progress in jeopardy. …And for what?
Still no one can form any rational for this move. The stated reasons are clearly false.
I am a 40 year old wife and mother; I’m also a pathology supervisor at a major medical center in my area. A close friend recommended kratom to me, to treat my anxiety, for about 5-6 years. I finally decided to try it. In no way, whatsoever does kratom get a person high. I would not be able to perform my job actively if it did. I used kratom off and on for about three months, before I began to use it more frequently because I was noticing a major change in my general mood. During that time, I “forgot “to take my antidepressant/anti-anxiety, Celexa, more and more often. Soon I was only taking it a few times a week. Finally, I realize that I no longer needed it and that kratom had it replaced my antidepressant for me. I have never been free of antidepressants, for 20 years now, and kratom works better than anyone I ever tried. The thought of going back to antidepressant/ anti-anxiety is horrible. I know they won’t work, and I will spend less time with my toddler. Depression & anxiety keeps me lonely, as it’s the nature of the disease. I am a good person, and a productive, working, member of society. I will not break the law after September 30th, yet I’m in fear of losing the only thing that helps with my depression & anxiety. Furthermore, I can’t imagine someone going to prison over this plant. That in itself would be a crime! This ban is based on myths, fear, propaganda, and the need to regulate synthetic drugs, which kratom is not. Please stop this ban. I beg you. My family begs you.
The schedule would be completely hypocritical. If it has no medical value why would they allow pharmaceutical companies develop drugs directly based on the plants alkaloids. Well reported on the net.
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/pharma-kratom-dea-patent/
Two years ago, I began to suffer from adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder). The pain was debilitating and unbearable. I wanted to die at times but I reminded myself that this pain will eventually go away. I met with an orthopedic surgeon, I have never been one to take pain meds, only ibuprofen once a month, that was it. I tried several OTC medicines, nothing helped, I asked the doctor for prescription pain meds, he would not let me have any. This pain was the worst, I needed something to help it.
If it were not for Kratom, I would have resorted to some illegal drugs. Do NOT, I beg you do not make kratom illegal! It is a harmless plant with benefits, it even helps drug addicts come off of hard drugs. You will create more drug addicts than already exist if this becomes illegal. We deserve better than this, we are done with certain people making profit off of us and killing us at the same time. Making drugs illegal is not the answer, the war on drugs is not the answer. Regulating pharmaceutical corruption is a good place to start.
I am a 54yr.old woodworker father and grandfather
I suffer from depression and degenerative disc disease. Also have suffered addiction to narcotic pain meds for many years. I’ve had two drug overdose’s leading to a 9day coma on life support and mental health rehabs. Too many to count. I’m very lucky to be here at all. Kratom has allowed me to go back to work after being unemployed for 4 years because of my addiction and severe pain suffering. This natural leaf has given me relief from chronic pain and suffering. My family is grateful also. Everyone who knows my history and seen me suffer, know that I’m a much different person because of using kratom. I’m off all antidepressants and all narcotics. I’m scared to death of becoming a felon because I’ve found safe, effective relief in a natural plant. This ban will kill people. Please help if you can. Thank you all.. Wesley Wilson
Some wonderful comments from many people.
Let’s all keep standing together in defense of our right
To use safe, natural, God given gifts from nature.
Power to the people.
Thank you CRE for allowing us to voice our concerns with the DEA’s scheduling of Kratom. I’ve been using Kratom for the past 6-9 months as a supplement to my Dr. Prescribed medications for Narcolepsy… Diagnosed in May 2015. I have depended on stimulant medication prescribed by my doctor (in doses well above the FDA recommendations) for the better part of 6 years now. I have also depended on anxiety medications (benzos) to combat the anxiety the stimulants were giving me. I have tried every single stimulant on the market and almost every single antidepressant on the market. The stimulants came with a lot of side effects and I hated how up and down they make you feel. Nothing was ever consistent and I was always tired. It was a disaster, the pharmaceutical drugs helped minimally but did not get me anywhere near being a functional member of society (let alone a mommy). I have two boys ages 4 and 5 1/2 and although I have a B.A. In Psychology, I haven’t been able to work for the past 2 years thanks to my condition… My ex husbands child support, food stamps and parents have been my only source of income for quite a while now. When I started looking into Kratom I was at a point physically where I didn’t think pharmaceuticals could help me much more, so I needed another option. Narcolepsy can quite literally destroy your life and body, and at my worst I was sleeping 18-20 hours a day… I could not accept that as my reality because of my two children. I did all my research and decided to give Kratom a try- crossing my fingers it would help me.
Kratom in low amounts is stimulating and so I found that just a very small amount (1-2 teaspoons) a few times a day helped me tremendously. Not only did it decrease my extreme daytime fatigue, it almost completely eliminated my anxiety. When I first started using Kratom I had no idea just how much it would change my life- not only was I able to stop taking Anxiety medications (benzos) I was also able to stop taking stimulants. 1 teaspoon of Kratom three times a day did more for me than 120mg of Adderall and 3mg of Ativan. I am feeling better than I have in a really long time and Kratom is a really big part of the reason why. My health is completely consistent and because of that, life is soo much easier. I’ve been thinking about getting a part time job in the next 2-3 months… I will not be able to do that if Kratom becomes a schedule 1. Honestly, I fear for what my life will go back to if I am no longer able to use Kratom. I will have to go back to Adderall which I know doesn’t work. I will be tired. I will not function well and will have to remain unemployed indefinitely. I love being healthy and I’m going to be honest- I’m very upset that this is happening. What did I do to deserve this? I’m just a single mother trying to raise my babies in my small town… And I got a stupid thing called Narcolepsy. I fought like hell to get better and to where I am now and that is all about to be taken away from me. I just cannot understand why? Kratom is not a harmful anything, it’s a leaf! It has never killed anyone and never will because it’s seriously just a leaf from a tree. The DEA is lying about all of this and they should be ashamed of what they are doing. They are about to ruin my life and thousands of others as well. And for what… Money? My life ‘should’ be worth more than that.
I am 48 years old. I have degenerative disk disease, spinal stenosis, lupus, sjogren’s syndrome and arthritis throughout my body. When diagnosed I was prescribed numerous medications, have several specialists, attended an outrageous amount of doctors appointments, missed a lot of work days and my life started slowly slipping away. I could go on and on about the ways that my life became depressing. The doctors were perplexed then and they still are. I could tell by their faces, their body language and their general demeanor that they were tired of seeing me. I was feeling hopeless and very alone. Some of my solace came from online groups of others who were experiencing some of the same things. One day I heard about kratom. As with all the other suggestions I have gotten over the spanse of my illness, I read everything I could. I started taking low doses of kratom 3-4 times a day. I feel like a miracle happened. I feel normal. That’s all I ever wanted. I want to live..again. This is my second chance. I won’t bore you with the list but I used to take 8-13 prescription pills and 18 vitamins and supplements EVERY DAY! Today I take kratom. Period. Seems implausible even to me but this is what happened. It’s hard for me to not think that the pharmaceutical companies have something to do with this ban. If there are a few thousand other folks like me, we are making a dent on their bottom line. I hope that the DEA reconsiders. I don’t want to go back to the doctor so that they can look at me with that look. Please God allow me to continue to take kratom and live.
I am praying to God as well that this ban will not go through. I commented on my history, but an overview of my situation is that I’m 26 and suffer from severe endometriosis. I had a hysterectomy at 25 with no relief. I now will never be able to carry my own baby and I still suffer from chronic pain. Kratom has absolutely changed my life. Kratom and God have brought me out of a deep depression. I can’t go back to my old life.
I was shocked to find out that The DEA was going to ban Kratom and classify it as a schedule 1, with drugs like ecstasy and heroin. Are we thinking of the same thing? I have chronic migraines and have had them for 6 years. Before I discovered kratom I was taking vicopropfen on a regular basis, sometimes for days at a time if I had a bad cluster of them. I didn’t want to be on a narcotic, addictive medication for the rest of my life and through research I learned about kratom and its benefits. It scares me that the DEA is going to FORCE me to go bad on highly addictive medication to manage my migraines (I’ve tried every high blood pressure pill and migraine pill known to man and nothing is effective). They regulate drugs yet they’re going to take away something so weak and natural like kratom so chronic pain users can use prescription medication? Have you ever heard of someone robbing a bank, or getting in car accidents, or overdosing because of kratom? The answer is no. Kratom tea is so beneficial in so many ways, it can also help with depression and insomnia (among other things). You don’t even get “high” on kratom. I just can’t even believe this is a highly potential possibility and I really hope they reconsider and think about those of us that don’t want to be on toxic, prescription medication.
Words can’t begin to express how thankful I am to see you fighting for us. You actually became educated and learned the potential Benefits of kratom before just blindly following the deas horrible over reaching advisement. For me personally kratom has almost given me back my quality of life that i had before becoming sick and having to live with chronic & debilitating pain and suffering. The not even the physical effects but the emotional toll it took on me was too great to keep going the way things were going. My strength, Kratom and God helped me step out of that bottomless pit of misery I used to call “life” .Kratom helped manage my pain and I didn’t have to depend on opiates everyday. Life long Opiate addiction always starts out on a prescription pad. I know just how much prescription pain medicine can ruin a perfectly beautiful life. One of my close family friends has been on various opiate pain medications. Started out on Vicodin 5mg every 4 hours And now she takes 30mg oxycodone every 4 hours. She like most people addicted to opiates , takes much more then prescribes because she is now physically and psychologically dependent upon medication that was meant to help and is now killing her with every dose. I refuse to ever become dependent on anything. I see how much addiction has destroyed her life, her marriage, and her career. Her health is 10 times worse then it was when she started her legal, yet lethal journey to nowhere. I respect out country, our lawmakers , our president and I would hope and believe you want what’s best for all citizens. Please just take a day and read the heartfelt letters & emails. If you still need more convincing, please Watch the videos of the community pouring their hearts out talking about the most vulnerable weakest parts of “life” before kratom. We are not addicts , we are not criminals or deplorable people. We are moms, dads, teachers, doctors, police officers, pastors , grand parents ,and most importantly #wearekratom
This entire thing is just cold-hearted. A ban on kratom is just MEAN.
Don’t let these people take your rights away. This is a beneficial herb that helps a lot of people and it is way safer and more effective than methadone and suboxone… and it’s only a Coffee plant. The decision to make this plant illegal is rooted in the evil Opiate industry and the very people who want to make this plant illegal are the people who push Opiates on these poor people who need this plant the most
I never wanted to be a criminal for drinking tea, I have a wife, two amazing sons, and am a Electrical Engineer. So before the proposed ban I decided to just stop drinking it. And now that I have not consumed it in more than a week I can honestly say that any mention of kratom and opiates being equal is totally incorrect. I have been previously prescribed opiate narcotic pills for a rather long period of time after a severe injury, and they are nothing alike. When I decided to not taken prescription narcotics I couldn’t eat for three weeks. Anytime I tried I threw up. I couldn’t hold my bowels, was lethargic, with cold sweats and was not able to sleep more than an hour at a time. I almost died. After fully withdrawing off of medically approved prescription narcotics, I still was unable to laugh or smile for about SIX MONTHS!!!
However, when I decided to stop drinking kratom tea, I felt like I had quit drinking coffee. A headache and trouble sleeping for two nights… These two types of things do not compare!!!!
What is really the most terrible thing, is that there are some people out there that will be forced to be prescribed narcotics with terrible and life threatening side effects, instead of their right to use this herbal tea. Why would the DEA make sick Americans either criminals(by drinking a tea) or sick prescription drug users. If the government desires revenue then please just tax and regulate it INSTEAD OF A BAN!!!!
Kratom has saved my life. I am 26 years old who suffers from endometriosis. I have had seven failed surgeries that included a hysterectomy. Because of this disease, I will neve carry mine and my husbands own child. Having multiple surgeries have now caused severe nerve damage in my pelvic region.
I am not someone who uses Kratom for fun. I am a working class citizen who does not abuse Kratom. I have been teaching in Texas for 4 years. I have had to depend on pain medications for years just to live a normal life. Because of Kratom, I can proudly say I have been off pain medications for 1 year now. My life is back. I am now the wife to my husband I use to be. I am now the educator that my students so desperately need. Kratom is not a drug. It is not harmful. It is life saving. If this ban goes through, I fear for my quality of life. I refuse to be a 26 year old who has to depend on pain medications just to feel alive. I have been praying to God that He can change the hearts of the ones who have the power to stop the ban. I can not go back to my old life. Please, do not ban Kratom.
I am a 36 year old male from Colorado. Society would classify me as middle class. I have a career, a wife and a son. I am one of many faces of kratom. I’m not a former heroin user or someone who enjoys narcotics. What people don’t see or hear is why I use kratom and what it would mean for me if I could not take it. (I drink it like tea in low doses) I have had a panic disorder and depression for roughly 20 years. 8 years ago, my wife and I lost our son due to complications in the womb. 7 years ago, my wife and I held our daughter as she died shortly after birth. 6 years ago my wife and I had a beautiful healthy boy named Miles. 5.5 years ago my beautiful healthy son started having seizures and was diagnosed with a rare terminal illness called Menkes disease. He wasn’t supposed to live past the age of 2 and I have had to watch him be resuscitated several times and have had doctors ask me if I’m ready to let him go more than I’d like to remember. Luckily for me, he’s a fighter and has bounced back several times. I live with this mental anguish every day. I have a psychologist, a psychiatrist and go to therapy. Imagine having to focus on a career everyday to earn a living to keep my wife and Miles well cared for with all of this continuously passing through my brain. I have tried dozens of medications over the past 7 years especially, and have received very short stints of relief. The last medication my doctor prescribed me made me a zombie who had an extreme low blood sugar attack once a week. I would have to grab a coat, lay on my office floor eating glucose tablets shivering while sweating profusely. I also lost most of my emotions except for dark sadness and extreme panic occasionally. My work asked me to take an LOA to gather myself. I took an loa, drained my vacation time and felt rested but know relief from the mental anguish. I used to use alcohol to sleep which made my liver fatty. I got help, quit drinking, tried more prescribed meds and still would often think about becoming homeless so I didn’t have to go on with so many responsibilities when all I could think about was sadness. A friend of mine asked if I’d tried kratom. I had never heard of it, but gave it a shot. In the past year since discovering kratom, I am a excelling at work, I no longer suffer from panic, my depression is fleeing, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been, don’t have blood sugar issues and I’m a much more available father and husband. I am never “high” nor are my abilities ever inhibited. I like to think I’m human again. Kratom is the only thing that has ever worked. The thought of at a minimum 2 year ban, let alone lifetime ban scares the shit out of me. My son is still going to die, way before he should and I fear that moment everyday, but so much more without kratom. If the DEA takes this simple plant that has given me life again away, I have no doubt I will not survive life after Miles. It’s not fair to my wife or my family, but this amount of suffering is not fair to me either. I’ve done everything medical professionals have asked me to, so now I’d like you to tell me how I’m supposed to survive this? If you’d like to verify, my son’s website is https://www.milesformenkes.com.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Taylor
I would be forced to quit my job, and likely abandon most of my daily activities, if the ban goes through. Kratom helps me work, clean house, take care of my dog, go to church, and so much more. It is not the only tool in my arsenal against chronic pain, but to take it away would be tantamount to taking my hammer and nails.
A ban on a substance that gives a normal life back to those who’ve been hurt, discarded, and beaten down by a healthcare system that preys on them is about as inhumane as The Inquisition. Let these people have their lives and stop trying to meddle in our everyday affairs so the DEA and the friends of the DEA can keep making more money. Shame on you, DEA.
Kratom has saved so many lives. Please leave this plant alone. #stopthekratomban This isn’t some hard drug, this is a tea leaf. Similar to green tea. It keeps people motivated like caffeine, since it is in the same family as coffee. Everyday our veterans can benefit from this plant. For chronic pain sufferers or people that got hooked on opiates prescribed legally by a doctor. These people need kratom to function. To be a big part of society. This ban would not just effect us but 1000s of families in Indonesia. They depend on this money to survive. It’s been apart of their life for 1000s of years. Why can’t we recognize that? It’s greed. Please, for the sake of the people in our country and in Indonesia. Stop the ban!
Shortly after my 3rd child was born, I developed postpartum depression. I sought help with the aid of a “professional” and soon was what I thought, on my way to recovery. The Meds weren’t working. I was getting worse. Let’s change them up.. Nope, still not helping. I feel even crazier. I think you may be bipolar.. Let’s add this. I’m having manic episodes. I’m having spontaneous spending and acting out unlike I normally do… Let’s change this med and add two more.. I’m worse! Way worse… I’m having an emotional affair.. Ok.. Let’s take away all these Meds.. Start over and try these… I’m worse than ever. I can’t get out of bed. My kids are neglected. I can’t function. Ok let’s send you to a treatment center and see if they can help you.
These Meds aren’t helping. I’m suicidal… You’re just faking… If you don’t take these Meds and do the program, you’ll lose your kids…pills being swallowed daily.. Work being done. A year later Still feeling crazy as a loon. Lost my kids anyway. Turn to street drugs to get through it… Years later.. Finally make a decision to take control of my own mental health. Clean from drugs. I refuse to take any Meds for mental health. I get diagnosed with lupus, fibromyalgia, Sjögren’s syndrome, and chronic fatigue. I find kratom. Kratom gives me hope. Gives me life. Kratom takes away the depression. Kratom Gives me a chance to be the mom I’ve always known I was capable of being. 2 years down the road, the DEA and Big Pharma decides, Let’s classify this plant that doesn’t get you high, doesn’t cause overdose, doesn’t harm.. As a schedule 1 drug. In the same class as heroin and cocaine. If I get caught with kratom in my home I can become a felon.
I’m not out in the streets robbing people for this plant. I’m not selling my belongings to get kratom. I’m not neglecting my kids to get my drugs.. I’m living life the way God intended me to.
Please don’t force me to go back on pain meds..you have no idea how hard I fought to get off them. Kratom helps make my pain bearable without the fog of pharmaceuticals.
I am biting my lip trying not to put up a wall of text, so i will keep it short.
I’m a chronic pain sufferer for more than a decade due to an auto wreck. This condition has led me down many dark and treacherous paths, barely escaping with my mind, body, and freedom intact. Kratom has ended this vicious cycle for me.
The fact that its self limiting with a clear “ceiling” makes it a perfect alternative to super-abuseable opiod painkillers for ME, who has a habit of misusing these type substances.
I’m trying to do the right thing, don’t make me a criminal again for wanting some relief.
I have never done drugs because I absolutely hate any thing that alters my mind in any way. Kratom has made me feel healthy and has never made me feel like I have taken something mind altering . I drink it daily instead of coffee. It’s my morning green juice. I can’t even wrap my head around why anyone would want to ban a leaf that as zero mind altering effects yet can be a pain reliever that a person can take instead of taking a harmful synthetic drug. I just do not understand. My immune system is strong and I feel rejuvenated and healthy. For crying out loud after I drink a glass or two of Kratom I can get behind a wheel and drive
My children to school but if I drink alcohol I better not get behind a wheel and drive yet alcohol is not banned ? How many people is alcohol responsible for playing a part in Killing ? This proposed ban makes no sense – can we please go after whisky instead ?
Kratom has helped me get off (and stay off) prescription pain meds which I was prescribed because of an injury that left me in extreme pain and unable to walk without a cane. Now, i have very little pain at all and can walk fine! It also helped me to completely obliterate my severe alcohol addiction after struggling with it for over a decade. Please don’t ban kratom. We the People have a right to natural, alternative medicine. You have no idea how horrible it will be for the many thousands of people if you take it away.
I am so far beyond trusting that the DEA has anyone’s “best health” as their primary duty. It has become clear to everyone who has commented on this site and others who fear the DEA who have not commented: “WE KNOW OUR OWN BODIES”. We know what Big Pharma’s concoctions have done to our bodies. We have chosen our own way to care for ourselves – without Big Pharma’s interference with our cognitive abilities, motor skills, and all of their other horrid side effects – and POOR Big Pharma has apparently convinced the DEA that together, they know more than we do about how to make our world a better place with the addictive medications that they push on us if we suffer from disabling conditions.
** News flash: They don’t!!
There are so many natural remedies for various ailments that cannot be re-created in their labs.
Other countries have used them for literally centuries, and these people have lived far longer, healthful, happy lives than Americans have!
What is next for the DEA? Will they start slapping “Schedule I” labels on Turmeric? Herbal EVERYTHING?? Kratom is made from plants. Period. Nothing more, and nothing less. I have used it to help me to losen the grip that prescription pain medications had on my life, and my quality of life is far better with it, than it was without it. What will be next? Red Pepper? Will the DEA be policing people’s home gardens?
The DEA is clearly in the hip pocket of Big Pharma. I don’t know how much more obvious it could possibly be. It is high time to adopt the practices of every other nation in the world: Trust people to care for themselves, in the manner that works best for them. Last time I checked, America was still “the land of the free”. The DEA is threatening the freedom of Americans to choose an alternate path for health care – nature’s path. I, for one, will not comply. Banning Kratom is a ridiculous notion, and as an American, I deserve better than this medically unsubstantiated ban – absent of any laboratory research.
I am a professional with three college degrees. I also have spondylosis, doctors want to have me on a steady regiment of pain killers. I had an accident where three of my ribs were shattered. Basically I am in pain all the time. Pain pills, even very weak ones make me very high. I can’t function and I can’t work. With kratom I can work and have a life. I don’t get high. It feels like when I used to still get a reaction from drinking caffeine and the pain fades away like nothing else ever has worked. If the DEA takes away kratom I will have to seek out another herbal remedy and hope that I can find one that works as well. Then wait for them to ban that one as well. My family also has a history of addiction to opiates. Probably because of the very strong effect they have on us. I don’t want to be another statistic. I don’t want to destroy my liver. I just want the freedom to use a plant that has changed my life for the better. I know a lot of people are advocates of weed for pain but I don’t want to just be high all the time. I want to be able to live my life like I have for the past two years since kratom has given me back the energy and the ability to do things again.
P. S. I have had checkups and blood tests and they have given me a clean bill of health. My liver and kidneys are also very healthy. The claim that kratom is a public health hazard is an absolute lie.
Kratom should NOT be made illegal or classified as a drug. I’ve been taking it for years with no side affects.
