Author: Matthew

D’IBERVILLE, Miss. (WLOX) – Kratom was the topic of discussion Wednesday night in D’Iberville as the city council discussed a possible ban on the product.

The Mayo Clinic calls kratom an herbal supplement that can be used as a stimulant at low doses or treat chronic pain at higher doses.

D’Iberville police say the city has 14 businesses selling the product.

Chief Shannon Nobles said he started doing research after more businesses were seeking approval to sell. He shared his concerns with WLOX.

“Where there’s no regulation, that means anybody can buy it,” he said. “There’s also research that it’s addictive, so that is a concern that a child or teenager could purchase kratom from the store in the city of D’Iberville to be addictive and also lead to overdose and death.”

Read the full article at WLOX

Thousands make claims that kratom, an herb closely related to the coffee plant, has saved them from numerous afflictions and are taking offense that the legality of something completely natural could even be a question.

Advocates of the herb argue that the effects are no different than having a cup of coffee, except unlike coffee