Im 26 years old i was on disablity from a little kid tell i was 18 thin a disited to get a job so i got off of ssi i couldnt get a good job i used druggs from the age of 10 tell i was 21 want to prison over drugs ive been clean for allmost ive been sober for allmost 4 years now i take care of a big family im a forman at a concrete compny i becouse i take kratom i can walk becouse i have a bad foot from having clubs foot win i was born .and i have a very aqward people problem i thank everone hates me ,i do every thing rong , and i get very strested out. with kratom im ok with my self i can think about what im doing i have confidince in who and what im doing . I love my life today and i love my family and friends
This ban is totally wrong. Kratom has help me in so many ways. It by no means makes you high. It allows me to not take ibuprofen. Helps with my craving for alcohol. Life is much better with the help of kratom. Please stop the ban
I have been blessed with many back problems like osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, stenosis, bone spurs. U name it I have it. Several years ago I was having a hard time just walking from osteoarthritis in my hip. I went to Dr and he wanted me to have surgery. I wasn’t too keen on that so I tried physical therapy and he said he couldn’t do much for me. Plus I couldn’t afford going 3 times a week. I went to chiropractor to see about decompression and he said it was too dangerous with the cracked vertebrae I have. So I ended up going to the pain clinic. Within a yr and a half they had me on high doses of oxycodone and morphine. i remember when I 1st started all I did was sleep. I wasted 6 months of my life in bed. After about 6 months they stopped working so they kept increasing my dose. Well after 2 years they called me in for a pop up pill count b/c I was a little short the month before. I couldn’t get in b/f noon b/c we were extremely short staffed at work that day with 2 people out. One who’s baby was in hospital. I offered to bring to pharmacy and they never called me back. They gave me less than 24 hours and wanted me to come in before noon on a Friday. I’m a business professional at a local credit union. Everyone know how busy paydays are. I tried calling with no return call till about a week later I received a letter in the mail that read I was discharged with only 2 weeks left of medicines. I panicked. Two weeks is not enough time to ween off the doses I was taking safely. I was so scared I was about to lose everything. My job, my new home and my daughter. I couldn’t go to rehab without risking everything I worked so hard for. So I reached out to a group on fb where someone told me about kratom. I did some research and was amazed of the positive testimonies I found. So I ordered some. The 1st night I received I stopped taking the morphine cold turkey and 2 days later I stopped taking my percocet cold turkey and never looked back. It helps my pain more than the pills I’ve been on. I didn’t miss a day of work. And the only withdraw symptom I suffered from was fatigue. It has now been 7 months with no more pharmaceuticals and living like a slave to them. I hated them. I never imagined me getting addicted to pills. I hated that I had so much pain that I had to take them. I am now a better mother. I’m happier and have a better quality of life with kratom than I ever had with my daily pain and pain pills. I pray this ban doesn’t go thru. It’s going to ruin so many lives including mine. I was truly blessed to find kratom please don’t take this blessing away. Kratom saves lives not the other way around. Kratom could be the answer to the awful drug epidemic all over. Please see the good and save lives. The pharmaceuticals have already ruined so many lives please don’t let them ruin even more.
I use kratom to assist I’m my anxity and panic issues , I have PTSD I get a my nerves worked up and I cry , I just run nto things! I have hurt myself , kratom calm me just enough to think before acting,
I have been a chronic pain patient over 25+ years and after being on major narcotic medications for almost all of those I found kratom in March of 2015 and was able to stop taking them and also was able to control my pain without being a slave to the opiates any longer.
I was able to live my life again and be the mother my children deserve I am no longer bedridden or out of it on the narcotic pain meds that I needed to just get out of bed!
This “emergency ban” that the DEA is pushing for would put me and my kids back at the beginning and that is a life sentence to pain and misery that if anyone in the DEA had to go through I know they wouldn’t be so quick to push for this.
I know that the DEA as well as our government is in Big Pharmas pocket and the well being of chronic pain patients and opiate addicts aren’t being considered at all-kratom was a miracle for me and has ended a 27 year dependence on opiate pain medication and given me my life back!! I have a endless list of physical issues all of which cause great physical pain – I broke my back in a car accident in 2006 and had my youngest son in 2008 and I am now able to be the mom that he deserves not the mom my other children got that was constantly fighting to have a pain free life or at least manage the pain – now the CDC won’t allow Drs to even prescribe any pain medications which without kratom are necessary for me to even get out of bed so if my miracle plant is banned my life and my children’s life will be forever changed and this is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone – I am pleading with the powers that be to not ban a natural non-synthetic life changing plant !!!
There has to be some justice for this seeming war on chronic pain patients-
There is an opiate epidemic in this country and all you need to do is follow the money and it explains the entire problem but as I have seen time and time again you cannot legislate and arrest your way out of this problem and please don’t punish the chronic pain patients such as myself!
#Iamkratom
#Savekratom
Kratom has helped me stop all opiates and remain clean. I am no longer putting my liver at risk. It’s helped me reduce my anxiety and pain levels. I can function like a normal person again without the side effects and euphoria of opiates. Pharmaceutical drugs kill approximately 45 people per day. Where should the attention really be directed? Kratom is a natural plant. Please don’t take away from the people. Kratom helps give them back a clean and sober life. Without it, there will be many addicts who go back to their old lifestyle and they will die. These people deserve to live. Many, such as myself, have children. Pharmaceutical drugs tool away my livelihood and made me someone that I am not. Kratom gave me my life back and my children got their mother back, pain free and healthy.
My daughter just posted and I thought I should too. When my daughter introduced me to kratom, my life changed for the better. I no longer had to take oxycodone. I no longer had to hide pill bottles (since I didn’t have any in my home anymore) from my other daughter who would steal my pain meds. I had cancer and had become dependant on pain meds. Kratom stopped that. Not only did it save me from opiate addiction, it saved my addicted daughter from killing her liver. No access to pills meant she had to get clean. I get to be a grandmother again and I can do things that I couldn’t do before. I feel healthier without the pain meds making me feel sick. I don’t have to worry about taking any meds on time (I had to take them on time to ensure I didn’t feel like I was dying from withdrawal symptoms). I can take kratom as needed and not have to worry about horrible withdrawal effects. It’s more like a coffee or tea for me. Just one dose will get me through the day pain-free. Please don’t take this away from the ones who need it. There are disabled veterans who refuse all pharmaceutical pain meds. Kratom has helped them too. Kratom doesn’t create a “high” for me. It simply helps me in so many ways, without the added effects. Since stopping my pain meds, my medical bills have dropped too.
The DEA knows nothing about Kratom which is why they won’t produce the letter. It sounds to me that they had no idea the number of people that benefit from Kratom and the backlash they’d face. This decision, which the DEA shouldn’t have the power to make in the first place, will destroy many lives. Kratom saved my life, career and marriage. I’m a college-educated, healthcare professonal, and not some kid playing games with bath salts. There are thousands more like me, and we will not give up without a fight. If this ban isn’t repealed, I literally may take my tax dollars and move to Canada as I’m completely fed up with our corrupt government.
I’m a wife, I just recently gave birth to my second child. I come from a middle class upbringing, I am college educated. I’m also an addict in recovery. I’ve been clean from prescription drugs for quite some time now. I have kratom to thank for that. I did not want to trade one prescription for another and take maintenance medication. I take a small amount of kratom and I don’t need all that other stuff. I’m able to care for my family. I don’t know what I will do without it.
I am a productive member of society. I use Kratom to ease the pain from many years of overworking my body. I do not want to use prescription pain pills. What Am I supposed to do now? Start using prescription drugs, or just suffer? My government was not formed to take my freedoms away. STOP abusing your power!!
I am a disabled psychiatric nurse. I found kratom while searching desperately for something natural to take for my constant severe pain associated with bulging discs and fibromyalgia. I have been using kratom daily for the last two years, and it has saved my life. I had been on narcotics, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants just to deal with the day to day pain. I was very sick and had no quality of life. Since I have been on kratom, I am off of of those medications! Kratom is necessary to my well-being. I am a crying, quivering pile of pain without it. I do not know what I will do if this ban goes into effect, but I sure could use everybody’s prayers. Thank you, CRE, for your good work. I love your letter! I printed it for my future comfort and enjoyment because it gives me hope that someone might stop this out of control agency’s power grab after all.
In the time since I have been using Kratom to help with anxiety, depression, pain, and to stop using opiates I have increased my quality of life. I no longer stay in bed because of my ailments. I work hard again and I am more social. I stopped drinking alcohol. My whole life has gotten better. I don’t understand how this plant could be bad in any way! I got married and have a family again. I don’t need assistance from the government for food or anything now because I can work. Kratom did not do all this for me, it allowed me to do it. I will find other plants to help with my life before I ever go back to pharmaceuticals. Please don’t ban Kratom.
For the past two years my life has been made so much better by the use of kratom. As a sufferer of chronic foot pain, it really helps me safely get through my day without the use of dangerous narcotics. I am on my feet 60-70 hours a week on average working to support my family. I take kratom 3-5 times a week and have never felt a symptom of withdrawal like using prescription pain killers. I do not understand, weighing the pro’s and con’s, why the DEA has moved to schedual this wonderful, life changing plant. It simply makes no sense. I could see if it was killing people everyday like opiates, but it isnt. Smells like corruption to me.
I got hit by a car when I was a kid. The doctors did an amazing job at managed to save my leg. Now 20 years later, I am have incredible chronic knee and leg pain. Kratom helps me get through my busy days as a student a mother and employee. If thus ban is successful, I am sentences to a life of pain.
Kratom helped ween me off an addiction to opiate (specifically vicodin and percoset). I was successfully able to get off kratom as well. I have helped at least 35 other people within my area who were heroin or opiate addicts get off said drugs with kratom and lead more productive lives. Addiction is absolutely awful, and any means we can temper the heroin and opiate epidemic must be taken. There have been 16 alleged deaths by kratom in 2 years? (And that’s highly suspect, since 14 of the15 had other drugs or alcohol in their system.) How many heroin and opiate deaths have their been? If you ban Kratom like this – with only a one month notice – that rate will rise rapidly. Heroin use will go up, because many people will have to turn to something much stronger and much worse. At the very least, the DEA needs to give people more time to prepare themselves, because a 1 month warning is unfathomable and dangerous.
Kratom helps ease my symptoms of chronic severe pain and fatigue. These symptoms are the result of several diagnosed medical conditions. I was bedridden until I started using Kratom 10 months ago. Kratom enables me to get out of bed each day and function as a good parent. I can think clearly, I can walk, drive, cook, and even run errands and attend family outings. All basic activities I was unable to do before using Kratom. Kratom is a natural plant that can not make someone “high” , is not an opiod, nor can someone die or be seriously injured by the use of Kratom alone. Without kratom I will be forced manage my pain with addictive opiod prescriptions. I will once again be house bound if this occurs. Please take heed of my testimony and that of so many others who see the schedule 1 classification on Kratom as a great injustice to anyone who prefers natural plant medicine over pharmaceutical options.
Kratom has helped me naturally manage my anxiety, depression & chronic pain. I feel much better taking kratom and am a better wife, mother, friend and employee. Opiates/Benzo’s are just not an option for some people, I’m one of them. I truly hope you reconsider banning this plant!!! It’s helped so many people in so many different ways.I can’t imagine a life where I cannot continue to be as natural as possible, including not being able to take kratom! Life as we know it, will end for many people as their PTSD, addictions, chronic pain, etc will get the best of them because kratom is not accessible. Please allow more time for research & public commenting!
The possible ban on kratom is wrong.it helps so many people.
I have been sober 4 years now!! Save kratom!! Saved my life!!
I am the face of a chronic pain sufferer. In 2001 I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and immediately placed on the pharmaceutical super highway. With each new side effect of a previously prescribed drug, I was given yet another drug to take. After being on the strongest pain med available (fentynl patch) along with antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and various other meds I had finally had enough. No person should have to live their life around the schedule of taking 15 different medications! So I decided to go a more holistic route and discovered a miracle herb called Kratom. With this wonderful plant I was able to wean off many of the prescriptions, therefore reducing the many side effects of those drugs. In addition, my quality of life improved tremendously. I was able to get out of bed, take a shower, go to the grocery store, cook dinner and visit with family and friends. I also no longer had to depend on alcohol to self medicate what pain the pharmaceutical drugs didn’t touch. Using this God given natural medication allowed me to focus again on something other than my pain. It gave me energy where before I had none. And I began to live life again. Now the government intends to ban Kratom making all those benefiting from its healing powers into criminals overnight! Well I say no more! Where are my unalienable rights that are guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence upon which the government is supposed to protect? Why don’t I have the right to pursue happiness? Where is my liberty, my FREEDOM TO CHOOSE? It should be illegal to criminalize nature! We Americans should not be mere pawns in the DEA and big pharmas game of chess. Many chronic pain sufferers will have no choice but to be bedridden again. Many will go back to being drug addicts as well. Not by choice, but by neccessity. If Kratom does indeed become illegal, some of us will not even survive. I know of many military vets whose lives have been saved due to Kratom. Those who fought for our freedom, why is our government now taking away theirs? And mine. I don’t want to go back to that place, that place of being a non-functioning, unproductive, bedridden sick person, instead of the vibrant person I’ve become thanks to Kratom. It is not a road I want to go down again. When the greed of our goverment over rules quality of life there is no justice and all is lost. When you can’t live life free from pain by using what nature provides, so others can line their own pockets, there is no freedom, only pain. Thank you for your time. If so inclined please sign our petition at https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/please-do-not-make-kratom-schedule-i-substance.
How many lives has alcohol taken? Innocent lives as well through drunk drivers? Yet the DEA looks the other way on this. Where is the ban on the dangers of alcohol? Or tobacco? Or energy drinks which has also taken lives? This ban on Kratom makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Kratom has SAVED lives – mine one of them. I am a productive member of society now and my life is full and pain free – because of this wonderful herb. It is a part of my daily vitamin intake which includes many other herbs. Mother Nature has given Kratom to us to allow us the CHOICE to find what works best for us. And I believe it is the consensus that people would rather take natural herbs versus chemically prepared medications. I am truly very shocked that this country would allow this freedom to choose to be taken from us. Kratom saves lives! And the DEA needs to do proper research!
I’m 26 years old and on disability. I have autoimmune disorders and chronic illnesses (Chronic Mono, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia, and Orthostatic Hypotension) I am sick with mono nearly every year, and every time I have a mono flare up, my POTS becomes worse. I used to faint multiple times a month, dizzy every time I stood up, my heart rate would rise to the 180’s or higher along with heart palpitations, I was exhausted all of the time, I couldn’t think clearly when my blood pressure was too low, chronic pain for swelling joints when my blood pressure fluctuated; my list of symptoms could go on and on. I was on multiple medications to attempt to manage my symptoms and they never worked. I found Kratom when searching for natural pain remedies, after months of learning, I decided to try it. Not only did my pain subside, but I felt energized, I could think clearly, I could function, and my heart didn’t feel like it was going to explode anymore. I stopped fainting. I did not expect all of these issues to nearly stop. I still have bad days, and I am not “cured.” But, I can function again. I have quality of life, I can be the mother and wife I always wanted to be. Many chronically ill sufferers never find something that truly helps them. It took me 8 years to find some sort of relief! I honestly do not know what I will do if I lose my Kratom. I would rather suffer without treatment, then go back to medications that made me feel worse with all of the side effects. Please, we cannot let this happen. Not only for myself, but for everyone from all walks of life, that has found quality of life through Kratom.
I have had MS for 23 years and Kratom is the best thing that ever happened to my illness!!! I have been able to get off 3 meds and lower the dosages of others! WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU WANT US TO BE BACK ON PHARMAS??!!
If you care about us at all, you would stop this ban immediately! Thousands of people die every year from pain killers, so why would you want us back on them?!
The DEA has gone to far with this ban. They are clearly overstepping the law and making themselves look embarrassing. What does Canada think? They have LEGALIZED Kratom and we have current talks with them for working together on this and other issues… You basically just slapped them in the face. And why? Your WAR should be on opiates PRESCRIBED by Doctors and Heroin that is STILL making it’s way into the streets. I find it hard to believe that WE THE PEOPLE are in the best interest of our government anymore when you pull something like this… WE THE PEOPLE can read between the lines and see what’s really going on!! You will not succeed, WE have had ENOUGH.
I’m a 2x combat veteran (’02 & ’11 OEF tours) & served as a Paratrooper in the Army for 13 years. I’m rated 100% disabled due to PTSD. Last year, I was prescribed 13 medications from the VA for my numerous conditions: TBI, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, BPD, Arthritis, hip bone degeneration, Lordosis of lower spine; on & on… I now take 0 medications, thanks to Kratom. This tea makes my body able function, physically, & helps me feel balanced, mentally. It is truly magic. Please don’t take my ability to ease my symptoms naturally, away. It isn’t the awful stuff some media is portraying it, this stuff doesn’t get you high, it makes me feel healthy. I can literally go from a dark place of depression to back to feeling excited about living, with 1 cup of tea! Try it, it’s a miracle & will help so many more people that don’t want to be pumped full of pharmaceuticals to “live.” Thank you for reading my story & please support us, we need help keeping Kratom from being banned.
I served & fought for the 2 best divisions in the Army, for you & for me… Please let me keep my tea!
82nd ABN Div.
101st ABN Div.
Abigail Edwards
Hello, my name is Michael Barron and I am a resident of North Carolina. I am 50 years old . I am currently disabled and have been since 2007 and deal with chronic pain and fatigue on a daily basis because of fibromyalgia, depression, and crohns disease. I have been prescribed many medications over the years to try to manage the symptoms of my illnesses and unfortunately I am one of the small percentage of people who do not respond to the standard treatment regimens. I had almost lost hope of ever recovering any of my functionality until two years ago when I discovered kratom. Since I have been taking it my symptoms have become manageable and I have recovered a great deal of my former stamina and functionality. It has greatly improved the quality of my life. With responsible use this plant has been a godsend for many people dealing with chronic pain issues. Kratom is a natural leaf plant related to coffee, not a dangerous and addictive drug as is portrayed. There is no reliable evidence that Kratom is causing harm. It has been an answered prayer for me.
I am a Supervisor suffer from pretty bad Anxiety and also Diabetic Nerve pain. I have taken Kratom for the last 4 years with no issues. It has been a godsend for me. I don’t want to take Pharmacuticles so I did my research and found Kratom. It has really helped me with my issues. I don’t feel all foggy or like I can’t cope because Im so doped up. Kratom does save lives. Lets keep it legal so we can all enjoy gods gifts he has put on this earth for us.
I have had PTSD for 33 years. I have daily migraine headaches and insomnia. I have been through the hell of opioid addiction, detox and came close to overdose on my legal meds. I have always been a law abiding citizen and taxpayer. I am a good husband and father to three children. I found Kratom six years ago and was able to break the cycle of rebound headaches and chronic pain brought on by vaso-constrictors and pain meds. My doctor says I am now a good example of a healthy 54 year old and she told me to continue doing what I am doing with Kratom even though she can’t fully recommend it without knowing more about it. I dread the cycle I have to return to after this ban goes into effect. It’s a death sentence for many of us. The DEA only wants to stay on the payroll so they are picking a winnable war with the weak and the sick.
I am ashamed to live in this country at times. Kratom is a Godsend that has saved the lives of so many people I know. I have been on all sides of this *issue* and Kratom is not the problem. I am just beside myself that this would happen. This is not a free country.
I was placed on opiod pain killers for a couple weeks after it was found that my back pain was due to a bulging disc. Rather than refill, I tried kratom leaf. I was able to stop the pain killers and continue working as normal with a clear head. The “buzz” from the ground lead is similar to coffee, but with analgesic effects. Certainly nothing as strong as prescription opioids. If you want to ban extreme concentrates of the particular chemical you are after, perhaps that would make sense. But banning the leaf and ground leaf products themselves is absurd, I’ll- advised, and demonstrates an alliance between the dea and big pharma. It will also have the collateral effect of adding more prescription pill deaths to an already obscene number. Please use common sense for this one.
KEEP KRATOM LEGAL!!!
Kratom is effective but it is mild with little psychoactive effects. The comparison to coffee is so true. Im not liking the comparison of Kratom to marijuana, just because they’re plants. Marijuana is effective but also a lot more psychoactive than Kratom. The two shouldn’t be compared. Marijuana should be legal, that’s fine. But Kratom should definitely without question stay legal it’s really so harmless and
Who are the FDA and Congress to tell us what is medically good or bad for us even if/when (like marijuana and kratom) they have little to no evidence proving or even suggesting the substance will be dangerous or deadly.
God forbid there are natural things on the planet that are medically very effective and (compatibility speaking) safe, and wish to use them instead of extremely dangerous man made medicines that, if weren’t used so widely in the medical field, could be schedule 1 drugs themsevles.
“By the people for the people” is loosing it’s meaning more and more by the day.
Hello,
The following is a copy of a letter I have been sending to the media, government officials, representatives and anyone else who might care to “listen” to my story.
Hello,
I am writing to you today on behalf of myself and tens of thousand of others whose lives are going to be greatly affected by the DEA’s scheduling of Kratom, (mitragynia speciosa) at the end of this month.
This plant has been used in Southeast Asian countries for more than a thousand years for the same reasons it is used here today. Many of us have found tremendous relief from chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and one of the most understood reasons is relief from opiates and opioid use, overuse and addiction.
I wanted to get your attention because I know you will probably be doing a story on this matter in the near future. I want to ask you to please do your research and look past the DEA and Wikipedia and other biased resources when you put your dialog together. I have read so much of their one-sided misleading “Truth” and there is so much more you can learn from real people whose live’s have been changed by this miraculous natural herbal supplement.
Let me just tell you a little about myself and my personal experience. I then encourage you to listen to the accounts of thousands of others who have similar and even greater need for a safe and effective alternative to pharmaceutical drugs.
For the past 12 years I have been dealing with severe spinal degeneration issues.
In 2005 I went to the emergency room and discovered that I had severe spinal cord compression from several bulging discs in my cervical and lumbar vertebrae.
I had no insurance and no money to see a specialist so I just went about my life without treatment for the next several years. Finally in 2012 after worsening symptoms I was able to see a surgeon who said I needed to have surgery immediately because the compression was causing permanent spinal cord damage and I was at a very high risk of paralysis or death if I fell or was to cause any kind of trauma to my spine. He also found a tumor growing on my spinal cord as well and said this was causing a lot of additional issues as well.
I had two surgeries that year and had five cervical and one lumbar laminectomies as well as the tumor extraction. Long story short, I wish I hadn’t most days. I have severe back and neck pain, my legs are so weak I can barely walk, I am losing motor function in both hands and to the point I can hardly dress myself anymore, or cook, use hand tools, and most importantly work. My back feels so much worse these days. Every day I feel like I just woke up from surgery and the pain meds have worn off. I continue to have more cord compression on nerves in the thoracic vertebrae too dangerous to operate on and cord tethering at the surgical sites where the cord has attached itself to surgical scar tissue causing further problems.
I told the doctors dozens of times over the past few years That I feel so much worse since the surgeries now and the only response other than, “You know you had to have this done” is, let’s try this medication, and that medication, and, “you are just going to have to learn to live with this somehow”.
I have been on every pain pill and patch there is. I had been on ant-depressants, anti-anxiety meds, muscle relaxors and antispasmodics, the list goes on and on. The pharmaceuticals were making me sick in so many ways that I wanted to give up and die. I am not kidding. I was panicking from the idea of killing myself. I couldn’t take the pain and depression anymore in addition to the other side effects that made every day just plain suck to be alive.The thought of living my life this way was terrifying. I was getting addicted to the medication on top of everything else and needed a way out.
I started doing some research and found an alternative natural herbal supplement that people were raving about. I saw how people were getting relief from pain, anxiety, depression and other symptoms from something called kratom. I went to an apothecary shop on the west side of town and got some more information from a woman who I credit for getting me on the right path away from the crushing hell of pharmaceutical drugs.
I spent the next several months finding the right strains to blend and the right amounts to use and the number of dosages per day to get relief. Once I figured this all out I was able to reduce my prescribed medications to next to nothing. The only prescribed medication I still use are 800mg motrin and occasionally percocet. My 30 day oxycodone prescription lasts more than 10 weeks on average now. I only use it during the 8 days a month when I need to reset my tolerance to the kratom.
I am free from the handfuls of pills I was taking every day and found relief from something natural, non habit forming and safe. I stopped the anti anxiety drugs, the depression went away and I stopped those meds. I started to feel like myself again and was getting some of my life back. My family was so glad to have me back too. I was becoming a monster and putting them all through hell. I was so happy I didn’t give up. Kratom saved my life! One more time, KRATOM SAVED MY LIFE!
There is my story, but it doesn’t end there. There is something terrible about to happen to me. Not just me but tens of thousand of others just like me.
The DEA is about to turn things in a very bad direction. They are saying that kratom is being abused and they need to protect us by making it a schedule 1 controlled substance. Their reports and claims are without any solid evidence or merit.
There is only one reason they would even care about kratom and that is because the pharmaceutical industry sees it as a way to make money and they can’t get started until they get kratom off the streets and into their labs. The DEA is helping their agenda because that is how they pretend to be doing their jobs. It is so obvious that they are steered by special interest. Their claims are baseless and false in regards to the reported deaths they say are kratom related. There have been 15 reported deaths worldwide in more than two years and in all cases it was determined that other substances were combined and contributed to the fatalities.
If you compare that number to the deaths caused by opiate and opioids, alcohol, tobacco and other legal substances they allow to kill people it doesn’t make any sense other than MONEY being the driving factor in the emergency scheduling of kratom.
The media is reporting right off the backs of the DEA and is being very one sided about how they tell this story. They say people are using kratom as a substitute for heroin and are abusing kratom to self medicate. This is so wrong to report it like this. The words are carefully chosen to tell a different story that fuels the lies they are telling. They don’t care that the opiate/opioid crisis in this country is the worst it has ever been. They don’t care about the lives that kratom has saved by offering a way for addicts to ease the withdrawal symptoms from getting off of heroin and other illicit drugs. They don’t tell you how many people have been able to break away from the grip of addiction by using kratom instead of synthesized chemicals. They wont tell you the truth because there is no money in cures, no money in alternative medicine that is not FDA approved, only money in addiction, cancer, adjudication and imprisonment.
I am asking you to please help tell this story straight and without bias. Tell the truth. Goto the people who have found a way to get their lives back and listen to them. You will see how wrong the DEA, The FDA, and the US Government is treating the “free” citizens of this country. They are not protecting us from anything at all and they know it. They know we can see right through their actions and their words are nothing but lies right to the faces of all Americans.
The FDA is going to kill thousand of real people just trying to live and they couldn’t care less.
Thank you for listening.
Sincerely,
Cory Johnson
#iamkratom
Kratom has helped improve my life in tremendous way. I suffer from Fibromyalgia and Endometriosis. Before Kratom I was bedridden at least 2 weeks every month. I had horrible flare ups, and was in so much pain daily. I was hardly a mother to my children or a wife to my husband, nor was I a thriving citizen here. I was so depressed because there was nothing I could do to feel better. I was on numerous medications that were supposed to make me feel better. Not one of these medicines made me better, but instead made me so much worse. My depression had become so badly that I began drinking a lot. I thought it helped numb everything, but in turn it made everything so much worse. On top of all that, the medicines my doctor prescribed me for pain were making me become addicted to them. I was trapped inside my body and I was slowly killing myself at the young age of 33. 7 months ago I heard about Kratom in one of the pain groups on Facebook. I thought what could I possibly lose!? Immediately after trying kratom I could feel the pain melt away, a sense of well being and a boost of energy. After taking kratom for a week my life made a complete 180. I was finally able to go out and play with my kids. I was happy again. Kratom has helped me get off almost all of my prescribed medications. It’s truly helped me to become a better person. Please don’t take this natural plant away from us. So many people benefit from this plant. I’m afraid what the outcome for so many will be if this kratom plant becomes illegal.
I am a 42-year-old, successful entertainment executive with a background in the VC business. I have multiple degrees from Stanford University and am a practicing Lutheran. Years ago, I was injured in 2 different car accidents, when I was rear-ended by careless drivers, and I underwent numerous procedures and back surgeries. I was prescribed massive amounts of pain killers which nearly wrecked my life and body, when I discovered Kratom. I am now healthy, happy and productive, thanks to this miraculous natural substance. It boggles the mind that, while cannabis is now everywhere (something of which I’m not a particular fan), the use of another harmless plant is being criminalized.
Im a 24 year old woman and I have been taking kratom for over 3 years with not one negative symptom. I do not do drugs, I do not drink alcohol, and I do not use this plant to get high, which isn’t even all that possible in the first place. Idk about anyone else here, but even after 3 years of continual use, I have not once ever had to increase my dosage, which says alot in and of itself. But why do I almost feel that the more we praise kratom in the hopes of keeping it legal, the more the mouths of big pharma water…I hope something can be done…the odds are certainly stacked against us. Ill do whatever I can. This is going to severely impact the quality of life for so many of us.
CRE RULZ! there is in fact no science behind the DEA’s reasoning to ban kratom. it’s obviously just to help dope dealers inc. conquer us all with their synthetic patent dope pills and double extra dangerous fentanyl patches.
i have some back pain, i got a titanium rod in my leg. i get depressed sometimes. i had lyme disease. but i primarily take kratom as most would a cup of coffee. just a teaspoon before work. sometimes i’ll take a few more teaspoons at work. i’ve taken it for months at a time, stopped and experienced the withdrawal. no biggie. a tad lethargic for a couple days. like if you were a big coffee drinker and stopped.
seeing the youtubes of those grandmas is enough. the doctors put people on ridiculous conflicting medicines. i know from taking drugs for fun that fentanyl patches are a death sentence. taking benzos every day will mess you up bad. i had taken percocet for fun a few times before i got hit by a car. i was frightened by the amount the doctors prescribed me. i remember telling my mom that if i took as much as they said too, i’d end up dope sick. stung out on pills is no condition to do any kind of healing. people become dependent on that stuff and it’s all quite dangerous. better to be dependent on some little leaf that can’t hurt you very much.
it’s like the dea is making green tea a felony and it’s obviously just because some dirty rich guys told them to. c’mon guys. stop the dea. KEEP GRANDMAS AND WAR VETERANS OFF PHARMACEUTICAL HEROIN! DON’T BAN KRATOM!
I am a 44 year old woman, who has been taking kratom for two years, after hearing from a friend who uses it and it helps her. I had a serious accident in 2002 where I had a traumatic brain injury, fractured bones in Neck and back, bruised brain, blood on the brain and a few tired skull for starters…I was on a lot of different pain Meds over the years, and the doctors told me my quality of life wouldn’t be like it was prior to accident .. But I refused to believe that, and kratom has shown me that I can have a great quality of life with out being doors up on pain Meds .. I actually get out of bed and walk my dogs and get fresh air when I take kratom, I eat, I have an appetite again, I work in my garden.. I function. That is the key.. I’m a functioning person now, I now can go out and do things for myself, my parents don’t have to help their 44 year old with everything g anymore.. I have independence again. I have my life back, if they take the kratom away, I don’t know what will happen, and if I’ll be able to continue with my little business I was able to start because of kratom (I walk and train dogs) I don’t want to go back to all the nasty side effects of there pain Meds… And I want to keep feeling like me still.. Not a zombie like I did on so many pain Meds. I use kratom for my pain and also my mood.. It’s been a life changer for me. Please don’t take that away.. Please don’t force me to buy it illegally just so I can have the quality of life that most people have that aren’t in my situation thank you
I can’t say I was surprised with the action of DEA, but my heart sunk when I heard the bad news. I have had chronic pain for many years, and I was for a time dependent on opiates. After several years I wanted to quit taking them, and went through an ordeal in 2010 to get off them–including 11 days in hospital. Still, I found it difficult to manage daily tasks like housework and grocery shopping. I considered going back on opiates, but before I did I researched natural alternatives. That is when I found kratom. It’s been approximately a year that I have taken it. This plant does not make a person feel “high”, but because of kratom’s effectiveness on killing pain, I have been able to function fairly well. I don’t know what I will do without it. Life will be significantly more difficult than it already is for me.
I am 54, a grandmother and a small (busy) business owner. I have multiple medical issues- degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, 4 degenerated discs, 1 herniated disc and fibromyalgia that I got thanks to FDA-approved statin drugs. Never take those, y’all. I was a model pain management under the care of a neurologist who was the head at a well respected hospital here in my city. For 5 years, took the painkillers- never more than prescribed, never sold them or gave them to anyone, etc. Like most of the others here. My neurologist retired and my next appointment with the doctor who took over his practice there was a policeman in the waiting room. I had already begun to think and research how I could manage my chronic pain without opiates and to try and find something better and much less dangerous. I learned about Kratom in a fibromyalgia forum and decided it was the most promising thing for me. I thought the transition from opiates to Kratom would be horrible, it wasn’t. And it worked better, much better, and I felt so much better! I will never have a pain-free day, but I was able to keep it to a level where I could function in my busy life. I have more energy, less pain, and I have always taken the same low dose of it every day. It is absolute insanity that the DEA wants to assist in throwing us all back on the opiate farm– I will not go. I will fight for Kratom and for the ability for adults to use their common sense and learning abilities to decide for themselves the natural remedies they use. I am so worried that I am going to lose what Kratom gave me back- a full life. It is horrific what they are doing.
Big Pharma wants DEA to ban #KratomSavesLives because Glaxo Smith Kline wants to manufacture the patent they’ve obtained. #Kratom should remain available as it has been.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z453U8_4CDw
Kratom is essentially at the same level as coffee. Of course some idiot can eat pounds of it and get into trouble, but that is true for any plant. Kratom is difficult to abuse as it leads to sleep problems and other effects, and it is not pleasant at high doses. Kratom is very helpful in pain relief, which helps me as I have had horrible sciatic pain, back surgery, etc and the alternative is pain meds. Please prevent this horrible overreach by the federal government.
It would be pointless for me to list the 31 pharmaceuticals that I have experience with, because we all know that the entire focus here is to keep all of us, law abiding citizens, on as many of those big money making meds, as possible. Money is the name of the game. The greedy, selfish individuals that profit from us as long as they can keep us UNhealthy, will have to answer for their actions one way or another. It would take me hours to list all of my diagnoses and most of them have already been addressed in previous comments. I accepted years ago, that my daily life would consist of unrelenting pain, due to an S1 to T9 spinal fusion. But what I had not accepted and desperately longed for was my mental health and emotional state. I wanted to know what “normal” felt like. I wanted to be and feel normal. After years of anti depressants, anti anxiety meds, sleep meds, etc. left me in a coma and my 4 children almost lost their Mother, I’d had enough. I chose, without any help, to discontinue every single one of them. I believe I was actively taking 12 different ones at the time. For 6 years I just existed, literally. 2 years ago I began my quest for a more natural way of living and discovered Kratom. For the first time in my 50 years, I feel and I am, normal. The past 2 years have been the most enjoyable and fulfilling years of my life! My only regret is that my children missed out, all those years, on the “normal” Mom I am today! Shame on the DEA! What has happened to MY great country that I once was so proud to live in? What about MY rights and MY freedom? Why isn’t it MY choice to do and treat my body as I wish? Basically, what it boils down to is, the greedy, conniving politicians, pharmaceutical companies and government officials, actually own MY, this, body that I’ve been living in! I’m saddened and filled with grief, knowing this is the country I’m leaving to my children. I’m a disabled Mother, Grandmother, Daughter, Sister, Aunt and my name is Phyllis. Please help stop the ban on Kratom
Before kratom I was taking 3 kinds of pain medication, 1 depression med, 1 anxiety med, 2 diabetes meds and I was never well. I was always tired and lethargic. Lacked any zest for life and I was depressed. My doctor was not the best doctor and always let me run out of something. Terrible way to live. I finally got myself off of the pain meds and that’s when I found kratom. EVERYTHING changed. I got my life back. I got back my will to live. I had ENERGY and I was no longer depressed. My anxiety, that used to cripple me, was nearly gone (within a year it was gone). I was healing. I could play with my dogs. Do my work. Be a productive member of society. I never once have experienced any side effects or ill effects for that matter from kratom. Kratom is this amazingly mild and yet powerful plant that seems to work with the human body in a copacetic way. I am grateful every single day for kratom. I got my life back and my wife got her partner back. My dogs got their mom back as well. Please for the LOVE do not take this from us. I am just one of MANY people that will suffer needlessly if you schedule this beautiful and harmless plant.
I am a middle-aged woman with multiple health issues that cause me to be in constant pain. I researched Kratom as an alternative to prescription pain killers, because they were becoming less and less affective over time. My only choice would be to keep increasing the dose or try stronger & stronger medications. But there are so many dangers in these two options and I wanted a healthier alternative. I have used Kratom for about a year and it has helped tremendously. I am taking the same dose I started with and it remains just as effective. It keeps my pain level lower than the RX alternatives, and I love that there is no “altered state”. I simply have a bit more energy (similar to coffee but fortunately without the nervousness that too much caffeine causes), and I’m able to live a more normal life without so much pain. I am baffled by reports of Kratom creating a high similar to heroine. I can only surmise that the people making that claim have never tried it, because there’s simply no truth to that statement. Kratom has given me the ability to live a more normal life without the side effects and potential for addiction associated with pharmecutetical pain killers. Please allow more time for research and actual scientific studies before pronouncing this herbal remedy a “danger to the community”. In fact, I believe 1,000’s of people are alive and funtioning today because Kratom gave them the ability to break the addiction cycle.
Hi there. I am a 32 year old mother of 8 awesome, homeschooled, God fearing kiddos ages 12 to 3 months. My husband is a Marine Corp veteran. While in the USMC he injured his back and had a steel rod put in his spine and basically was given a hefty prescription of hydrocodone to “help” with the pain. Six years later he’s built up quite a dependency and tolerance to them and we work hard to keep him from going through his prescription too quickly each month. About 2 years ago, he had gone to his doctor seeking another remedy to his pain because he was tired of the dependency on the pills and withdrawals when he ran out and just the way he felt they had “changed” him. All the doctor had to offer was another surgery and/or more pills, and subsequently upped his dose.
That’s when I started searching for natural remedies to help him with the withdrawals AND the pain. Enter Kratom. It was an answer to prayers, literally. It helped him with the withdrawals of the pills and the pain. He still takes the hydrocodone but has been able to go back down to his original prescription. Occasionally he’ll run out before the end of the month due to him working physical labor on a lumber yard and the pain and exhaustion it causes along with the back injury, he just needs more some days. If it wasn’t for kratom he would be in need of more pills when he ran out and, somehow, would need to obtain them just in order to function, to get through his day. He can’t call in sick, he has 10 people to provide for. The pain and withdrawal symptoms are unbearable to watch, I cant imagine what he himself goes through. As his wife, I will find any way I can to protect him from that kind of torture.
I, personally, have taken kratom daily for the past 18 months in replace of my daily 5-6 (plus) cups of coffee I was guzzling to keep up with this life. I feel (after LOTS of research on it, because that’s what I do) that it is better for me than coffee and/or caffeine and offers medicinal benefits in the way of powerful antioxidants, antibacterial properties, and supporting my mental well being as I have struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety in the past.
We use a variety of strains and although my tolerance increased at first during the first couple of months, I have not upped my daily amount in over a year and haven’t experienced increased tolerance. My husband never experienced increase in tolerance and still takes the same amount he started with 2 years ago. Also, besides less energy and mental clearness, I have never noticed any withdrawal type symptoms when we haven’t taken any.
But, now the government, who my husband fought for, is once again trying to control us and limit our choices to natural health options only to leave us to be addicted and dependant on them and THEIR medicines only. It really does seem to us typical American citizens, that this is all about money. It’s hard to see it any other way. If I am wrong, I’d love to find information that says otherwise. But all the laws and regulations put in place to “protect” us, only seem to take MORE rights away from us and leave us even more dependant on the US government and big money businesses like the pharmaceutical companies, in this case.
I’m praying to my awesome God that the DEA comes to its senses. I can’t imagine the amount of caffeine I’m going to need to keep up with all these kids now! Or maybe I can find another herb to use until the government snatches up that remedy too.
I’ve used kratom daily for years and it’s never been an issue. It doesn’t interfere with my home or work life. It doesn’t affect my ability to think coherently. It helps my pain and anxiety without impairing my mind the way prescriptions do. I know many people who have used with the same great experience as me- a youth pastor, my mom (a teacher at a private christian school), a registered nurse, several veterans- the people this will hurt are mostly productive employed citizens.
I have taken kratom daily for a year and havent had any problems other than making my life more livable. I have rheumatoid arthritis and the first stage of Parkinson which before kratom i was a shell of a peraon not being able to play with my kids or do my job requirements at work fully but since September of last year all that changed within weeks of taking kratom. I am happier and in less pain and my hands do not tremble as much. I am a lovinh father and husbamd please do not take this away.
I took prescription Oxycodone (for neck surgery – 5 metal plates & 10 screws) to manage pain up till last February when I found out about and switched to Kratom. It is working wonderfully as a substitute! I just found out about the DEA action and am extremely anxious now. There is so little time to find another alternative, which will most likely be to start filling opioid prescriptions again, which I really don’t want to do. So much has been documented lately about what a horrible outcome pain-killer abuse has become. Kratom has done so well in keeping me out of that trap and I’m sure that I speak for 1000’s in this request. A concise Kratom Fact Sheet is available at
http://tinyurl.com/zb9zzv2.
I have only used Kratom for a few weeks. My quality of life has improved greatly since beginning to take Kratom. I suffer from severe chronic pain and can not take narcotics. Not only had Kratom helped me have a better life and be more active, I know that it’s helped many others with addiction, PTSD and Depression/Anxiety. A placement on the schedule would do more harm to our country then good. Please reconsider the ban. Thank you.
Please ask the DEA and FDA why the alllow big Pharma to patent the alkaloids in Kratom but are making it illegal to the general public? They are crooks!
I have been using Kratom for a little over 2 years; prior to discovering Kratom I couldn’t walk for extended periods of time. Some days I couldn’t walk at all, couldn’t even get out of the bed due to having lupus and fibromyalgia amongst other chronic and painful illnesses. Kratom allowed me to recover my quality of life. Without Kratom, I would again be limited to how I can even interact with my family and I was under the care of pain management but It just wasn’t as effective.
Kratom is a cure for my insomnia. It’s organic and not synthetic. It’s the only thing I have ever used that cures my sleep problems. I have been to sleep clinics and doctors. No avail.
thank you for listening!
Roy
Hoping and praying the ban doesn’t pass. I deal with Chronic spinal pain and have had 3 surgeries, needing a 4th one. Without Kratom I couldn’t do my day to day chores that need to be done. I also wouldn’t be able to go out with my husband to dinner occasionally, or travel with him on business or personal trips. Please don’t let this band go through, I just want to be able to just enjoy the simple things in life. Thank you!!
This goes far beyond kratom, this goes to the issue of using Earth’s resources instead of big Pharma. I have single-handedly witnessed Kratom helping numerous individuals that have various ailments, anything from opiate addiction to depressive disorders. The general public has a right to use alternative types of medicines rather than synthetic chemicals that do more harm than good. I support the effort to try to stop the ban that is to go in effect on September 30th. It is time we join together as a human race and stop the micro-managing of the government. It sad that our government would rather poison us with pills.
I have been fighting the debilitating illness fibromyalgia since 1993. I have been on all kinds of prescription that had little to no effect and was nearly bed-ridden. About a year ago I started on kratom and from the beginning I had my life back. If there’s no therapeutic usage of kratom why are the pharmacy companies trying to patent some of the alkaloids? Please see the truth in this and stop the ban
Kratom has been a godsend for me. I became severely addicted to oxycodone that a pain management doctor had prescribed me for MS pain. At first the pills worked great for my pain…but it wasn’t long until I was needing more and more. I became so Addicted to the pills that I was then running out of my prescription early and buying the pills wherever I could. My life became unmanageable. I tried countless times to quit, but the withdrawal was too intense. I went to detox treatment twice, but I couldn’t stay clean once I was back home. I dropped out of school because I no longer could afford my tuition AND my pill addiction. I lost my house. It was my dream house that I had originally planned to live the rest of my life. I was losing everything.
I desperately started searching the internet for information about natural remedies for opiate withdrawal. I knew I didn’t want methadone, and suboxone made me feel sick and loopy all the time. I found some articles about a plant called Kratom that may be able to help me, so I decided to find a vendor online and place my order.
Here I am today, one year clean from opiates. Kratom has given me my life back. I was able to detox in the comfort of my own home, with minimal withdrawal pain. Kratom has also done wonders for helping my MS pain, which is really good because narcotics are no longer an option for me. Kratom has really helped my anxiety and depression as well. I’m finally back to being a functioning member of society. I’m slowly picking up the pieces and rebuilding my life.
I’m afraid of what will become of me when/if this ban goes in effect. How will I get relief from my ms pain? Will I go back to opiates? Will I live my life from a bed or wheelchair because I’m in too much pain to do anything else? I don’t know. It’s scary to think about.
The worst part is that this isn’t just going to affect me… This ban will devastate thousands of people who also rely on this amazing plant; mothers, fathers, grandparents, our veterans. The list goes on. This ban is going to diminish the quality of life for so many.
I really hope the DEA is fully aware and ready to accept the consequences of their actions. I really hope the DEA will rethink this kratom ban.
Kratom has helped my quality of life tremendously! Alcoholism and drug addiction runs in my family, along with anxiety and depression. I have suffered with anxiety and depression most of my teenage years and into my early 20’s. I have always tried to hide this from my family and friends and I ended up turning to drugs (in my younger years) and alcohol. I honestly became an alcoholic and it ruined alot of friendships and relationships I had with people. I am not proud of the person I was. I was introduced to kratom a few years ago, from a friend (who also suffered with social anxiety) and I decided to give it a try. I did alot of research on this plant and read alot of success stories with people who suffer from the same things as me. It took me awhile to figure out how to take it, and how much to take, but I joined a group that had a ton of information about kratom. I learned how much to take and found so much relief from my debilitating anxiety attacks. I no longer wanted to stay in bed all day, crying, and just not wanting to deal with life. I weaned myself off the antianxiety/anti depressant medication I was prescribed. I became a happy person again! I no longer turned to alcohol as a “crutch” to help me deal with this mental pain I used to endure. I also noticed my aches and pains from working were almost non existent too! I have always been a person to look for natural herbs and supplements to help me instead of being prescribed medication. I don’t want to go back to this way of life if this plant is banned and taken away from the people it has helped. I just want to have the right to choose a natural way to improve my quality of life.
Hello, my name is Juliana, and I am one of millions of Americans suffering from debilitating chronic pain and fatigue. I have lived with inflammatory spondyloarthropathy of the axial skeleton for over half of my life, beginning in adolescence, and I was misdiagnosed and under-treated in the American healthcare system for over a decade. However, I have repeatedly refused to give up on life! Despite my struggles, I have persevered to earn an advanced degree and participate part-time in the work force. I am able to live my life largely in thanks to a wonderful tropical plant known as kratom, which is an affordable, natural alternative to deadly opioids that gives me some independence from our broken, red-taped healthcare system.
Kratom is one of the most important medicines in my ankylosing spondylitis, axial psoriatic arthritis, sacroiliitis, depression/anxiety, and chronic fatigue arsenal. It dulls my pain more safely & effectively than opioids, but without the addiction, cravings, depression, isolation, brain fog, and other horrible side effects and severe withdrawal symptoms I and millions of others suffering with chronic pain have experienced. I haven’t taken opioids for over 6 months, thanks largely to kratom!!! It gives me more pep than coffee without the upset stomach, jitters, and caffeine crash. In short, it enables me to participate part-time in the work force and live my life!!!
The DEA plans to classify kratom as Schedule 1 on September 30, right alongside heroine, which will create a black market with mega-inflated prices, making myself and millions of Americans living with chronic illness into felons for drinking tea. This decision will also severely restrict important research into the medical applications of this plant in a time when the American pain and opioid epidemic are in dire need. Black market “quality” and price-hikes will force millions of pain patients to resort to insurance-covered, doctor-prescribed opioids or else succumb to debilitating pain. This decision will also continue to maintain the status quo of Big Pharma’s Opioid Addiction Industry.
This plant is about as “recreational” and “impairing” as coffee, and it’s impossible to overdose! In fact, it is far safer than alcohol, which is not only not classified as Schedule 1, but is often glorified/romanticized and very socially acceptable in the USA. Kratom has been safely used as a medicine for thousands of years. There is no evidence of kratom itself causing death.
Please stop the DEA from classifying this vital plant as Schedule 1 alongside heroine. This plant needs more research, and pain patients need more options.
Research:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3670991
http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2094342
Hello
I am a disabled veteran and this is my kradom story……. the is link is provided below…..
https://youtu.be/vbgKdyaTXmA
I really hope this ban does not go through. It sadens me so much. I really enjoy Kratom along with other herbs and supplements. I enjoy Kratom in the morning with a cup of green tea to get me moving in my day with more focus and a more positive attitude. I have had anxiety for years and whole Kratom doesn’t get rid of it, it does help. Without it I wouldn’t have the energy it requires to maintain my growin at home business and caring for me 3 children. This plant is sacred and used with respect by me and many others. It is not dangerous! I have used it for almost 3 years and have never had any issues. I am a healthy 33 year old woman. Please hear the people kf this great country and stop taking our rights from us! What will be next? Sad thing is kids drink energy drinks like monster daily doing more harm than this plant.
STOP THIS SENSELESS BAN! It helps my pain and anxiety without impairing my mind the way prescriptions do. Kratom Also helps with my focus. I have hope that the ban will not happen. thank you
I am a Veteran. I’ve seen the awful things that IEDs do to people and vehicles and when I returned from 11 months in Afghanistan, I drank heavily. I let everything slip – family, work, social – everything. I felt sorry for myself and I was angry at the world. Finally after about 8 months of the fast track to wrecking my life, my wife gave me an ultimatum – choose the alcohol or her. I took the ultimatum seriously, but I did not know how to cope with the issues I had. During that time, I’d sought help from the VA and received a bunch of pills. Before my slip downward, I’d been very active, lifting weights, running etc., so I researched supplements. I found Kratom. Within a few weeks, I found myself doing something I hadn’t done in a while – feeling good about myself and optimistic about the future; I also found myself NOT wanting to drink. I went out to a few social events and actually volunteered to drive 🙂 I TOOK my life back, with a little help from a wonderful, natural plant that the DEA seeks to make illegal. That was 5 years ago. I no longer drink. I no longer take VA meds. One thing I will say is that DEA’s claims of Kratom causing seizures are completely inaccurate and I will explain why. During the early days when I’d found Kratom, I was still taking Wellbutrin (which I literally decided to “flush” a couple months later). I mention this because Wellbutrin is known to “lower the seizure threshold” substantially more than any other drug. The max theraputic dose of Wellbutrin is 450mg/d, which actually has a 1% chance of causing a seizure… so out of every 100 people that take 450mg of Wellbutrin, statistically, 1 will have a seizure. Raise that dose to 600mg (i.e. someone accidentally takes an extra dose), that jumps to 4%. During the months that I maintained Wellbutrin and began Kratom, I did not have a seizure. I believe there are more than likely others that can make that same statement. I have been med free for almost 5 years, alcohol free for over 5 years and successful, clear-headed and high functioning during that time – the time in which I have used Kratom. This is madness and we need our elected officials more than anything, to step in and save the thousands of Veterans, Recovering Addicts, Recovering Alcoholics, Chronic Pain Sufferers and good Americans that have all bettered themselves with Kratom.
Kratom has seriously helped me in ways I never thought possible. Now Its going to be taken away from us. Please stop this ban or at least push it back to July!
My husband has had two radical back surgeries which in turn, have affected his ability to walk. He either experiences debilitating back pain still, and/or pain alternating with numbness going down one or both legs. He NEVER has a day in which he feels anything close to normal. I ask him on a regular basis what his pain level is and it has never been less than a six in all the years since his surgeries.
He began taking Kratom a few months ago upon advice of a friend who was using it to control their own pain. Upon taking his first dose, approximately 20′ later, he arose from his chair and went into our dining room to retrieve a book. There was no hesitation upon standing, no staggering to get or maintain his balance, no slowness in getting to his destination. I remarked “Well LOOK at you!” I pointed out what I had just seen in complete amazement. Upon asking what his pain level was, he replied “About a 2”. This was the first time I had EVER heard him state a level so low.
He has continued to take the Kratom and has managed to significantly lower his dosages of Gabapentin (which causes him horrible depressive episodes), Tramadol and Oxycodone (of which he just keeps needing more and more to obtain the same level of comfort). The Kratom is far less expensive, does not have NEARLY the side effects and causes no more euphoric effects than a couple of cups of coffee. He loves the level of pain relief that Kratom provides without the mental cloudiness that he gets from his prescription pain medications. The Kratom actually gives him MORE pain relief than the prescriptions.
I find it very hard to believe that the DEA is going after this incredibly helpful herb rather than focusing its efforts on something destructive, such as nicotine for example. Just another ever so common example as of late of government interference, oversight and greed being prompted by pharmaceutical greed…
So sad to have found something that could kill my pain & make me sleep- something to finally keep me straight WITHOUT relying on prescriptions- that not only was affordable, it was legal, easy to get, guilt free, without risk of incarceration AGAIN, and now THIS- if they would be honest with themselves, at least a few of them have family members that have gone through an addiction and everything that goes along with that- they need to not only do the right thing legally, but open their hearts for just a moment to see how detrimental this is going to be to those in need..when u do wrong, wrong always has a way of coming back to you- and this is just WRONG!
I am not sure which scenario is more frightening, the fact I could be charged with a felony for taking a natural supplement to better my quality of life and manage my chronic pain, or attempting to manage my life as a Mother, a Wife and high level Executive in excruciating pain and back on synthetic painkillers. Why am I, in my mid 40’s, SUDDENLY in a position where I need to make this choice? As a professional I am frequently tasked with making tough and hard decisions frequently. Unlike the DEA, I usually have facts, research and/or personal experience to help me make the right choices. If I don’t, I attempt to postpone the decision until I do. Sounds like a logical thought pattern, wouldn’t you agree? At a minimum the DEA needs to postpone this ban and obtain sound research, facts and most importantly, the voice and the experiences of “We the People.”
My life changed after I became addicted to legally prescribed narcotics for chronic pain. There came a time when the medicine became ineffective to treat the pain, but any attempt to stop taking the medicine would result in the pain of withdrawal on top of the physical pain. I fell into a depression that I attempted to treat with antidepressants, and these only complicated things further.
I discovered kratom in 2010 when I was searching the internet for methods used to counter withdrawal symptoms. That was the day that my life changed again, for the better this time. I would eventually titrate to a dosage of kratom that allowed me to stop my use of the addictive narcotics. There was one time when I think that I may have taken too much, and the only thing that happened was that I vomited and felt very drowsy. My breathing did not slow, I did not convulse, in fact, the effects subsided shortly after I vomited. The only other negative effect I have had is what the kratom community calls the “wobbles.” This is where it becomes difficult for your eyes to focus on something, and it is rather annoying.
The beneficial effects of kratom allowed me to not only stop taking pain medicine and muscle relaxers, but I no longer felt the depression and soon stopped the antidepressants. I used to take medicine for high blood pressure, but I now have a healthy blood pressure without medication. This could be a result of no longer taking so many prescriptions, or of beginning to once again live a healthy and active lifestyle, but I learned that kratom has very small amounts of “natural” calcium channel blockers. I understand why the Big Pharma may feel threatened. However, kratom is a somewhat acquired taste, and some people would prefer to take a pill than to drink kratom tea.
One thing I have never felt from kratom is a “high.” I might use words like uplifting, clarity, calm, tranquility, but never would I say that kratom has ever made me high. This could be because the “high” of the legal pain medicine raises the bar for me in this regard, but any new user who is trying to get “high” off kratom is going to be disappointed and may vomit from their efforts. Actions on kratom that I support include placing an age restriction on kratom supplements, pass legislation that bans the sale of kratom in any place of business that sells alcohol, and something akin to the German purity law for kratom that prevents kratom being sold in any product that contains other substances. I think these common sense approaches would solve many if not all of the controversy regarding kratom like exposure to minors or kratom sports drinks sold in gas stations.
Kratom is not for everyone, but it should not be made unavailable to those who have benefited from this herb for so many years. While I believe it is possible to become addicted to kratom, the only withdrawal symptoms I have experienced were a couple nights of insomnia and aching in the muscles. The headache I get from stopping caffeine is far more uncomfortable. I have been outspoken to my legislators here in Florida, and so far they are listening. My hope is that this will extend to the Federal Government as well. Thank you to whoever is taking the time to read this.
Please back off Kratom. It is a completely natural herb. I’ve taken it since August 2015 and have had zero side effects. It is addicting like coffee. I hate drugs.
Please let the states decide the legality, many have already legalized for 18+ users. I quit heroin, but methadone and suboxone clinics are full of junkies that have not quit or don’t want to. I don’t want to be surrounded by those kind of people while I’m trying to maintian my sobriety.
This is not to mention the Doctors of Osteopathy that praise Kratom for its medicinal qualities.
Do the right thing, use your AMA powers to scrutinize the DEA’s actions. Look into this. Let the people that need Kratom keep using it for the time being.
Keep Kratom legal so people can use an all natural herb to heal their pain. If the ban does go into effect, the US will see a dramatic increase in the use of prescription pain killers and heroin along with 1,000’s of people dying because of that. I’ve taken Kratom for about 3 years now and don’t have to get prescription pain medication that sucks the life out of my body. The Kratom community is extremely responsible because it doesn’t give you a high like other drugs and actually helps with several different health issues. If you overdose on Kratom, you might throw up at worst. If you overdose on prescription drugs or other street drugs, you die.
I am against this action. Kratom has been a lifesaver for me in my fight to get off opioids. I think with the opioid problem in this country, this is a valuable tool.
I almost lost my daughter less than 2 years ago and suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and depression.. Kratom has helped me function and helps me daily be a better wife and mother. I also have fibromyalgia and kratom greatly reduces my pain. It seems again another herb has helped so many people are trying to control. Please see the best in this and realize it is taking away from the good it does for so many lives.
Kratom has helped me continue being a great stay at home father. Before I used Kratom I drank way too much and continued drinking even after the birth of my daughter. I don’t even care to drink anymore or even think about it. It’s great to not have my brain so foggy anymore, I’m happy to not be so angry over nothing, and it’s really nice to not be contemplating suicide. Kratom is the only thing that has ever worked for me and made me a much better person, I wish I had this much younger because I would have lived a much happier life, but I’m grateful for what I have now.
I am a professional at work saving lives and raising three children with my wife. I also am an addict, albeit through NA/AA and the use of kratom I am able to stay off opiates with ease. It is obvious that the DEA isn’t really concerned that kratom is an imminent danger to the American people. There has to be reasons for this ignorant and deplorable choice of banning kratom and it seems the reasons are selfish. I am not a doctor, but I am confident that fast food, sugar, alcohol and tobacco are far more harmful than this natural plant. My wife uses kratom for pain control and energy. We are good people and great parents and should not become criminals next month. Oh, and coffee and chocolate also stimulate some opiate receptors and make you feel good if I’m not mistaken. You don’t see pictures of adults overdosed on kratom with a toddler in the back seat. No, that is what heroin dose. Heroin is a schedule 1 and look at the rate of people abusing it, many of which started with big pharma pushing opiates such as OxyContin, which by the way they initially stated was hardly addictive. Who is the criminal here? Am I a free American? Keep the support going people!!
For once….. I have found something that is not harmful to me that treats my anxiety and depression. Now it will be banned.
I am a woman who uses kratom to stop any pain associated with my MS!! Without Kratom and insurance, I will have NOTHING!!! Please dont let my family down
I think what you guys are doing is great, keep up the good work. There is no need to make millions of people suffer because the DEA has a hidden agenda.
Befor any rash decisions are made.. Everyone please do your research and listen to all the pleas including my own. Kratom is not addicting,not habbit forming nor is it a cure! The Natural leaf Kratom has given me my life back not taken it away like the Dr.s have done once alrdy! Please dont make me go back to all the chemically made medicines..I too have fibromyalgia,muscle spasms,IBS, Nerve issues, migrains, restless leg syndrome,depression and so much more, I have also been on Nuerontin ,cymbalta, Lyrica,Ambien,Flexeril,requip, prozac, zanex,Percocet,vicodin, Dilaudid,Morphine and so many more…Addicting,habit forming to say the least! I missed 9 years of my sons life and half my family because of it all. Kratom has not only saved my life but also my sons…I am no longer on any of these meds thank god! For they just turned me into a addict like so many people have sadly become. they ruined my life not to mention my body! Kratom has given me the life back that i used to have. It has gotten me off all those Opioids,that did nothing but made me into someone I never wanted to be…it has given me the pain relief, without the depression,it has given me the energy to get out of bed in the morning and see the sun instead of a dark cloud that some Dr.s and pharmacies put people under by giving them all these pills.. Kratom is all natural not even as harmfull as a coffee leaf.. How dare DEA’s or thee to label Kratom as a dangerous substance and categorize it as schedule 1,when the only thing it has done is help people in a good healthy way..the only harmfull thing about this whole thing is the life sucking chemically made drugs that are handed out all for greed…
PLEASE do NOT put Kratom on the List of Schedule I Drugs. KRATOM IS NOT A DANGEROUS DRUG. I am 59 years old and I have been using kratom everyday for OVER 3 years now. I take kratom for my back pain (I have 2 compression fractures of the spine) and for my osteoarthritis AND IT DEFINITELY WORKS. I also take kratom for my severe anxiety and depression and sleep problems AND IT DEFINITELY WORKS. I also should mention that I do NOT take any RX or OTC drugs — NONE. And, I do NOT drink alcohol.
I do NOT take kratom to get high. Kratom does NOT get me high no matter how much I take. Kratom is not addicting like heroin, it’s much closer to a coffee addiction which I can easily deal with [IF] I have to. We all are addicted to something, be it coffee, sugar, wheat, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, gambling or fast food. The fact is… too much of anything can be bad for you and could lead to an addiction.
Too much of anything can also be dangerous, for example, a person can die from drinking too much water, but the fact is nobody has died [specifically] from taking too much kratom ALONE. I do NOT crave more and more kratom even after daily use for 3+ years — I always take the same amount everyday.
On August 31st the DEA irresponsibly placed the active compounds in Kratom , Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, into Schedule I, effective September 30.
As a taxpaying citizen who has elected you to office, I ask that you represent my voice and please act immediately to halt the DEA’s irresponsible action to place Kratom on the list of Schedule I drugs.
Why not just regulate kratom in the same way you regulate alcohol, cigarettes and E-cigarettes which are definitely more of a health problem than kratom. The industry needs to come together to self-regulate and self-police one another and get rid of some of the bad apples out there.
I support placing an age restriction on kratom for consumers who are 18 or older. I also believe that stricter labeling guidelines are necessary. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding shouldn’t use kratom, for example, and anyone with a medical condition or who is taking prescription medications should consult their doctor before trying kratom. Perhaps most importantly, make sure that products aren’t being deliberately marketed toward younger consumers, or with the intent of comparing its effects to other drugs, like actual opiates.
Kratom is a tropical plant in the coffee family from Southeast Asia that has been used to support energy and focus, as well as a potent immune system booster. Kratom is inherently safe and shares many therapeutic constituents in common with other widely recognized medicinal plants such as Cat’s Claw and Yohimbe, which currently enjoy wide spread safe usage as dietary supplements in the United States and abroad.
The DEA, without a serious review of the available scientific literature, has chosen to emergency schedule Kratom and designate it as schedule I substance; one that has no accepted medical value. The common citizen can easily perform a search for “Mitragyna speciosa” in Google scholar and find over 1,660 search results documenting the potential medical value of Kratom. The DEA has not only turned a blind eye to the scientific literature, but it has also taken the stance that it is uninterested in hearing testimony from Kratom users who use it for its therapeutic value. Thus, the DEA considers any and all use of Kratom to be abuse, while ignoring the medical literature, NIH funded studies, numerous patents, and millions of users testimonies, all of which point to its therapeutic potential.
Rather than consider the therapeutic potential for Kratom, the DEA has unilaterally moved to make millions of felons out of Kratom users who are simply using Kratom in accordance with its historical use, its patented use, and the conclusions of thousands of scientific studies. Allowing the DEA to unilaterally criminalize the use of Kratom will not only create millions of felons out of otherwise law abiding citizens, but it will also halt all scientific investigations into Kratom’s medicinal benefits which would benefit millions of other law abiding citizens. With America currently suffering from an opiate epidemic and opiate related overdoses at an all-time high, a policy that prohibits the research of therapeutic compounds does not make sense.
Furthermore, the economic impact of the criminalization of Kratom will have unforeseen consequences due to the enforcement costs and public health costs associated with addiction such as emergency room visits due to substituting Rx medicines, petty theft to obtain said Rx medicines, etc. Lastly, harsh penalties, such as a felony charge for possessing Kratom will not only be ineffective in preventing its use but it will also severely limit otherwise law abiding citizens’ future prospects for jobs, housing, voting rights, food assistance, and education, a challenge that can be permanently damaging to individuals, while costing US citizens tax revenue that is better spent on serious crime.
This has been a wonderful plant ! It has helped with the side effects of pain Meds ! I have felt more alive and clear headed ! My pain has decreased since I have been taking Kratom! Can’t imagine life without the Kratom. Can’t believe this is happening, life is too short to be in pain every day and stuck in the house without the desire to do anything! Kratom has mad my life worth living agin ! God Bless You All
Google’s advertising algorithm has determined that I should start getting ads for Suboxone supplying doctors. Except that I stopped drinking kratom tea as soon as I heard about the ban, and have had very few withdrawal symptoms. I am not a drug addict or a Heroin or Opiod user. I want all the Drug Pushing Doctors, Insurance Companies, Big Pharma and Google to know that I don’t want their dope. Their dope is corrupted by the evil inherent. Just say no to Drugs. Say yes to what god has created and approved for use, something like kratom.
There is no way the DEA’s decision is based on sound science. To qualify as a Schedule 1 drug, the chemical in question must not have any medicinal value. Kratom is a plant -more than any other drug I can think of- that users consume for medicinal purposes. For me, and for my kratom using friends, the plant doesn’t have a high recreational value. Not once have I ever said, for instance, “Let’s go burn some kratom and hit up that party tonight,” or, “Hey, wanna come over and get fucked up on kratom?” That’s simply not what the plant is mainly used for. I’ve used kratom mainly to treat my anxiety and ADHD. In the past, kratom has allowed me to take far less of my ADHD medicine than is prescribed. Additionally, I’m a recovering alcoholic and addict, and abstain from alcohol and recreational drugs. Kratom has been an invaluable tool for me. It medicates my anxiety so well, that I simply haven’t had the urge to pick up a drink or get high in over a year. More importantly, though, this nation is undergoing a deadly opiate abuse epidemic. Kratom can, and has, helped so many addicts painlessly wean off opiates. It has also help a countless amount of them when used for maintenance. It can safely take the place of methadone and suboxone. It’s in the public’s best interest for the DEA to not ban kratom. It just doesn’t make any sense.
The impact that this ban will have on people and their lives is going to be irreversible! There are going to be deaths due to overdose, suicides due to depression and people losing hope! Children losing their parents into an opiate and benzo coma! There will be people losing jobs and they will no longer be able to care for their family or themselves! Kratom has helped so many people be able to return to a world that they forgot existed and now our government is going to pull the rug out from under them!! I’m extremely scared for my own life and the poor quality of it without Kratom! It has been a very stressful couple of weeks for the Kratom community and the next couple will be even worse as September 30th closes in on us! After that….it’s all on the DEA! Zero deaths due to Kratom alone but there will surely be deaths alone without Kratom!
I want to start off by saying that I have been a nurse for 8 yrs now. I was a unit manager at a nursing home which meant I over saw everything from patient care to implementing Dr’s orders. The year and a half that I was the manager I had to let 3 nurses go because of narcotic use or because they stole narcotics. I managed 7 nurses so almost half was addicted to opioids. We offered counseling and rehab services to anyone that had a drug related issue. Of course none of them would accept help but one of them had a long talk with me outside of work a few days after I let her go and her story was similar to well over half of the population that addicted to pain killers. She wanted to stop but couldn’t deal with the horrible withdrawals. She said that she had honestly rather die than go through them. Her story stuck with me and I started to research in depth a herb that I had been taking for 5 yrs or more. I studied online articles but also got introduced to a ” medicine women” who lived in Thailand. So to make this story a little shorter and sum it up I told this former employee about Kratom and how it would help with opioid withdrawal plus significantly reduce her arthritis pain. She now has been 2 yrs free of any pharmaceutical pain killer and says that she feels the best she has in years. She didn’t have any opioid withdraws or any side effects from taking the Kratom. I started taking it daily about 5 yrs ago. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I suffered daily and had to continue on with my daily activities. My pain become so bad that I finally had to resort to taking lortabs. That was the biggest mistake because not only was the side effects unbearable but my pain level started to increase while I was on them. That’s when I decided that if I didn’t find something without side effects then I no longer could care for my children nor work. That’s when I discovered Kratom and my life changed. I all of a sudden could do more work and take better care of my children because I was pain free and when I say pain free I mean zero pain. I have side effects from taking it. I don’t understand why anyone who had even a tiny heart would want to take away something that has saved and renewed so many lives. If it’s made illegal then I will lose my life again. I understand that the pharmaceutical company is losing money because of Kratom and that’s the true reason behind the ban but please consider the lives it will ruin just so they can make a dollar. Please listen to us and see that we only want to live a normal life. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Kratom has made my life possible without walking around in a drug induced haze. I have severe arthritis in my shoulders, back, hips, knees and fingers. Before Kratom I was either in massive amounts of pain or in a have from my pain pills. With Kratom I can be pain free and actually continue to live my life and function normally something I could never do on pain pills.
Kratom needs to be researched for its potentially helpful qualities which, as someone who tried it during depression and was able to cut alcohol out of my life having kratom instead, I am confident it has. A ban will do no one any good except for drug companies that are making money, addicts and overdose victims from legal prescription painkillers. Kratom is not known to have ever killed anyone. How many people have legal painkillers and alcohol killed? In addition, kratom must have potential as a vastly safer alternative for heroin users. Kratom has become popular with people who identify its benefits and its apparently less harmful side effects as compared to painkillers / alcohol / heroin. Users of kratom would like to see this drug studied so that we may better understand its benefits as well as its potential side effects. Classifying kratom as a schedule 1 drug will prevent that and it will deprive users of a safer alternative to painkillers / alcohol / heroin.
Like many of the other reply’s on this board this is not about the assumed dangers associated with Kratom. It is about the lobbyist from Big Pharma that has pushed the DEA to ban this and to register it as a schedule 1 drug, completely without justification or merit.
I have been using Kratom for more then 2yrs to help with 2 herniated discs in my back and episodes of a sciatic nerve flair up that leaves me paralyzed for days. I was prescribed Hydrocodone for 4yrs to start then was moved to Oxycodone for another 2. Life was miserable for a long time. A friend introduced me to Kratom and it was like it repaired everything wrong. I was more optimistic about life again instead of being depressed all the time and unlike the opiates I was using for a long time Kratom worked much better on the constant pain and I was able to even move around during my sciatic flair ups. Please consider the peoples lives before buckling to Big Pharma Lobbyist
The DEA seems to ban the items that it believes big business cannot make a giant profit from. I believe the DEA and the FDA have simply become an extension of “big pharma” and the “AMA . The time has come for these government organizations to be dismantled!
I implore you to do the “right” thing, not the thing that’s going to make pharmaceutical companies more money on their opiate strategy, getting people hooked then charging to ween them off, all the while people are dying. Leave Kratom alone, leave it natural, do not let the pharmaceutical industry destroy this plant by deriving or extracting, synthesizing and creating a monster. Please just leave it alone….in its natural form it is harmless and does so much good to so many people. Please just leave it alone
WOW! I am amazing that in this political climate where more and more people are tired of restrictions being put upon Americans that we are even talking about this. WHEN will the DEA and other government agencies learn that WE ARE THE ones who pay them. If they take this away they are losing millions of dollars in taxes AND more people will die. I have spoken to many people who are chronic pain sufferers and they have said that they will never survive a ban.
I am 57 and my husband is 59. We both take Kratom for chronic pain. It works much better for us than any medications that have been prescribed for us over the years, and I don’t even want to think about how our lives will be affected if this ban is allowed to go into effect! Thank you CRE for addressing this gross over reaction by the DEA!
I hope everyone who has posted here will be as vocal to their representative in Congress. Congress has oversight over the DEA and only by bringing this to their attention will there be any action taken to demand that the DEA justify their call to schedule.
Please research,put some kind of regulation or prescription on kratom if that is what you must, but Please, Do not put a ban on the all natural Kratom leaf befor doing so. it does nothing but help people…So many including myself have gotten off all pain and other meds,and live a good quality life because of the non addicting all natural plant Kratom..There is such a opiate epidemic in this world (including my self and many others at one point) It just makes me sick. That number I guarantee you has dropped significantly since they have found Kratom! You think with the world wide problem with opiates that is out of control, you would want to welcome such a wonderfull natural breakthrough!
Kratom is a herb. It is one I didn’t know about until 2013. In April of that year I had back surgery, then a complication, and in May another back surgery. All this has left me with nerve damage and on a slew of meds, one being hydrocodone. At first I was taking 20 mg ever 4 hrs of this stuff. Exit to a year later and Kratom came into my life. I take 1 tsp of this every 5 hrs, maybe longer and I’m still able to function in life, go to my job, go shopping, ect. For me this is just wonderful because before it was just pain and being a zombie to drugs. I do know that that people have to be careful but I’ve never had a reaction reaction to Kratom. I just have less pain and can do more in my life w/ this herb. Oh by the way I’m 68 yrs. young
Kratom saved me from a life of pain and also from the abuse from doctors, their staff and the pharmacies. I’ve had to hit up to 20 pharmacies to get prescriptions filled, going to a few each day as the pain allowed. I was being forced into doing procedures I didn’t want like steroid shots in my spine even though I’d done tons of them and had little to no relief from them. I am able to get up and walk without much pain now and most of all I have peace of mind. I have been able to stop taking the valium I’d depended on for years, I am no longer diabetic and my blood pressure is much better so that meant another pill was stopped.
My quality of life is so much better now I don’t want to go back to oxycodone and methadone and whatever else they were handing out. I was never addicted to them but because of the intensity of my pain I am dependent on pain relief. I am afraid that some pain patients will end up killing themselves from a lack of relief. This is a lot more common than most people know unfortunately.
I have Sjogrens, arthritis, neuropathy, PTSD, Fibromyalgia and I am in constant pain. I am a grandmother, teacher, sister, widow and friend.Before Kratom, I barely existed. After Kratom, I can work, play with my grandsons, go for a walk, go to church, and contribute to society. Kratom is a plant for Gods sake. If this ban goes through it will affect millions of people’s lives. If this ban goes through I won’t be able to do the things I can do now. Kratom is a natural God given plant and as an American I should have the choice to use a plant to help me.
For a year, I was stuck in bed unable to work or take care of my kids. Doctors didn’t know what was wrong, so I wasn’t being treated. I walked hunched over because my stomach hurt so badly, I limped because my body hurt for no reason and I had headaches daily and migraines at least twice a week. I wanted to die. Instead, I started finding hydrocodone and took it like candy so I could at least work. Soon, it wasn’t helping anymore and my stomach always hurt. I think I hoped they’d just kill me and end my misery, but then my friend told me about Kratom and gave me some to sample. Within just a couple of minutes, no exaggeration, I was able to stand up straight, my limp was almost gone, my head cleared and I felt normal. Later, I found out I have fibromyalgia, chronic migraines, depression, anxiety, ulcerative colitis, an umbilical hernia, and gall stones. To this day, I still rely on Kratom so I can work. I am all my kids have. Without me, we are homeless and starved. When I heard about this, my heart fell because this is not a schedule anything supplement. It’s no different than St. John’s Wort or other things. Diet pills are more dangerous, so why, DEA are you wanting to take the one thing that works away from us? We are not bad people, we aren’t criminals, we aren’t losers, we aren’t violent, and we aren’t high either. We are ill people who want to use a natural plant for medicine because of its efficiency and lack of side effects and dangers. Please rethink this. You are making a huge mistake. It’s like banning all wheelchairs or something. We’re disabled too and a lot of us aren’t on disability because of Kratom. Please don’t send me back to bed.
I wake up every morning wondering what the DEA was thinking when they put this ban out there. For the past 11 years I have been a school bus driver. For the 30 years before that I was a waitress. I now need knee replacement in both knees. I discovered kratom 4 years ago and knee replacement is the farthest thing from my mind. Kratom has helped the pain immensely without the high of opiates that I was on before. I have recently been promoted to trainer and I am also the shop steward at our location. If I had still been on opiates I would not even have been working because I would have had to take more and more. The ban on kratom is useless and only detrimental to all the people that use it.
Kratom is godsend. Ive gone weeks without needing it. But when i do need it, it work and it works well. I have yet to experience a side effect.
In short, I was addicted to hydro-codone due to back problems. Each time I went to the pharmacy to get my prescription, I was made to feel like an addict, which I was. I wanted to quit taking the pills, but I couldn’t do it alone. Nobody even knew I was taking them, except my dr. and sister. I had watched her come off the hydro and knew I could not do that and still function. I found Kratom, and I was able to get off the medicine without any severe withdrawals. It works for my pain and my arthritis. It is what keeps me functioning. I do not get high from it like I did the pain meds. I am just able to function normally. I am a retired educator with 2 masters degrees. I researched Kratom a lot before using it. I know the problem is that Kratom is not bought at the pharmacy. If they take away our right to use it, I don’t know what is going to happen to all of us who need it. There is not one plausible reason to consider it a narcotic……not ONE. I am not sure that anyone really cares about what we have to say, but I decided to write just in case.
This feels like the proverbial witch hunt. Here we the people,have been using a gentle herbal tea to relieve pain without the need for harmful pharmaceuticals ( which I presume is the REAL reason for this ban) for centuries. I too am a citizen in good standing with a PhD in physics teaching at a local university. This ban will effectively ” crippled, me as I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Fira myalgia. Ten years ago I was bedridden and addicted to narcotics. After detoxing with the aid of this gentle, and miraculous tea( kratom ) I now have my life and sanity back. And no, it does not make me , high” in any way. It is, pure and simple, a godsend. A plant. A natural remedy and affordable solution for many thousands of people suffering from pain, depression, and anxiety. It is self regulating so you never have to worry about taking too much. This is a built in blessing. In a word,nit is un abusable! But are we the people being asked for our input? No! Has a scientific study been asked for? No! My guess is Big Pharma has those in power firmly in their grasp( and on their payroll) nothing else makes a bit of sense. Suggesting that Kratom is somehow cause for public alarm and their imminent safety is ludicrous. This is absolutely without merit, unconstitutional and a blatant abuse of power. And what can we the people do but make a public comment on sites like this. I have written letters to every agency and power structure I can think of. My one little voice. Will it be heard against the roar of the powerful opposition? or will many thousands of us teachers, policemen, military personal, parents and grandparents now become felons if we brew our morning tea? America, I am ashamed for you. Please, LISTEN to your people. Of course this has to remain anonymous as I am now in fear of exercising my right to speak. Thank you for any who read this.
I would like to express my concern for the proposed action of scheduling Kratom in the United States. I am not a user of the substance, however I know many people who I know rely on this plant for maintaining their daily lives. These are people who are (and want to be) productive members of society and achieve that through Kratom. I actually believed that as a country we were headed in a different direction when it came to the “drug war”. However, this action clearly suggests otherwise. I have seen many reports labeling Kratom a “synthetic” drug or an “opioid”, neither of which are true. I think that any rational society should look at facts and science and make decisions about laws and regulations based on that information. I think it’s obvious that if this scheduling proceeds then no one in a position to make these decisions has done any research to make an informed conclusion. I can search the Internet for 3 minutes and find multiple documents that refute the claims that the DEA has made.
I have rambled on a bit but I think to summarize I would just like to say:
(1) – anyone who is reading these comments that has the ability to affect this decision should realize that scheduling Kratom is more than likely going to have an adverse affect on the population. I fear for my loved ones who may not be able to have access to this plant, which is what inspired me to write these comments this morning.
(2) – delay the scheduling and consider all available facts and information and at least allow for public comment. We supposedly live in a democratic society. There is nothing democratic about this. It reminds me of living in China or something.
(3) – if findings do not indicate an “imminent threat to public health” than maybe consider regulating the plant like lots of other things in the country. Have quality controls and age restrictions.
These are the types of outcomes that result from a fair and balanced debate. At the very least, lets have the conversation and ask the right questions. There is no reason for immediately scheduling this plant as you have claimed.
Thanks.
I am health, and fitness professional and have been in the industry for a good number of years. With that, I am quite attuned to the negative or positive effects different substances have on the body. I took opiates as prescribed by my doctor for a number of years, and never exceeded the recommended dose. I noticed the effects the opiates had on my body, and mind and didn’t like what i was discovering. I felt like my insides were rotting away and just felt crappy, imagine putting a bit of sand into the gears of a clock….
Over time the positive effects lessened, and I felt even worse. Instead of raising the dosage yet again recommended by my doctor I sought out an alternative. I discovered kratom, and since that day haven’t looked back. I am able to function pain free through the day without my many extreme sports injuries(past broken bones, surgeries, 2 slipped discs, etc..)
Not only has it helped my physical ailments tremendously, I have completely abated from caffeine, have normal bowel movements and a normal appetite which is non existent with opiates. But my most favorite of all is not having the typical opiate fog, or “dirty” feeling in my brain where it feels just aren’t running quite right up there!
I will never go back to opiates, and will keep spreading the word of how this simple leaf called kratom has improved my life. You can be darn sure I am going to do everything I can to keep those nasty chemicals out of my body!
I am deeply saddened by the apparent inability of over 100,000 people to get the DEA to stop the mis-classification of kratom at the end of September 2016. I can’t understand how “we the people” can’t get our lawmakers to stop this incredibly dangerous and damaging action. For many of us, we have no other option than kratom. My husband asked me today “what are you going to take when you can’t drink your “tea” anymore?”? You see – we both hold government clearances and work 60 to 70 hours a week each for our government. We’ve given our lives to make a difference for our country. Now – when I need my government most – it is letting me down. My children will suffer, my marriage will suffer, and thousands of people i help with my work everyday will suffer, not to mention my own suffering. My pain will return, my anxiety will spike, and my medical testing to “try and find why I’m hurting all the time” will return. Thousands of dollars over many years and the loss of a company and all my retirement is what I gave to find out the source of my pain. Lyme Disease? Fibromyalgia? Hormone balancing? Thyroid? Vitamin D deficiency? Fatty liver? Gluten allergies? Dairy allergies? – OR – drink a glass of kratom or two a day.
PLEASE, PLEASE – if anyone hears us. PLEASE stop this. We are not drug addicts, we are law abiding citizens trying to work and pay taxes and raise our kids. Let us keep going. Please…..
Kratom has helped me better my life in many ways. I have a herniated disc in my upper neck, I deal with anxiety as well as depression, and kratom assists me with keeping them at bay. Also, I am a very hardworking and motivated person with a lot of goals but being 38, inching toward 39, my energy isn’t really where it used to be, and Kratom helps me cut that fatigue. I find it very troubling that the DEA is misinformed and didn’t do their research before making this rash decision to make Kratom illegal. This action will have negative consequences that include hurting many people physically, mentally, financially & some will even die (due to turning or returning to deadly alternatives to cope with their pain, depression and other disabilities). I hope that they are listening to what the people are saying and postpone this “”emergency ban”” (what emergency??) as to give them more time to do research & to allow free and responsible adults this natural alternative. If they look at the facts, they will find cigarettes, alcohol, and a lot of prescription drugs, which aren’t banned, are more of a threat than Kratom. They would even conclude that fast food is more of a threat than Kratom is. I hope they listen to the people and stop this ban!
I am someone who does not use Kratom. I choose to not use it because I get a better “high” from taking B vitamins and I get better pain relief from using fish oil. Never the less….I know people who use Kratom and I am very close to one of them. So I feel like commenting on what I see.
My friend has a back ground of using Tramadol and Hydrocodone to help with extreme shoulder rotator cuff injury pain. Since he has used Kratom…he is off pharmaceuticals and his pain is now manageable. Having been in his presence while under the influence of Kratom and having tried Kratom itself…I can tell you that other than taking the edge off the pain….Kratom is not a mood altering substance. The “high” of kratom is on par with taking B vitamins or fish oil… very, very mild and subtle.
The irony to me is that we could be seeing Kratom made illegal at a time when marijuana is being made legal in different states. Marijuana is much, much much more psycho active than Kratom. Could it be that the pharmaceutical companies are behind this attack on Kratom? Are they afraid that painkillers everywhere would get too much competition from Kratom?
I hope that Kratom remains legal for the sake of all the people who use it to manage their pain without using opiates and other more physically impacting drugs. It would be a tragedy if these people are forced onto more serious drugs by making Kratom illegal. Thanks.
I’ve used Kratom 5-7 times, 6 years straight. Miracle compound for me and so many. I use it for motivation, it’s my “coffee” and it’s certainly more healthful than energy drinks.
The real victims of this ban are going to be those in chronic pain. The Vets, the single mothers who got in accidents, the senior citizens. Literally their lives (as they know it – the ability to manage their pain without being an addict/criminal) will be turned upside-down.
This ban, if it goes into effect, will absolutely destroy so many lives and that is no exaggeration whatsoever. It is the WORST thing that can happen to hundreds of thousands of tax-paying, law-abiding citizens.
Let’s get some real research done so the true comes out.
If the government is really concerned about the well- being of the people , they will reverse this decision . Thousands of good, law-abiding citizens take Kratom as an alternative to dangerous prescription medicines , which the Government even admits , are killing thousands of people . It makes no sense . At the very least , they need to postpone this ban , until all the proper research has been done . If they look at the facts , they will see that Kratom is helping people , not harming them . It would be a real travesty of justice if even one person taking Kratom was arrested for taking this natural herb which has not been shown to be a health threat .
I’m merely going to leave my experience with Kratom. In 2001 I had knee surgery. 2 torn meniscus discs, bone spurs under my patella that had to be scraped out, patella tendon cut then kneecap re-centered. I wasn’t aware all of this was going to happen. Apparently the surgeons noticed more damage as they went in. Afterwards it was found that the surgery shortened the repaired leg a fraction, but enough to cause spinal stenosis, or an S bend to my spine as well as affecting my neck. Post surgery I was of course given hydrocodone. I soon foubd out that medication gave me hundreds of ulcers and besides the horrible way it made me. feel, i couldn’t keep anything down and would vomit for days. This is all my dr would give me. After I rehabbed my knee I decided to do research and seek alternatives. DEA, research is creative work taken systemically in order to increase knowledge of a subject. I thought I should give a brief definition since you apparently didn’t seem to do any of your own in regards to the ban. So…I found kratom. I read about every strain, color, origin, what other things this wonderful leaf aids in. After 4 months of research I decided I’d had enough as by this point I was getting back problems and migrains. I ordered ot, took the recommended amount and have found it to work wonders. I can function at work. I can stand for long hours and basically enjoy life. I never wanted the hydrocodone to begin with as it never helped and made me loopy. Now you’re saying my only alternative is to go to a dr and be given the same thing by perscription, and posdibly be addicted to as so many others, and TAKE AWAY that people started as to get off the addictive prescriptions they were put on? THAT is criminal. Especially since there are no facts to base your opinions on. Please…do not take away the only non-addictive thing out there that has helped myself and so many others function through life without pain or anxiety or whatever ailment each of us may have.
Please stop this ban. Kratom helped me with my generalize anxiety disorder. I am able to go out of my house and live a productive life. Research on this plant needs to be done, not a ban. Keep it available to the people.
Please do not go through with the ban. My mother was an alcoholic for my whole life, and for 2 years now she has been sober using Kratom. She is no longer on medication or requires anti-depressants. This plant is a miracle and should be made available to all. It is one of the many wonders in my life how things such as Tobacco and Alcohol are readily made and available to anyone on a shelf in every store. Alcohol and cigarettes kill folks everyday. The funny thing about drugs is that if they we’re harmful you wouldn’t have this many posts showing goodwill and heart.
My name is Dana Scavitti and I’m writing on behalf of my girlfriend of 5 years. My girlfriend suffers from multiple chronic illnesses including fibromyalgia, lupus, sciatica, and chronic neck and back pain as a result of a car accident in 2011. When we first started dating Candie was fairly healthy, an ambitious young lady working 3 jobs and also going to college full-time. However, about six months later she started getting sick. No one knew what was going on and she went from doctor to doctor getting little to no help or answers. Doctors were not interested in finding the cause and I’ve witnessed some of her appointments during which she barely got a sentence out about what her symptoms were before the doctor had opened the rx pad to prescribe something. Candie kept trying switching doctors, seeing specialists, and trying medication after medication but nothing was helping her.
Within a year my girlfriend was hardly recongizable as the person I had first started dating. She was tired and irritated all the time flipping out over nothing. She became distant and withdrawn stopped socializing and dropped all hobbies she had in the past. She was always exhausted, the sleep meds didnt make her sleep and only made her more groggy in the am. She started missing a lot of work and college classes. She had been on Dean’s List and never missed a day of work up until this point but now she was so fatigued she couldn’t get herself out of bed some days. She saw more doctors and tried more medication but the side effects of these medications made her totally unable to function during the day. It wasn’t long after that Candie had to stop working all together. She developed cluster migraines last August and became unable to drive and even unable to stand up. She was rendered totally bedridden and still her doctors didn’t seem to care or be concerned. She was basically told she had maxed out all treatments for her conditions and there was nothing left to be done, she would just have to accept being wheelchair bound for the rest of her life. Needless to say Candie was heartbroken and depressed. She became very anxious about how she was going to survive and even more depressed when SSA denied and denied her disability as she layed there for nine months unable to move getting letters telling her she could stand six hours and such. She had never been called to be examined by a doctor from SSA so where they came up with this determination is beyond me.
Then Candie tried kratom at the recommendation of someone in her chronic illness support group and the difference was nothing less than miraculous. In a month my girlfriend was back to her old self walking, moving, laughing etc. Her migraine went away and has stayed away for six months since she started using kratom. Before kratom Candie would catch every cold, flu, etc; she was sick every other week with something from a cold to strep throat. She has not been sick at all in 6 months. She even went back to work recently and the gym. The change in her mood between being on rx drugs including pain killers and now is phenomenal. She is smiling, happy, laughing acting like the person she was four years ago before all this started.
My girlfriend is not high or some kind of drug user. She looks and acts completely normal using this, its world’s apart from the drugged state she was in on rx drugs swearing and flipping out all the time over next to nothing. I can personally attest the changes with kratom have only been for the good and I would hate to see her have to return to the miserable depressed agonizing pain she was in before this. Please speak up and sign the Solmon/Pocan Dear Collegage letter to the DEA asking them to slow down this scheduling process so that fair scientific research can be done on this plant before taking it away from thousands of people all over the USA using this harmless plant to treat their chronic pain.
I use kratom for chronic pain. It has been greatly helpful to me, I work full time plus overtime so I’m often in pain at work and kratom allows me to increase my productivity as well as miss less work. Kratom has been way more useful than prescription painkillers which left me sedated and decreased my productivity. It also works better for my pain than acetaminophen or nsaids. Banning kratom will be detrimental to my overall health and will limit my motility and ability to function as well. I hope the DEA reconsiders this emergency scheduling as it will force many chronic pain patients such as myself to either return to deadly and dangerous opiate medications or cause limitation in my mobility. Kratom has been a lifesaver for me and I absolutely do not want to break any law and am a law-abiding tax paying citizen who should have the right to use kratom responsibly for my ailments. To say it is highly addictive and not medicinal is incorrect and I am living proof this is not the case. I do not suffer withdrawals without it and it’s benefits have been monumental for my overall health.
Would you rather persecute even kill/MURDER all the people who use and benefit from this harmless herbal medication Kratom or keep things as is? I honestly do not believe anyone who is sworn to defend this country and constitution can support this rushed and corrupt strong arm attempt to ban a proven harmless substance.
The ban has to be stopped! I am 44 and played basketball, soccer, and golf. All 3 sports have taken their toll on my knees and back. I currently caddie and still play golf at a high level. Kratom along with diet and care have allowed me to revive my knees and back to the point where I can snowboard, ski, and play golf on back to back days. Not to mention Kratom allows me to make a living as a caddie. I call it my “oil for my joints” and it also has residual healing effects in my examination of my healing process. It would be a crime to deprive citizens from using this great plant for the multitude of ailments it has an impact on treating. Thanks for keeping it legal. T
I am writing as one of many beneficiaries of a life-saving herbal supplement that is under grave threat from a hasty and uninformed decision from the DEA.
It is claimed that there have been a small handful of deaths due to Kratom in the last few years, thus justifying the Schedule I placement due to emergency conditions. Nothing could be further from the truth. First, the number of alleged Kratom related deaths is far below the number of deaths from alcohol, tobacco use, and prescription painkillers. Second, the deaths making the news, such as the teen who jumped off the bridge, this boy had several anti-depressants in his system along with illicit substances. The Kratom in all of those cases is coincidental at most. Kratom has been used safely in its natural form for thousands of years by native cultures in Southeast Asia, and when used in its natural form is completely safe and impossible to overdose on. If one consumes too much, one becomes tired and may experience some nausea and vomiting, no worse than a hangover from alcohol.
It is true that there are truly dangerous substances out there, such as synthetic opioids, that some unscrupulous people are mixing with Kratom, but the Kratom leaf itself, the Mitragynine itself that you plan to place on Schedule I is completely safe, and this has been documented time and time again. Also unfortunately some vendors have been labeling Kratom and its Mitragynine content as a “legal high.” This is also completely false. This is NOT an opiate, despite fitting some of the same receptors. Even very strong, dangerous, and addictive drugs such as Oxycodone, Morphine, Dilauted are Schedule II at the highest, yet you would place Mitragynine on Schedule I. This is in my opinion a backward solution. You want to end the crisis of Opiate drugs. I am all for that. And Kratom has helped so many people get OFF opiates, so scheduling it will make things WORSE, not better. Patients who are in legitimate pain will now turn back to opiates, that while legally prescribed, have a history of addiction. While Kratom is not entirely non-addictive, the withdrawal is no worse than skipping coffee for a day or two. You get a headache and cold-like symptoms for a couple of days, then you’re fine. Withdrawing from LEGAL drugs like Morphine and Oxycodone can be a nightmare that people can avoid by using Kratom.
I don’t speak for the entire Kratom community here, but in my personal opinion, I would be all for tighter regulation & labeling, and keeping Kratom to adults 18 and over, to make sure that the Kratom that IS out there is natural & safe. But to ban an entire substance because there are some fakes out there is hurting many hundreds of times more people than it claims to help.
As for my own story, I found Kratom about 2 years ago when I was going through a major depressive period in my life. I still suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. Therapy and anti-depressants have helped somewhat, but as soon as I discovered Kratom I was able to get off of dangerous benzodiazipenes and my life was changed. I’ve tried other herbs, prescription drugs, Kratom is the only thing that has continually worked. Ever since I found this amazing herb, closely related to the coffee plant and with similar effects, I have been a new person – I have energy, stamina, a more positive outlook and my physical health is better than it’s been in years.
A Schedule I placement implies that a substance provides no medical benefit. This is false. Hundreds of thousands of people use Kratom to COME DOWN from higher drugs like Heroin and Opium. People use it for pain, anxiety, depression, immune boost, addiction recovery, heart health, diabetes and more! I ask that we reconsider this decision long enough to look past the news headlines and the hype, and really take a look at how this supplement helps so many thousands of people. I have attached links to some websites and videos below, I strongly urge you to take a look at them and reconsider what would be a devastating decision for hundreds of thousands of Americans.
I am in the same boat as many others here, and my husband is as well. We both suffer from severe and chronic back pain. The only thing doctors ever have offered in help is narcotics and invasive procedures, which provide only temporary relief at best. He never went that route, just suffered in silence. I unfortunately did go the route of prescription pain meds and pain management for many years. The only thing that got me out of that awful cycle of drugs was kratom. After a lot of research I decided to try it out, and it was like night and day – no more cloudy head, but also no more pain! During my transition from hydrocodone to kratom I never had a single withdrawal symptom, after 5 years of hydrocodone all day every day. I am an absolute believer in the power of this leaf to be able to break the cycle of dependence.
In the years we’ve been taking kratom, we’ve found life again (like our morning coffee – but since they’re related, is caffeine the next thing to be scheduled?! If big pharma finds a way to profit from it, look out, Folgers and Maxwell House might be next). We are active and productive and it’s all because of this wonderful leaf. Only now in a few short days, we’ll be considered felons.
I’ve read through so many stories on this page and all over the Internet during the last number of weeks, and I have tears in my eyes for the thousands of people who are being so unfairly punished, and will be punished further after 9/30 if this goes through.
I just finished reading about a family who was raided in Texas, just in the last couple of days. They’re a kratom vendor and a CBD vendor, both within their current legal limits. The authorities came into their home, kicked their dog (no really, they kicked the dog right in the head), arrested the father, and almost took their 6 year old child away from them. Thankfully the mother was able to get to a safe place just before CPS arrived to take the child. They also unlawfully seized ALL of their stock of kratom even though it is not yet scheduled. They took everything.
I watched the video of a military veteran of the year of 2009 who posted on YouTube about his story and how angry he is that his productivity will also be taken from him because he’ll be back on the pharma-train in a couple of weeks, and he already knows what a nightmare his life is going to become.
I read a story of how incidents of opiate overdose has been on a serious rise in Alabama since kratom was recently outlawed in that state.
I watched the video of a girl who, since coming off of prescription pain killers and out of the fog that she’d been in literally her entire adult life, she was able to go OFF of disability and go to WORK for the first time in 20 years. That will ALL be taken from her in just a couple of short weeks.
So many stories, so much grief, and for what? For a ridiculous reason, because the DEA is ill-informed, or in the pocket of big Pharma, or both. We are becoming a police state, and freedom is nothing more than a distant memory, more and more every day. This is supposed to be the country that all other countries want to be like, strive to be like, and lately it seems more often than not that we are more likely the laughing stock of the world instead. We pretend that it’s a great country while every day something else is taken from us – something that SHOULD be our choice as FREE Americans. We’re not hurting anyone. Why are we being punished?
I will keep up the good fight between now and 9/30, posting information wherever I can, sending letters to congress members, making phone calls to whoever will listen and might make a difference, but I have little hope or faith in our government to fix this outrageous and egregious over reach of power.
So many lives will be hurt by this greed and corruption and ignorance.
DEA – you should be ashamed of yourselves.
Scheduling kratom will take away what has been a safe and effective treatment for me. I’ve used it for three years with no adverse effects. This is an overreaction given the small number of issues relative to the size of the community who’ve made use of kratom. I don’t understand the motivation and the language in the letter to the federal register – imminent public health hazard is a gross overstatement. People from all walks of life have used this plant to treat a wide range of conditions so to say that it has no medicinal value is absolutely false. Schedule I drugs can’t even be researched, so how would we scientifically prove its medicinal value in order to counter this claim? We as a society do have drug problems that need handled, notably the heroin epidemic that is claiming lives and destroying families every day. Time and energy needs to be invested where there is a real and undeniable hazard to the public.
I have been taking kratom for nearly two years. Since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic back pain, I have been prescribed a multitude of medications. Not one has been as effective as Kratom. Kratom relieves my pain in a way that even narcotic pain medication did not. I also do not suffer from the side effects that prescription medications caused. Kratom has been a God-send to me and so many others. Research and regulation, not prohibition are what is needed. Thank you.
I use kratom daily i have severe migranes and chest pain im only 20 years old i jumped from a moving car and had heart failure amd was prescribed oxy codone and tramadol and was on dilauded and i got hooked on prescription opiates sometimes my pain is unbearbale and i came across kratom and tried it amd it got me off pain meds and gave me my life back im now opiate free and pain free and i can stop taking it whenever i want without wothdraws so what the dea is doing is truly ficked up they say they want to fight the addiction of opiates but there not helping out at all there so backwards and stupid they just makong things worse and worse if they ban a harmless herb god put plants here to help the humans and animals and what do they do ban god cause thats basically what there doing open there eyes please
I’m so disturbed by this whole issue. Kratom is the best thing going for pain, PTSD, depression and with it being Opiod Awareness & Recovery month this is wrong in so many ways. Canada uses Kratom and knows the medical value. Oh hell USA knows the med value also but greedy and corrupt BigPharma in bed with the DEA is what’s up. I’m so disturbed by this that I sm looking into making a move #expat
There’s no doubt this is all about money. Our country has such a crisis going on, all by design of BigPharma. Kratom is nothing short of a miracle herb for so many of us but in my experience counseling is still needed to restore a healthy lifestyle. It’s a true blessing to have the physical dependence be handled so simply with Kratom I just hope they see it for all its worth and don’t be stupid
Consider the severe and fatal damage done to ALABAMA Kratom users when it first became illegal in that state. Re-addiction to hard core drugs rose; fatalities overdoses increased. What more needs to be “studied”?
This is a shame. I have been taking Kratom for years now to relieve back pain. It’s a safe alternative to stronger prescription medications that are highly addictive. I know too many people that are hooked on prescription painkillers and its ruining their life. This proposed ban is all about money.
12 years now you’re going to claim their is an “imminent crisis and this is some kind of Emergency ? I have used natural kratom leaf for over a decade and have never been healthier or happier . I have recommended it to many friends and family members with absolutely no incident only positive results.
The relatively few calls the CDC report states are obviously due to the media hype and negative publicity surrounding the states trying to ban the botanical in the same years.
The fear instilled by the media reports surrounding the states proposing bans on kratom are more than likely the biggest factor in the sudden increase in CDC calls, none of those calls led to a serious health crisis and all deaths related to kratom use have shown irresponsible use combined with other substances as far as my research indicates.
Regulate to 21 and up if you must , most kratom consumers are between 40-60 and should be allowed to decide for ourselves what is best for our own bodies.
This ban is outrageous. Kratom has not only saved my life but others as well. I personally have chronic back pain due to several car accidents, depression, severe anxiety. My doctors had me on so may opiates, muscle relaxers, Zanax and depression pills. With the use of these medications I was a walking zombie, became addicted and it literally ruined my life. I lost everything, my family, job, money. I started taking Kratom a couple of years ago and I have my life back. I have a great job that I go to every single day, my family back. I dont take any prescription pain medication. I know plenty of people in recovery here in Florida and it is going to cause a lot of people to get back on some serious drugs and overdose and die.
I am amazed at all the responses on here. Kratom is a wonderful alternative to taking opiates and other pain medication that ruin peoples lives. I had several back injuries and was on opiates and other medications for over 20 years. Kratom saved my life. I was a hard core drug user and have not used one illegal or prescription medication since I started using Kratom. I was an addict for literally over 20 years and this is the first time in my life where I have a full time job, show up every day, am not strung out. I am worried not having this Kratom and feel the DEA is taking this wonderful plant away just to make money for the big pharmaceutical companies
I had a car wreck I in 2002 that disabled me permanently. I have been doing pain pills,a muscle relaxer and sleeping pills since. That is 14 years and at times even on these meds they did not help my pain. I would have to do more. I started taking Kraton 2 weeks ago and it has helped me so much. I am not doing the pain pills, muscle relaxer, and sleeping pills anymore. I don’t want to be addicted to these pills and the Kartom has helped me tremendously. I don’t want to have to go to pain management to be put on medication that’s addicting and has side effects so I get put on more pills. Please do not ban the use of Kratom. You want people off opioids because of the addiction that is so wide spread. This is the answer! Please don’t make me go back to the pills! Thank-you!
I struggle with Bipolar Disorder Type 1. Kratom has been a godsend for me to deal with managing my mood swings and the general ups and downs through mania and depression phases of my condition. It would be much more costly and a lot harder for me to manage my condition if this plant becomes Schedule 1. Not only that, but future medical research on the plant will be limited due to the emergency classification. I hope the DEA sees the light of scientific and public input before classifying this plant in such a way. I have been so much more productive and adept to being involved with others as well as direct world causes because of how well this plant has allowed me to manage my daily life.
Please stop this ban? I’am a responsible 56 year young female. This herbal leaf is truly a gift from God, it has helped me with several health issues. First of all, I suffer from Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disc Disks, Scoliosis, and, permanent Whip Lash. All of which causes severe pain, been down the road with heavy prescription narcotics, which causes horrible side effects for me. Second, I also suffer from Panic Disorder and, Depression, the medications for these also cause harmful side effects. This leaf has helped myself in all of the above mentioned ailments! Thank You Kindly for taking the time to read my story.
Stop the DEA!!
Kratom has truly helped me get my life back. I can’t imagine why this could possibly be listed as Schedule 1. It is taking away the right to be free from pain and addiction from so many. So many people that just want to function in society do that they can go to work, take care of their families and live healthy and normal loves.
I am a hard working, tax paying, mother of 4, who has benefitted GREATLY from the tea leaf Kratom. It has relieved my pain, anxiety, and depression. I suffer from multiple ailments, mental and physical. Bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, ptsd, alcoholism, degenerative disc disease, Tiestze’s syndrome, and Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction. This herb has allowed me to fully function to be able to work full time and take care of my kids and family. After 9/30 I will be a criminal for having tea that helps me live! I am beyond upset about the quality of life I will have without this leaf and disgusted that the DEA is trying to take this away.
I had a spinal fusion in March on 2010. Unbeknownst to my surgeons, I have a birth defect below the fusion. I can not sit for more than 15 minutes before the pain gets out of control. I have been in very active treatment for 6+ years & have been off opiates since Sept of 15. I changed careers so I would have more control over my disability as well as flexibility with doc appts. I just recently was introduced to Kratom in June. With the addition of the supplement, I have been able to double the amount of work I previously was doing. My income has gone from about $1k to $2-3k a month. Kratom keeps me off disability which helps everyone.
Our son was a heroin addict for more than four years, it nearly destroyed our family, my husband and I nearly divorced because of our aon’s heroin addiction. He stole from us, and we nearly lost our home. He also overdosed twice. Finding my son unresponsive those times were the most horrifying times a mother can experience. On November 19, 2015 our son found Kratom. My husband’s uncle, who is a Vietnam veteran takes kratom for pain anxiety and ptsd. He gave our son some kratom and told him that he had heard threw a cousin that it works to beat opiod addiction. What a miracle. Since the first day our son made a smoothie with kratom, he has become a functioning member of society. He works full time and has preformed a number of home improvements around our house. Kratom saved our family,Kratom saved our son!
I suffer from diabetic peripheral neuropathy. At time pain can be excruciating, basically like someone poured gasoline all over me and toss on a lighted match. The best combination my doctor has offered me is Lyrica+amitriptyline. Most of the time it brings it down to a tolerable level but there are intervals when it does not. At that point there really isn’t any pills that are both safe and will help. Strong opiates can help but you risk death by accidental overdose and addiction. Kratom is effective at controlling pain when prescription drugs do not. It’s relatively cheap and brings pain down without getting me stoned so I can still get work done. About the only other thing left is marijuana, which while legal in Washington state, leaves me in a state where I can neither work effectively or drive. Kratom is also used by heroin addicts to dull the withdraw symptoms down a few notches so they can detox successfully. At this point my nerves are getting better and it won’t be the end of the world for me, but for people in the stage of this disease I was in two months ago who presently are finding good pain relief, those people will suffer terribly needlessly.
Still no access to the DEA letter to HHS, huh? I’m pretty sure Karen DeSalvo is a part of this issue. Their office is dodging calls from the public in bizarre ways. When I called the second time, I got a secretary who transferred me to a line where I could leave her a message. The line was out of service. What scum.
Wouldn’t it also be unconstitutional for DEA law enforcement to perform legislative task (placing Kratom on Schedule1list on their own) as a separation of powers?
Thank you CRE!!
I have Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Chronic Fatigue, Anxiety, Depression, Psoratic Arthritis and Palmar Plantar Pustulosis (which is in remission). I am a 56 year old wife and grandmother. NOT a drug addict or seeker.
I lost my job, lost my insurance and had been on 7-8 very, very heavy narcotics, Ocycodone, Methadone, muscle relaxants, Vailum, Ambien, etc.I was spending $300-$400 in prescriptions and doctor visits. I was falling constantly and hurting myself and damaging my car because I was so messed up on prescriptions. One Doctor I dropped because he had me so medicated that I was almost unconscious at night sleeping. I wouldn’t have heard a tornado if I was sleeping. I slept 13-16 hours a day, couldn’t stay awake, fell asleep at the wheel of my car coming back from my 2 hour round trip drive to see my pain management doctor.
I had a very nasty psoratic condition that was called Palmar Plantar Pustulosis (PPP) – which basically means I had huge pus filled blisters on the bottom of my feet & hands that oozed and broke open, spread then cracked and bled. It was even under my toenails. My feet were raw and ravaged. I went to a dermatologist for 2 full years and he claimed it was due to my smoking. More on that below.
I had to detox by myself. Once I had no insurance, I had to go off cold turkey, because it would have destroyed us financially to taper off with no insurance. The only thing my Pain Management Doctors office said to me was “You won’t die” when I called them worried I would die or be hospitalized by going off all the heavy medications cold turkey. Well I almost did. I was in such misery that I was ready to commit suicide and even called the therapist I couldn’t afford anymore that I was suicidal. It took me a full 3 months for my body to get back to normal. I would only get two or three hours of sleep a night for a solid three months, My eye sockets hurt so badly from lack of sleep, I felt my eyes had been beat in with a baseball bat. My husband had to push me in my wheelchair because I was so weak and beaten down.
Two weeks after I detoxed off all those nasty evil medications, my feet cleared up and my husband, myself and my primary doctor (who I saw 2 years later) were absolutely floored. We knew that my feet had PPP because of all the toxicity of the prescriptions I had been taking.
In June 2015 someone told me about Kratom and I tried it. Money was very, very short as I couldn’t work anymore and was waiting for the last three years on my disability claim.
I could not believe how much Kratom helped me. It was a gift from God. I had a clearer mind, it took away my pain and gave me energy to actually shower after not showering for days and days. I could take my dog out for a walk to do his business. It gave me a few very precious hours to interact with family members. I had missed so many Thanksgivings, Christmas’ and so many holidays because of my pain & fatigue.
When I don’t take my Kratom, I am so weak I don’t have any desire to talk to anyone, shower or do the simplest things. It is NOT due to withdrawal, trust me, I have detoxed and been to hell and back and Kratom isn’t any different than a coffee withdrawl.
I got more of a buzz and was jittery on Red Bull way more than Kratom. My mind was clearer, I could actually figure out which was my left shoe and my right shoe. I could make it to family functions again although for a few hours. I could do things I enjoyed again such as crafting, visiting with neighbors when the weather was nice, and read books. I could do simple things that most people take for granted, such as being able to stand long enough to shower, put on makeup, actually go out for dinner again.
I had regained my quality of life once more. The Kratom I purchased was about the cost of eating out at a restaurant. My anxiety and depression was dramatically lower. I no longer had thoughts that I would be better off dead. Then I got the word that the DEA was going to make it Schedule 1 like heroin, the bottom dropped out. I was devastated at the news, I was morose. I felt as if someone I loved died suddenly-which it did, my quality of life had died or will die if the DEA is allowed to ban Kratom.
If this ban goes through, I will no longer be able to shower, will be completely housebound if not chained to my bed in a fetus position, crying wracked with pain and fatigue.
I could write 50 pages easily but this will have to suffice. Thank You so very much CRE for helping us keep this natural, no high plant from becoming Schedule 1.
DEA you should be ashamed of yourselves!
J. S,
Iowa
I’m a 48 year old female who suffers with PTSD, anxiety,severe depression and severe chronic pain. I have been using Kratom off an on for about 7 years. It has enabled me to get out of bed pain free and cope with my depression, since I have been on Kratom I no longer have suicidal thoughts or have attempted suicide like I have in my past I also completely stopped self harming because I am what they call a cutter, before I found Kratom I laid in bed in excruciating pain bawling my eyes out EVERY day I couldn’t go in public much because I would have anxiety attacks and cry at the drop of a hat. IF they take this precious plant away from me I will once again be bed ridden and I am literally scared too DEATH it could very much bottom out my depression and this time I don’t feel like I would be able too fight no more, I am tired and just don have the strength in me no more to go through that living hell again plus this is going to effect more than just me, it will effect my granddaughter who I am raising who will most likely go back to abusive parents because I won’t be able too physically or mentally provide for her plus I take care of my disabled mother who will probably end up in a nursing home so PLEASE STOP THIS
Wow, page after page of positive stories! We tell the truth! ! This is gut wrenching! Please don’t allow the DEA to take our rights to Kratom away. It helps so many people. We do not want to pollute our bodies with pharmaceuticals!
study this more and give it a chance !
About 8 years ago I lost my marriage to prescription drugs and alcohol. As hard as I fought, the doctors’ lures were stronger than my pleading [with him to stop.] Today, my now ex-husband is in foster care with drug and alcohol induced dementia. Had we known about Kratom, we might have saved our marriage and our home.
By that time, I had developed severe fibromyalgia as well as a very painful condition (congenital) called angio lipomas which are fatty tumors with nerves and blood vessels that attach themselves to muscles and nerves – some as big as goose eggs.
I too was on prescription pain medications and would be for a few more years.
After the divorce I had to change doctors and the new one abruptly took away my medicine, including my anxiety medicine. I survived what could have been fatal, due to a unhealthy rise in blood pressure and other side effects.
I decided to live as holistic as possible, something I learned during my year living in my native Germany – and I was somewhat successful. I learned a lot about herbals, vitamins, creams, and meditation, positive thinking, abstaining from alcohol etc.
Last year I heard of Kratom, ordered some, but when it came, I had no idea what to do with it and never tried it.
Last winter was wet and cold and I felt run down, and remembered Kratom – so I bought some at the local shop – just to see what would happen. I brewed a cup of ginger tea and added the Kratom tea to it, with some local honey and sipped – and within about a half an hour I felt relaxed and at peace – not sleepy, but I had clarity – and my pain was no longer in the forefront of my thoughts.
The reason I am asking you to do whatever you can to stop this ban is because for me, Kratom is an important addition to my daily regimen of health care to assist me with my overall well-being. Kratom never removes the pain for me, and it has not cured anything, however, I feel it work similar to a good cup of Colombian coffee, or my favorite black tea (but without the caffeine rush) – it distracts me enough to set aside the awareness of it – for the time being – allowing me to tend to everyday tasks, like work, cleaning – and taking good care of my body and mind, ultimately being a productive member of society.
I’m a 61-year-old mother of three sons and a daughter who I have raised to be wonderful, caring , hard-working, productive, citizens of this great country. I have a beautiful two-year-old granddaughter with a grandson on the way. I have a great accounting job at a small company & I rarely, if ever, miss a day of work. I am a responsible law-abiding citizen, I do volunteer work, I help others in need whenever I can, & I am an active member of my church.
I am not, and never have been, a “druggie” or a “hippie”. I have never smoked, rarely drink, and I don’t even have a speeding ticket on my record. I also suffer from debilitating knee pain along with severe neck pain from an injury. I use kratom leaf for my pain-about 1 teaspoon in the morning & at night. It’s not a miracle cure, but it works well for my pain and allows me to live my life fully & give of myself to the people I love. I have been using this wonderful plant for a little over a year now. It never leaves me feeling “drugged” like I felt on pain medication. I never need more than my 1 teaspoon, I never crave more, I’ve never robbed a convenience store to get it, and no one’s ever found me passed out in my vehicle because of it. I just had my annual physical and I’m in great health. My husband and I bicycle often, sometimes over 40 miles on the weekends. I really believe this plant has helped me get my life back. To ban it not only makes absolutely NO sense, it’s ludicrous! Turning many thousands of decent, good people-the many other grandmas and grandpas, the veterans, the thousands of women suffering from endometriosis, & countless others-into felons is a sad commentary on how low our misguided war on drugs has sunk. The hypocrisy of banning a plant that helps so many people get off of the dangerous drugs that this very war is all about!
I have fibromyalgia and chronic pain. I am allergic to most opioids, and after surgery last fall developed an allergy to Tramadol, the last prescription opioid I could take without a severe reaction. Since then I have been taking kratom, and it has been wonderful. Not only does it help me manage the pain, but it does so without making me dopey and non-functional. I researched kratom thoroughly before I started to take it, and I have always been wary of developing a dependency. Since I began, I have quit taking it several times for several days, and the worst that has happened is that the pain I experience ramps up to pre-kratom levels. The withdrawals from Tramadol were far, far worse – and even quitting coffee has been more difficult than quitting kratom!
This herb keeps me and so many other people functional. With it, I can work, I can sleep through the night without being woken up by pain, and I can be a productive member of society. I am not an outlaw. Please don’t ban kratom.
My wife was prescribed narcotic pain medication, Adderall (amphetamines) and Klonopin by her doctor for many years. She was erratic, angry, irrational and just plain out of her mind. She lost too much weight, weighing about 100 lbs. She became addicted to her medications and had to supplement her prescriptions, purchasing additional pills on the street. If she did not have access to these drugs, she was suicidal. She lost so much while on these prescription drugs, all while under the doctor’s monthly supervision. The effects of these drugs are no different from someone taking both heroin and cocaine together. Her doctor was no better than a drug pusher. Finally, she saw that these drugs were not making things better but worse. She knew at this point that she could not stop without assistance. She started researching for natural alternatives and found Kratom which has helped alleviate all of the health problems in which she was prescribed medications, along with helping her kick her addiction to the medications. She has only been off these drugs for a little over a year and I am afraid that she will be forced back into the dark world of legal drugs and possibly illegal drugs. Our family should not be forced into such turmoil again due to erroneous information being spewed by the DEA. Kratom is the only thing that has allowed my wife to function as a normal human being. Her physical and emotional health have both improved significantly since she began Kratom use. She is able to laugh and enjoy our family, something she was unable to do during the many years of prescription drug use. Kratom not only saved her from the recklessness caused by the use of prescriptions but also saved our family. I am so angry that some government entity can make a decision that will destroy so many lives. Do they even think about the adverse repercussions of this scheduling? Do they give a damn?
No, they don’t. They don’t care about your wife, my wife, me, our kids, or anyone that doesn’t line their pockets with bribe money. It isn’t about what’s best for us. It’s about what’s best for Big Pharma….period.
Kratom helps many people and has for a long time. I am a chronic pain patient and have been on opiate pain medications for many years. I use kratom about 1x a month to take a break from the heavy opiate medications. This helps me to avoid building up a tolerance to the prescribed meds and to help avoid addiction to the medications which happen often. I have talked to many people who have helped many responsible adults. This natural plant hass not caused any deaths and should not be banned.
I’ve been taking Kratom for almost 2 weeks to alleviate pain from stage 3.8 Annaplastic Astrocytoma Brain Cancer .
I have needed about 80-90% LESS pharmaceuticals since discovering Kratom & now our own government wants to make it illegal . I say we make THEM illegal .
ffs
b
The possible ban is wrong.its a plant,that helps so many.
Please do not make Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) a Schedule I Substance!
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
This is not true for Kratom, it has been shown numerous times in reports from users to help recovering Opiate addicts, treat pain, combat depression and anxiety, and much more. Deaths that involve Kratom being a persons’ system have always been from the result of mixing Kratom with other drugs, rather than Kratom alone. In states that banned Kratom, Alabama specifically, opiate usage and deaths went up after Kratom was banned in the state. Please stop the DEA from scheduling Kratom as Schedule I, there are many people who will suffer from this. I will be one of them. I am a Vietnam War combat veteran that served in the Marine Corp in the late 1960’s. I still suffer from PTSD + I’ve had 3 back surgeries as well as other traumatic experiences in the course of my life. It is only within the past 18 months that I discovered Kratom. This natural Herbal/Botanical has changed my life from not having the suffering of anxiety & depression to the relief of my pain allowing me to live a normal life to function well in society. Finally in my late years of life I’ve found a safe remedy and the government wants to take it away for no substantial reason. It smells like typical money in Politics that the big pharma’s are putting financial pressures on the powers that be as they view it as competition that would have an effect of their already enormously profitable bottom line. If our government should do anything about Kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa) it should be to invest into this herbal to be brought publicly into our society to treat the conditions it has already been proven to do.
For Veterans alone who suffer from PTSD this would be a god sent. The Veteran suicide rate statistics gets worse every day. The use of Kratom if just for this purpose alone exposed to the mental wellbeing of veterans will save lives. I’m living proof of one of them. Society needs your support to move forward on the use of Kratom, not to take it away and criminalize it.
I have several auto-immune illnesses. Before being diagnosed, and since being diagnosed, I have suffered fatigue, chronic pain, weight gain, muscle weakness. I was in danger of losing my job, my personal relationships were suffering and I was my participating in my life! Kratom has made such a difference for me. I feel normal. That is all I have ever wanted. If Kratom made me ‘high’ I would have no interest in using it. Please do not make Kratom a Schedule 1 Substance. I do not want to go back to the way that I felt before Kratom but I will have no choice as I am not going to live outside of the law.
I suffered for years with unbearable restless legs syndrome. I saw several doctors, took dozens of tests, including expensive sleep studies. I tried at least 5 different meds, one of which made me very ill, and nothing helped. I tried every home remedy and still nothing helped, and I was barely able to function because of sleep deprivation.
Finally, I found Kratom. I take a small dose and now sleep through the night. I work a professional full time job and take care of my two kids. Kratom is not addictive. It does not make you “high” or impair judgement. It is not an opiod. It has never been proven to cause any deaths. In fact, the major symptom of overdose is a nausea. That has been proven.
I have never taken an illegal drug, and I’ve never been addicted to anything. I don’t even drink alcohol! Kratom is a plant remedy and it does have medicinal properties. By declaring Kratom a schedule I drug, the DEA will be taking help away from hundreds of thousands of law-abiding, working citizens.
I found Kratom three years ago after I had began searching for natural and safe ways to address my physical pain. This, as I understand is a side effect of bipolar disorder and depression. My medication schedule was so oppressive. So many side effects and the amount of time took to get the therapeutic dosages, it was draining and most of the time unsuccessful. I finally gave up all prescription medication and spiraled into a 6 year period of alcohol and drug abuse.
Please step in and stop this perversion of what this country was founded and built. Freedom and the pursuit of happiness.
There is currently a petition to the Whitehouse that has yielded over 70K signatures in 7 days. We the people deserve to be heard, but the DEA claims there is no reason for public comment.
Please help us get the word out about this amazing plant, it helped me with my mental illness but countless people use this tea for chronic pain, lupus, endometriosis, PTSD and a myriad of other health concerns.
This is me. We are human beings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzRlc08sNV4
My wife and I have two autistic small children. We are under constant stress with managing the kids and staying up on all their various appointments with schools and therapists. Prior to our kids being diagnosed, I worked as a public defender in Vancouver WA and my wife was a nanny for autistic children. We have found Kratom powder to be a mild but effective form of stress management and pain relief. We chose kratom because the prescription medications our doctors had us try for stress, depression, and pain management caused us both to gain weight, struggle with nausea, and be low energy. We are very upset with the lack of notice and hearing on the part of the DEA. We feel the DEA used shallow and unscientific reasoning to justify classifying kratom as schedule 1 drug. This appears to be a rush to judgement fueled by poor due diligence and media hysteria. We ask for this to stop immediately. This is especially upsetting since the FDA just approved OxyContin for 11 year-olds, which has far more addictive with some dangerous side effects.
I suffer from fibromyalgia and arthritis in my neck. I am disabled and was bedridden for years. My doctor prescribed Norco to help with the pain. After a while, they don’t work anymore due to tolerance. Kratom does not build tolerance, and it’s the only medicine that has given me a new lease on life… allowed me to work again. I was able to become a licensed health and life insurance agent and feel like a contributing member of society after 10 years of disability that struck at age 29 when I had just started a business. I have 4 sons and a husband who need me to be well. That won’t be the case if access to kratom is taken from me. I am 41 years old, a responsible adult, who has advocated in the past to keep vitamins and supplements available to Americans. Please, if we lose kratom, what’s next? Vitamins by prescription only? 300 people die every day from drugs that are properly prescribed by doctors. Zero people have died directly due to kratom. If I lose this medicine, you are robbing me of my life! I don’t wish suffering on anyone. I recently helped a friend get off of alcohol and prescription drugs. She was abusing them and going to die of an overdose sooner or later. She for the most part sober. She slipped recently, but is again sober. She couldn’t have done it without kratom. She isn’t taking kratom right now, because she is job hunting, and cannot be on a controlled substance should the ban go through. I can say honestly that she was losing her mind. Breakdown after breakdown, and the kratom immediately changes her perspective from suicidal to reading homes for rent or sale magazines. It is night and day. Kratom is wonderful for so many ailments of the body and mind. Her psych meds just make her delusional and crazy. Kratom makes her the girl who I grew up with 25 years ago. Save an addict by saving kratom. Thank you!
Here is my story guys. Over the past ten years things became increasingly intense for me. A plethora of personal issues plus multiple accidents and mental health diagnoses left me in severe pain and without hope. I don’t recall how i found kratom but I decided to give it a try. IT SAVED MY LIFE. PERIOD.
Kratom gave me a life worth living! I’m a better mother and grandmother with kratom then I was on the pharmecuetical med’s I had been on for over 25 years. This action will result in death and despair of countless American’s whose lives have been saved and improved by Kratom. Please listen to the pleas of the American citizen’s…. Delay the scheduling of Kratom and allow the people to comment.
I have been involved with addiction-recovery communities for over 15 years, and have witnessed many addicts (alcoholics as well) turn their lives around with the help of kratom. The NON-OPIOID herbal supplement kratom is nothing short of a godsend for many, allowing countless “hopelessly” addicted souls to return to productive lives. This proposed ban WILL result in many recovering persons turning back to heroin, illegally-obtained pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and other drugs. It is not an exaggeration to state that many of them will die,tragically and needlessly. It really is that simple.
In the summer of 2004 I had my first and only child, a beautiful baby girl. Pregnancy was tough for me. I had always suffered from depression and anxiety and with pregnancy your hormones can get pretty out of whack. I also ended up having a caesarean section which made for a very painful recovery. Of course with any major surgery you are prescribed strong narcotic pain medication. I quickly became addicted to the oxycodone. When the doctor took them away I had horrible withdrawal that was both physical and mental, my depression and anxiety felt ten times worse than ever. I got desperate and decided to ask a friend who I knew smoked weed if his dealer had anything else. He did! From that point on I was paying as much as $1 per mg for pills. This became a major financial strain. Like so many others I decided to start using heroin to save money. I went on doing this for several years.
I was now a stay at home mom and functioning junky. I knew what I was doing was wrong and I couldn’t stand the people I had to be around to get my stuff. I hated being nervous with these dealers coming into my home every week. I personally never used a needle (I snorted the brown powder). However, that didn’t stop others from shooting up in my house and I was sick of seeing it. Even worse my daughter was now old enough to start asking questions and she did!
I had to find a way to quit but I couldn’t bare the withdrawal, Back to google I went! It wasn’t long before I noticed one word coming up again and again, Kratom. I decided to put in an order. Three days later I had 200 grams of a red strain Kratom. I ordered red because it was supposed to be most sedating and calming, I really needed to be able to rest well if I was gonna get off the junk. I had also read that it made you feel like you was on opiates. I thought wow I’ll just switch to this legal herb. I was so disappointed when I tried it, I didn’t get high at all! I suddenly realized I didn’t have any physical withdrawal symptoms and it had been over 24 hours since I dosed my heroin. Then I remembered I want to quit and I don’t want this lifestyle anymore. Even though I was mentally craving heroin I was able to use the kratom to stop completely. I was clean within weeks.
Fast forward about a year, I was still very depressed and had horrible anxiety. I went to see a doctor and was prescribed Zoloft and Xanax. With the Xanax I noticed a very familiar feeling, the urge to do more of it than I was directed. It made me feel slightly inebriated as if I drank a few glasses of wine. It felt nice and my social anxiety was mostly gone. Of course with using too much Xanax my prescription was running out early and that made me feel horrible for about 2 weeks of the month. I remembered that when I was researching Kratom many people claimed it helped their depression and
anxiety. I decided to order some more Kratom. After about a week of experimenting with different dosages and types I found a combination that worked for me. I was feeling confident, social and energized. I was even sleeping better! Soon thereafter I stopped taking Zoloft, Xanax and even Melatonin which I had used for years as a sleep aide.
As far as what I will do when the Kratom ban goes into effect, I really don’t know. I do not plan on continuing to try to use it. The Kratom I have on hand will have to suffice, I’m planning on tapering off of it slowly as I am one of the people who suffers withdrawal symptoms. I am afraid of what will happen now. I haven’t felt depression or anxiety since I started using Kratom 5 years ago. It frightens me to think of how my personality will be affected. Will I still be able to help my daughter with her homework? Will I even want to? In the past my depression made me uninterested in everything, I didn’t care to socialize and sometimes I didn’t even take care of myself. I have never felt suicidal in my life but I did not have any interest in living it either. I do not want to go back to being that person, the girl who hides from the world and is scared to even answer a phone, text or email. Forget about visiting friends and family, that won’t happen.
I have never had a negative reaction to Kratom nor do I know anyone who has. In my honest opinion I can not think of a single reason why Kratom should be banned. I’ve never met or even heard of a “legitimate” case involving Kratom hurting someone. Yes, there are news stories out there claiming people died etc but no real proof the Kratom caused it. Actually in all these cases the individual had other substances in their body. In my experimental days I did accidentally take too much, the result was me vomiting and lowering my next dosage. I feel that the impending ban is cruel and unjustified. It’s hard for many to believe that it has nothing to do with the pharmaceutical industry and greed.
In summary, I started using Kratom to get off of heroin and opioid pain medication. I later started using it regularly to treat my depression and anxiety. I have never been prescribed a medication that works as well as Kratom. The fact that it is all natural is even better, I love that I can take it and not feel like I’m poisoning my body. I have never felt intoxicated or high on Kratom. I currently do not have health insurance, but thanks to Kratom I have an affordable non-narcotic alternative that works much better. Even if I had insurance I would absolutely choose the Kratom.
Stefani
Columbus, Ohio
I request a delay in te decision of DEA of ban kratom, this plant is a godsend: allows me relief my chronic pain without any opiates, I took these for 4 years and I ended addicted and too skinny, today I’m clean and has past 10 months since I left them and 3 months after detoxify from Suboxone when I discovered kratom, and this let me manage my pain without a lot of bullshit from opiates (and I won 10kg since I ended with them).
Millions of people are making noise in USA to stop this strike to our liberties and rights, to manage anxiety, pain, depression… Even veteran solders with PTDS says that kratom saved their lifes!
The people should prevail on pharmaceutical lobbies.
I’d like to sign on as a responsible, adult user of Kratom, I have fibromyalgia, spondylolisthesis, spondyliosynthesis (sp?), degenerative disc disease, and a number of other chronic pain issues.
Kratom is a Huge help in all of my daily affairs, and I honestly cannot function on my own without some help, and I really don’t want to just lay here on the couch and cry for the rest of my life, nor do I want to get hooked on dangerous drugs. The people in Asia have used it for Thousands of years, with NO REPORT EVER of any overdosing, and is safe and related to the coffee/tea family.
(and is naturally created by God)… PLEASE keep this blessing available to those of us who are in EXCRUCIATING PAIN EVERY DAY!
It really gives us HOPE!!
Please keep kratom legal, and let me know how I can help!
I would like to respectfully request that the DEA delay it’s decision to ban Kratom and allow for the Scientific community to do the work so that they may better understand Kratom. I have had disc replacement surgery on three separate occassions. I was addicted to pain meds for 10 years because of Doctors who prescribed instead of doing the work to fix my back. I found Kratom 7 years ago. I am moving and able to work as the Kratom (just a teaspoon or two per day) has eased my pain. Kratom also was the main factor in being able to remove myself from Narcotic use and addiction. I have been drug and alcohol free for seven years now. You should also check into research to use Kratom to help with recovering alcoholics, I think you will find very positive results. I’m very worried about my quality of life in the coming months. Please please please make a decision based on scientific research. Respectfully ……Tim
I had a 20 Vicodin a day habit and Kratom saved my life. I was going to be dead in no time if I continued to abuse opiates that I became hooked on due to Stage 4 endometriosis. Kratom saved me. Kratom doesn’t make me high. Kratom gives me a sense of well being and makes my brain function just as it had before I ever had an opiate. I’m not a criminal. I don’t even have a traffic ticket on my record. Don’t make me a criminal because I want to lib3 drug free. I’m a middle class married woman who will be a grandma this time next year. Don’t ruin my life.
I had a 20 Vicodin a day habit and Kratom saved my life. I was going to be dead in no time if I continued to abuse opiates that I became hooked on due to Stage 4 endometriosis. Kratom saved me. Kratom doesn’t make me high. Kratom gives me a sense of well being and makes my brain function just as it had before I ever had an opiate. I’m not a criminal. I don’t even have a traffic ticket on my record. Don’t make me a criminal because I want to live 3 drug free. I’m a middle class married woman who will be a grandma this time next year. Don’t ruin my life.
Dear Congressman Clawson,
Kratom has AMAZING pain relieving, antidepressant, antianxiety, antitussive, antidiarrheal and muscle relaxing properties and it gives a nice natural energy… Very good at fighting fatigue and enhancing mood. It even lowers blood pressure and regulates blood sugar.
Tens of thousands of people have replaced numerous medications by taking Kratom. There are literally thousands of people who have used it to get off of opiates and are maintaining their recovery, as well.
Kratom isn’t intoxicating… Doesn’t have any of the side effects that opiate pain pills or benzodiazepine anxiety meds (like xanax) have.
It has been kind of underground for a while…and now our DEA has put a ban in place that will go into effect on September 30th.
The ban would make it a schedule 1 controlled substance, placing it right next to synthetic substances like cocaine, heroin, MDMA, and LSD.
I was addicted to pharmaceuticals and street drugs for almost 20 years. My addiction to pain medication started with a legitimate issue after a horrible car accident that I was in (on an interstate at 70mph). I got to a point where the pills weren’t helping like they previously had and I had to take more just to function…
The last time I relapsed I fell harder and faster than I ever had before.
I got kicked out of detox and ended up calling and literally begging them to take me back, telling them that if they did, they would without doubt be, saving my life. They let me check back in the facility. When I got out however, the real battle began. I was withdrawing from the poison that I was on while in their hands and I couldn’t function in the rehab facility that I decided to go in.
I had my husband pick me up and bring me home.
I was so sick that I couldn’t take care of all of my responsibilities that were home waiting for me (3 daughters, an amazing husband, 3 dogs and a house to care for). I had heard about Kratom while in detox.
My husband and I decided that it would be a good alternative to suboxone or methadone.
Within 15 minutes of taking Kratom for the first time, my legs were no longer restless… I wasn’t stuck in the bathroom… I had no aches or chills and my mood was really amazing. I felt grateful for everything in my life and for the first time in forever, I felt like everything was going to be okay.
After about a week, I had my energy back and was able to fully take care of my family and my home.
Kratom helps me with the 3 things that always brought me back to my addiction: fatigue, depression, and pain.
I have been completely sober for 543 days today, and I can’t say that I would be where I’m at if it wasn’t for this plant. Since I started taking Kratom, I have achieved so much…
I went back to school to study psychology and addiction, maintaining a 4.0 GPA… I started a successful business that grows more and more every single day.
I also have several people whom I mentor in their recovery.
I have become an inspiration these people and it is nothing short of a blessing.
Of all of the things I have acheived since I started taking kratom, I have most importantly become the mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend that the people that love me deserve.
There are thousands of people out there just like myself… People who never knew they were addicts until they were prescribed “medications,” developed a tolerance, and became completely dependent on pills.
Kratom isn’t just for addicts either. In fact, the majority of the people who use kratom never had any addiction issues. These are just people who went the pharmaceutical route and found themselves taking medications that we’re not treating their ailments. Many of them just hated having side effects from prescriptions and having to be prescribed other medications to treat those side effects.
We also have a whole community of veterans who swear by kratom… They claim it helps them deal with PTSD and chronic pain, without the nasty side effects like they experienced from pharmaceuticals.
I’m sorry to drag this out. I actually promised myself I would keep it short. It’s just difficult for me not to share my real life experience and the experiences of so many others.
Kratom is nothing short of a miracle plant. It has absolutely changed my entire existence.
I wouldn’t even say that kratom gave me my life back… It allowed me to create a brand new life, with so much more meaning and purpose…
That’s a wonderful story. Kratom is a blessing from God. We MUST win this fight. Our very lives depend on it!
The DEA’s ban on Kratom will seriously hurt a lot of very good people in a very bad way. Kratom is a legitimate herbal remedy that if banned, will have the effect of turning upstanding law abiding citizens into law breakers. Please look at all of the controversy surrounding the DEA’s total ban and consider signing this important letter. I believe a delay is appropriate to have a chance do some real science on this herb and listen to the thousands of testimonies from people.
Kratom has changed my life! There are going to be so many lives effected by this law and it is proof the powers that.be have totally turned their back on its the people who make this land great! They have proven time and time again that the DEA does not care about the quality of lives of the people of the US but only about the dollars that the big pharma fill their pockets! A ridiculous law from a closed minded corrupt bureaucracy that base their policies atound those of the third reich! Watch your back people cause these guys are walking all over it to keep their rich fascist feet clean!
I have severe arthritis in both feet. I would not be able to even walk let alone hold down a job if not for Kratom. This is the only thing that gives me any relief. I have a mortgage and need to put food on the table. Even a temporary ban will devastate my financial well-being. The DEA ‘claims’ that the ban could be lifted in 2 or 3 years. I can’t rebuild my life at the age of 67 and beyond. This is America. I have a right to pursue happiness. What is happening here?
Kratom has helped me in more ways then 1. Please Save our healing herb.It was God Sent and its made many miracles in peoples lives. From Chronic Pain to Depression to making you more alert & motivated in your everyday tasks to anxiety.
For once it shouldnt have to be about the money… It should be about whats better for our health. Time to fight for our rights to stop this silly ban. Our Voices cant and wont be ignored. Please guys, we have to stick together and make this change happen.
Lots Of Gratitude!
I have chronic pain and kratom in addition to some pharmaceuticals help me. Why are the pharmaceuticals which are far more toxic not taken away???? Please don’t take this away it is very cruel.
I’m so grateful that the CRE is taking action to slow down the banning and scheduling of Kratom by the DEA. This ban has already been set for Sept. 30th, 2016 without ANY public comment or discussion.
This plant is a Godsend for so many people who do not want to become addicted to, or remain addicted to opioid pain medications. It is not dangerous. This is false. This plant has been used safely for thousands of years and does not cause respiratory depression. Taking away this plant will be detrimental to hundreds of thousands of people. Banning Kratom will have the opposite effect and will make the opioid epidemic WORSE by FORCING people back to the more dangerous and highly addictive drugs like Oxycontin, Methadone, Heroin, and others.
Since kratom has been made illegal in Alabama the number of opiate related deaths has increased in that state! I’m afraid this will be the inevitable outcome across the U.S. if this ban goes through. Kratom saved my life and has saved the lives of so many others. Delaying or overturning the proposed ruling by the DEA is required to prevent imminent harm to the public. Please help.
The DEA has no right banning ANYTHING! The don’t make the laws in this country. This is a government BY THE PEOPLE, and the people are saying loud and clear! DO NOT BAN KRATOM! I have chronic back pain due to a car accident in 2007. I was on prescription pain medication for 5 years, then in 2012 I found this wonderful plant called Kratom! I have not taken a pain pill since! Stories like mine are the reason the DEA is moving to ban Kratom. This plant is causing Big Pharma to lose money, and the corrupt DEA is doing their bidding by trying to ban Kratom! We don’t want nor need your poison Big Pharma! We have a plant that works better than anything you could EVER produce that God put here for us. If the DEA was really concerned for public safety, it’s the poison pills that Big Pharma pushes that would be banned! They care about nothing except protecting the interest of the disgusting pharmaceutical companies. Kratom not only helps people like myself, it also helps people that have abused opioids. It has saved many lives and will continue to do so as long as it stays legal. What will we turn to if this ban goes through? I know were…back to the poison pills & even herion in some cases. Good Americans will DIE because of this. DEA you need to do the right thing and stop this madness! DO NOT BAN KRATOM!
Kratom has saved my life from a 22 year addiction to LEGAL opiod medication. My quality of life will be diminished if this life saving leaf ban goes into effect.
I am a 57 yr old female who is a Registered Nurse with a Master’s Degree from the University of Virginia and I have been using Kratom for 2 yrs because of a work related injury I suffered from over 27 years ago. I have a disease of my spinal cord called arachnoiditis which also causes migraine headaches, neuropathy and neuralgia in my legs and feet, restless leg syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, severe osteoporosis and seizures all steming from my wrok related injury of lifting a semi-comatose patient. I was on opiates for years which caused me to loose my memory, act drugged and become addicted. I finally got off of those addictive medications and found Kratom which saved my life!! I went from bedridden to going out and being able to exercise and working and being a productive citizen again. I am the person I was almost before my injury occurred!!! I cannot tell you how life changing this plant has been for me! If you take Kratom away form me I will have to resort to going back on opiates, becoming addicted once again to them and becoming a nonproductive bedridden looser of society. It’s either that or I just may end it all, those are going to be my choices. PLEASE stop this DEA ban on kratom, save lives!!!!!
In FEB of 2014, I was involved in a very serious (work-related) motorcycle accident that left me disabled. I received severe, life changing injuries to both of my arms and my pelvis.
When I woke up in the hospital, I was already addicted to Oxycontin, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone. And remained so for a little over two years. When I went to a pain doctor to help me get off of those drugs, he prescribed more drugs. And continued to do so for months.
Then I found Kratom. Kratom not only helped me break the addiction, but it gives me a sound alternative to prescription drugs to continue my pain management. Unlike the prescription options, Kratom is completely free of side-effects and addiction. I can quit it when I don’t need it. And when I do need it, it not only relieves my pain, but it does so without any impairment, so I can still drive to the places I need to go, like Physical Therapy.
I am writing in regard to the DEA’s plan to schedule Kratom. This is a hasty and irresponsible overreach that will be counterproductive and detrimental to the health of the People.
I am 59 years old and have used Kratom for the pain associated with a severe spinal injury, both pre and post surgery. I wanted to find a safe non-addictive alternative to the potent pain medications (Oxycontin, Fentanyl) that were being prescribed and discovered Kratom. This natural herb relieved my pain with no adverse reactions and without interfering with my ability to think clearly. Through the lengthy recovery I continued to effectively manage my pain with none of the side effects associated with long-term opioid use. When I finally recovered and no longer needed pain management I was able to discontinue using the Kratom with no lingering effects.
I have found Kratom to be a safe, effective, non-addictive alternative for pain management with no unpleasant side effects. Further research needs to be done into the positive possibilities of this natural herb. Unfortunately, the DEA has taken the irresponsible and hasty action of scheduling Kratom with no public comment period and no serious review of the available scientific literature. The DEA is claiming that Kratom has no meaningful medical benefits without taking the time to analyze accepted research and anecdotal evidence of the positive effects. If the DEA is allowed to go through with this ban any further scientific investigation into the possible benefits that Kratom has to offer will be effectively halted. Please do not let this happen.
I am almost 60 years old, I work an outdoor job in Montana and I suffer chronic pain in my joints and lower spine. I didn’t feel it wise to go to the doctor for prescription pain killers to use while working on and around heavy equipment, but I also knew the pain levels were going to cause me to become disabled and no longer able to work. I discovered kratom three years ago and in it found a solution that controls the pain while keeping me an alert and safe worker. I feel well, my strength has been restored and I am again able to keep up in the work place with people much younger than I am. When I first heard recently about the DEA plans to schedule Kratom in the same category as heroin, I busted out laughing and did not believe something this crazy and ridiculous could be true. What the DEA is doing here is an aggressive insult and assault on the intelligence of US citizens, and will only serve to promote increasing cynicism of the people toward government. Kratom does not get me “high” for God’s sake… if anything it increases alertness. Alertness and safety are not possible for me if I am forced by the “medical experts” at the DEA to go on disabling prescription opiates for pain control. Hello, Govt: do not tell me out of one side of your mouth that I live in a “free” country, while out of the other side of your mouth you are stating that as an adult, I am not intelligent enough, not able and not allowed to decide what is safe or unsafe to put into my own body. I know myself, and I know what works for my situation. The DEA is going to make the government look pretty stupid for busting people with chronic pain for their great crimes of wanting to remain productive, working and tax paying citizens. Someone with an actual brain in the govt needs to stand up and stop this complete stupidity.
Here’s the open letter I wrote & emailed to my congressional reps. We are NOT going down quietly!
Dear esteemed Representative:
PLEASE help.
This is TERRIBLE news to hundreds of thousands of good, decent, law-abiding citizens in this country who are seeking comfort and relief for various physical and mental difficulties they experience every day:
On August 31st the DEA announced that the active compounds in Mitrogyna Speciosa, aka Kratom (Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine) will be listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, effective September 30. Unless the DEA changes course, possession, sales and use of Kratom will be illegal on October 1.
To me, and millions of other people just like you and me, this action by the DEA is unconscionable, cruel, misguided, and absolutely unnecessary. It will cause great harm and pain to countless numbers of people, for NO GOOD REASON.
Most galling of all, DEA is taking this drastic step without allowing for input and comment from people like me.
WHY? They can’t even give us a coherent, honest reason for this action! There is no “crisis”, as they claim; absolutely none. If ALL the evidence is examined honestly and openly, this DEA action is completely misguided from beginning to end.
There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people in America who use Kratom for chronic pain relief, breaking their addictions to prescription and illicit opiates, as a remedy for chronic depression, anxiety, panic disorder, PTSD, and other legitimate health issues. Kratom has proven to be extremely efficacious for all these people, with zero side effects, no possibility of overdose, and only a mild dependency developing with heavy, daily use.
Kratom is not some synthetic party drug. It is NOT an opiate. It is not a gateway drug. Kratom, in its natural, unadulterated form, is a leaf, from a southeast Asian tree, closely related to coffee. It has been used there for centuries as a remedy for numerous ailments, with great success.
And now it has become very popular on this side of the world. So popular, in fact, that Big Pharma feels threatened, or angry that they can’t own it, patent it, and charge us holy balls for it; and has apparently directed the DEA, their enforcement arm, to SHUT IT DOWN.
The DEA wants to classify Kratom as the same as methamphetamine, heroin, crack cocaine, and other dangerous, harmful, illegal drugs. AND THEY WANT TO DO THIS WITH NO STUDY OR DEBATE! Again, I ask, WHY?
I have the great misfortune of living in Alabama, where the legislature rushed to judgement in May this year, banning the sale, possession and use of Kratom. They apparently had no idea what they were even voting on, as they described Kratom as a “synthetic opiate”. Which is 100% FALSE. But they banned it with no study, no debate, no regular legal process.
Up until then, I was using Kratom powdered leaf several times per week to treat my chronic nerve pain, depression, insomnia, and occasional anxiety. NOTHING I have ever used to treat these problems worked for me. The prescription antidepressant meds I took only made me borderline suicidal. But Kratom- this simple, basic, unadulterated herb- instantly gave me my life back. Not only did I get rid of the constant pain in my back; I also began feeling serene and optimistic. I felt energetic and inspired, and able to work long days as a self-employed woodworker. I never experienced any side effects. It just worked. It gave me my life back!
And then the Alabama legislature decided that if I were to continue to seek this comfort and relief, as a mature, responsible adult, I was no better than a strung out junkie- a felon; a criminal!
And now the DEA is threatening to take this wonderful, safe, effective, gentle herb away from millions of other Americans, without study, or debate, or even listening to the legions of people like me who were able to resume healthy, active, productive lives with the help of Kratom.
Please pardon my angry tone. I really, really miss having the ability to feel happy and healthy, without having to suffer the high cost, nasty side effects, and dangerous addictiveness of so many prescription medications. And I am enraged that the same thing is about to happen to countless tens of thousands of my fellow citizens, country-wide- FOR NO GOOD REASON.
That is why I am pleading with you to lend your support to at least delaying this foolish ban, until proper study, debate, discussion, and education can be pursued, openly, responsibly, IN THE PUBLIC ARENA! America is supposed to be a democratic republic, NOT a corporate fascist kleptocracy!
**Please consider signing the Pocan/Salmon Dear Colleague Letter addressed to the DEA in order to address this overreach.**
In light of the above, I am asking that you contact both the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Office of Management and Budget. Request that they freeze the DEA’s proposed action on Kratom, and allow the millions of regular Americans who use Kratom to comment on the proposed prohibition.
I suppose it’s too late for me, as long as I continue living in Alabama. But there are hundreds of thousands of people all around this country that urgently need your help right now.
If you need more anecdotal evidence, go to Facebook, and YouTube, search #iamkratom. There you will see hundreds, no, thousands of stories from people who got their lives back, and are now facing the prospect of losing their health and well-being again, if this unconscionable ban is allowed to go forward.
Thank you very much for your consideration and help with this matter, which is of vital importance to millions of good, decent, law-abiding Americans.
A week from now my husband (army veteran & supervisor at an oil company) & I (full time trainer at a credit union) would be considered felons because we drank our usual cup of tea. My husband got off all the prescription medications the VA prescribed him after he was hurt in Iraq with kratom. He has used it for years without issue.
This proposed ban is absolutely ludicrous & I don’t understand how someone who STILL doesn’t know kratom is NOT an opioid can be allowed to make a decision that would ruin lives for so many.
I’m so grateful to the CRE for the work you’re doing & I only wish everyone looked out for the people the way you do.
My husband & I are not felons. We’re employed, law abiding tax payers, citizens, & parents. We did not elect Mr. Rosenberg to have the authority to ban tea leaves on a whim. This decision is reckless, hasty, & completely misguided. Hopefully truth & common sense will get a victory.
I am a school counselor, wife of a teacher, and mother of 2 fantastic boys and a law abiding citizen. I researched Kratom about 6 years ago as an alternative treatment for Depression as well as pain. The use of this tea has enabled me to use much less traditional medicine and I feel better now at age 47 than I did when I was in my 20’s. My physician says I am in perfect health and my blood work is very good. I cannot imagine Kratom being taken away from me and have no idea what I will do if this happens. I am asking that you please reconsider this decision.
THIS IS TAKING ALL OF MY GOD GIVEN RIGHTS AWAY FROM ME! IS THIS WHAT MY COUNTRY HAS BECOME?!
It would be pointless for me to list the 31 pharmaceuticals that I have had experience with, because we all know that the entire focus here is to keep all of us, law abiding citizens, on as many of those big money making meds, as possible. Money is the name of the game. The greedy, selfish individuals that profit from us as long as they can keep us UNhealthy, will have to answer for their actions one way or another. It would take me hours to list all of my diagnoses and most of them have already been addressed in previous comments. I accepted years ago, that my daily life would consist of unrelenting pain, due to an S1 to T9 spinal fusion. But what I had not accepted and desperately longed for was my mental health and emotional state. I wanted to know what “normal” felt like. I wanted to be and feel normal. After years of anti depressants, anti anxiety meds, sleep meds, etc. left me in a coma and my 4 children almost lost their Mother, I’d had enough. I chose, without any help, to discontinue every single one of them. I believe I was actively taking 12 different ones at the time. For 6 years I just existed, literally. 2 years ago I began my quest for a more natural way of living and discovered Kratom. For the first time in my 52 years, I feel and I am, normal. The past 2 years have been the most enjoyable and fulfilling years of my life! My only regret is that my children missed out, all those years, on the “normal” Mom I am today! Shame on the DEA! What has happened to MY great country that I once was so proud to live in? What about MY rights and MY freedom? Why isn’t it MY choice to do and treat my body as I wish? Basically, what it boils down to is, the greedy, conniving politicians, pharmaceutical companies and government officials, actually own MY, this, body that I’ve been living in! I’m saddened and filled with grief, knowing this is the country I’m leaving to my children. I’m a disabled Mother, Grandmother, Daughter, Sister, Aunt and my name is Phyllis. Please help stop the ban on Kratom
I spent over so decade on fentanyl patches and percocet for breakthrough pain. When I started my taper, I weighed 130. A kind nurse suggested I investigate Kratom, and after I did I bought my first batch. It actually works it may not take away all the pain,but neither did the pharmaceuticals which are much rougher on the body.
I started using Kratom December 15th last year, and now I weigh 175 and can do more than “just waiting to die”
Sure, there are side effects but they are much milder than the pharmaceuticals I was forced to take back then. I don’t want to be forced to go back to health care that wants to make pain patients feel like criminals. Let them keep their drugs. Let me keep my Kratom.
This is WRONG the DEA /FDA are so off on this one. Their decision to ban this plant is going to effect so many people including myself in the worst possible way. Kratom is safe Iam proof! Kratom heals, Iam proof, kratom saves, Iam proof. Stop hindering people from thriving! You think your getting away with it but one day all will have to give an account for their deeds. Keep kratom legal!
The DEA is hurting themselves as well as us. The DEA WILL lose the support of the conservative movement when everyone stops supporting conservatives. I hope they all lose their jobs and get real ones. States will continue to defy the goverment and reverse laws.
I saw an excellent comment by a person named Aimee regarding an article at https://www.statnews.com/2016/09/23/kratom-ban-dea-congress/
I think Aimee’s comment deserves to be seen here:
Aimee
September 26, 2016 at 8:50 am
I can guarantee this is how this transpired.
Since 2014, customs has been seizing shipments of Kratom that have been coming into the US. If you check out older articles, the FDA was putting pressure on the DEA to do something about Kratom as they felt it was some sort of threat (lol)…anyway…the DEA responded that they just were not equipped to do that at the time.
So, now we learn, there have been several patents on the isolated alkaloids of the plant responsible for the control of pain. It is obvious to seasoned Kratom users that Kratom does not cause any fatal adverse events such as respiratory depression and the euphoria that the typical pharmaceutical opiates do and have killed people. Thousands of people. We now know that Oliciderine, owned by Pharma company, Trevana, is on their phase three trials, with the acting agents of their drug with almost exact mechanism of action to the Kratom alkaloids patented already in 2010. I would assume, this new ‘drug’ will be FDA approved within the next two years.
Pharma does not want any inexpensive, highly efficacious, and 100% safe competition for their imminent drug launch. Oliciderine cannot compete with Kratom. A synthesized drug of a plant rarely does–bc plants are complicated and by only isolating a couple alkaloids, restricts the beautiful symphony of many alkaloids in the plant. This is very true of Kratom, a complicated, symphony of alkaloids and anti-oxidants that do more so serous things than just treat pain.
The FDA concurs, puts pressure on the DEA to find a way to abolish this plant from American consumers, this by abusing their emergency scheduling powers.
BAM!
It’s a win-win situation, the DEA demonizes this harmless plant that has helped millions avoid toxic and ineffective and addicting pharmaceuticals, by propagandizing the ‘imminent health hazard’ painting this plant as a destructive, herbal heroin running rampant rampant on the streets ready to addict your children.
The DEA has now created the narrative that they are actually needed and relevant to protect public health, and affirms their significance. Mr. Rosenberg looks like a hero…or so he thought.
With the massive statistics of heroin overdoses, pharmaceutical synthesized opiate addictions, not to mention, the annual deaths related to tobacco and alcohol…and notably the several hundred deaths a year to the benign drug we call, Tylenol, which we pay no heed administering to our children–why would such an emphasis be put upon a natural herb–especially now???
Well..lol…
The DEA, FDA and Pharma grossly underestimated the demographics and the population of Kratom users. Functional, productive, honorable, tax paying citizens–with the mean age probably around 40 years of age. Working people. People that are able to hire legal counsel and strategists to protect nature from exploitation and gross profit. Kratom users are not resembling anything close to looking and acting like junkies.
It is a said day in America, when a harmless leaf that has been used for thousands, not hundreds, thousands of years to help people live with debilitating ailments has become demonized and fall victim to bunch of bureaucratics who do not care about the people but rather profit.
I am inclined to believe that this initiative, for the DEA to hastily schedule Kratom as 1, the most felonious drug charge under the CSA, was spearheaded by somebody in the FDA to ensure that the next 2-3 years remained a monopoly for the next slew of synthesized drug launches.
Nonetheless, because of Kratom, prescriptions of Suboxone and Methadone have dropped significantly, these two pharmaceuticals are a nightmare to ween off and the withdrawal effects are horrible. People are getting smarter. They are looking for alternatives to the narcotic nightmare created by our own government.
This fight for Kratom is not only to protect a viable healing plant, but is a fight for the future–to protect our personal freedoms.
Reply
The DEA has no right banning something they know nothing about. Kratom saved my life from chronic back pain and because of Kratom I don’t have to take narcotics and muscle relaxers anymore which I was on since 2005. THANK YOU KRATOM❤
I am a 34 year old, college educated, mother of four. At 28 years old I had a massive heart attack. Due to my diabetes and some congenital issues I had never known about. I was left with so much residual pain as well as severe neuropathy and rls from my type 1 diabetes. I went down the opiate road like so many others. And, like so many others I found myself dependant upon them in no time. I lived for them. I did nothing but worry and obtain them. It almost ruined my life, my marriage, my children’s life. And, then I found kratom. I am a new person again. I work a full time job and no longer on disability. I am an active participant in my children’s lives and my marriage. My kids got there mother back. And, now we are faced with them losing me once again. My pain is debilitating without kratom. And, I REFUSE to EVER go back to opiates. They do nothing but kill people or ruin their lives. I am a law abiding citizen. I’ve never been in trouble and we are very much cookie cutter as well. But, I know without kratom I will no longer be the person I need to be for my family. How will I work? How will I carpool my kids to their games, practices, competitions? The answer is, I won’t. Not without being a felon and breaking the law to do so. It is OUR government’s responsibility to protect our rights. I would not want to be the one putting so many peoples lives in danger. I pray that we are able to stop this. I have no other option but to hold out how. Because the thought of having to do it without that pain management is far too much for me to concede.
I was on PRESCRIBRD opiates for chronic arthritic knee pain for YEARS. A licensed man in a white lab coat freely and enthusiasticly handed me a drug addiction on a little white piece of paper. Eventually I became someone I never thought I’d be…an addict. I struggled to get off those pain meds over the course of 6 moths and did so. I didn’t want that for my life and it was also as the Government was cracking down so I believed them when they said THEY didn’t want us all to become dependent!! After 2 years of being almost immobile some days and downing an insane amount of NSAIDs, I discovered Kratom….and my life that red around. I could play with my kids, suffered no withdrawal symptoms if I had none for a few days, no side effects….it was a life saver for me. Banning this NATURAL herb that is NOT AN OPIATE IN ANY WAY will only cause needless pain and drug seeking behavior for countless users. Why would our Government RIGHTLY tell us all and our doctors to stop prescribing an abundance of Big Pharma’s chemicals and then also turn around and attempt to eradicate a NATURAL CENTURIES OLD alternative that helps countless??? It disgusts and scares me what the fall out of this might be if the DEA ban goes through!!
I can’t even fathom that their is a POSSIBILITY I’d be considered a felon this time next week for drinking the same tea I’ve been drinking for years. It’s absurd. I’m a reliable, consistent, dependable mother, wife, & employee. I’ve held the same job for years. I have never had any “police trouble”. I follow the rules.
For the life of me I just don’t understand why this is happening. The DEA is painfully misinformed about kratom & it seems like a cruel joke to have people who have no idea what they’re talking about in a position to tragically impact so many lives.
If anything, the DEA should be embracing & informing people about kratom! Every bit of scientific & anecdotal evidence demonstrates that kratom is a safe & effective herb that’s helped thousands (if not millions) get off opiates or avoid getting on them in the first place.
Even if the DEA were supposed to be making laws this move is ridiculous. The fact that they exist to ENFORCE laws makes this situation worse. They’ve been able to provide NO evidence to back up their claim that kratom is a legitimate public health that. We’re weeks into this & Rosenberg is STILL referring to it as an opioid! How are they getting away with this?!
I hope & pray that truth & common sense will get a victory regarding this issue. I fear for myself & everyone else in my position if they don’t.
Given that there is NO proof kratom is a threat it is imperative that the DEA is slowed down. Research MUST be done & the public MUST be allowed to comment. There is simply no reason for this hasty, reckless rush to ban something safe & clearly misunderstood.
I’m a 33 year old wife and mother of 4. My oldest has Autism, and i suffer from Rumatoid Arthritis, Neuritis, a Pars Defect, and Degenerative Disc Disease. I also have Anxiety and OCD. My life has changed for the better because of Kratom. I was on so many medications that i no longer have to take. I was told i would have to inject myslef with Humara for the rest of my life. A very expensive medicine that my insurance does not cover. Thanks to Kratom i no longer have to use it. Please don’t let this happen. If the ban stands i don’t think i would survive it. Thank you CRE for your help.
Both Sham and Shame… Voodoo science / statistics by CDC… No due process with scheduled drugs… No chain of evidence with scheduled drugs… Doctors can retroactively falsify abuse risk in historical records with impunity if your not a cash cow anymore with unnecessary treatments or too many steroid shots… Florida’s Pain Management doctors average 1.5 to 2.5 stars out of 5. PCP’s aren’t much. Was reduced twice with doctor touting FL law required me to do it… Was stating July 1, 2018, HB-21 had to cut me back, when I told him I was already reduced twice before and I was exempt anyway as it especially notes Chronic Non-Malignant pain patients were exempt to HB-21, he called his nurse to witness my unruly insistent behavior of drug-seeking abuse prone patient, screaming my name in open door hallways with waiting room and front office… threatened me said that if I said one more word I would be dismissed and blackballed in FL as he would lose his license… A gossipy nurse told a Gossipy MA friend in my PA’s office and magically his medical histoy was falsified as well to agree… I was already 15 MME below the standing FL law BEFORE he reduced it yet again. My historical records were also falsified saying that I had a history of drug and mental abuse for the prior two years. I would have been booted but he still had shots lined ups to make money, the wrong area of my back and walked like a gorilla ( no offense to guerrillas ) in unimaginable pain for 4 months until the wrong shots were all used. Then I was drug tested always alone out of sync a month or two to this day, I am waiting for the one day “the other shoe to drop” and get my drug test (unintentionally and unnoticed) contaminated… I sent HHS (HIPPA) and the Surgeon General of FL a letter on this, it’s been over a month, no reply… I’m over 65 with a 20-year tolerance, my brain will never recover from PAWS ( Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrom ) before I die if I quite it would take over 2 years for my brain to recover no more than 80%, but now with Vintage 20-year Neuropic pain that has aging and arthritic effect to boot… Zombified and content now unrelenting pain for the rest of my life… Yep, that’s a bright future ahead… No wonder why so many poor marginalized chronic pain wretches have suicidal ideation when they are cut off or drastically tapered below their tolerance levels… The aged very long timeframe tolerant brain has the dopamine-producing neurons because of nonuse are given to Atrophy, Senescence dies or repurposed… IT Never comes back… The short term recovery period of bad withdrawals just clears out the bad lizard brain response of flooding the brain with stuff like cortisol (adrenaline), etc, It does not bring back your Neurons and never will you become an animated corpse walking in unimaginable pain until you die…
I’m a chronic pain patient trying to get off of prescription opiates & Kratom has quite literally saved my life. Without it I can say with absolute conviction that I would be dead, my little boy wouldn’t have any parents left & for what, so the pharmaceutical companies can keep up their profit margins off of people’s pain, a lot of which they have actually caused. Is it perfect, is it without any risk? Please, tell me one thing in life that truly is! But it is absolutely without a doubt the lesser of many evils & it’s benefits outweigh any risks, which are extremely minimal comparatively… & scientific research even proves this.
Why don’t you all just quit jacking with people and destroying lives over what is nothing more than your opinion! & An ignorant one at that
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Hi, Its a wounderful post.Thanks for your nice post. Do you know? For the studies, Ilyas and his colleagues recruited 186 patients with chronic back pain and 40 patients with chronic arthritis pain.
This blog article has all the scientific research that proves kratom is safe: https://www.borneohale.com/scientifically-proven-kratom-isnt-the-agent-of-liver-damage/ All health cases related to kratom almost always include history of abuse or liver, cardiac, and kidney problems.
I started using kratom 5 years ago after I almost died twice using opiate prescriptions after a extremely life threatening car accident that broke my back. Opiate prescriptions provided short term relief and helped for awhile until the day I overdosed and a paramedic saved my life barely after 5 minutes of not breathing and unconscious/my partner found me blue and not responsive. I am so lucky to have survived. After that day, I made it my mission to get off ALL opiate prescription and discovered the life saving plant called Kratom. It helped me get off of opiate prescriptions and saved my life http://kratomgator.com
Check the latest update of Kratom State Legality & Legislation with a United States dynamic map
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Misuse of drugs occurs, for instance, when a person who has taken a single sleeping pill fails to fall asleep an hour later and instead takes a second tablet in the vain hope that “it’ll do the job.” However, drug misuse occurs when someone uses sleeping pills for purposes other than sleep, such as mood regulation, getting a “buzz,” or even suicide.
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Kratom capsules are made by filling empty gelatin or vegetable-based capsules with finely ground kratom powder. This allows users to easily and discreetly consume kratom without having to measure out the correct dosage or deal with the bitter taste of raw kratom powder.
One advantage of using kratom capsules is that they provide a convenient and consistent way to consume kratom. Each capsule contains a specific amount of kratom powder, usually ranging from 0.5 to 1 gram, which allows users to accurately measure their dosage and avoid taking too much or too little.
Kratom capsules also offer a discreet and convenient way to consume kratom, which may be particularly appealing to those who want to avoid the stigma associated with traditional methods of consuming kratom, such as brewing tea or chewing raw leaves.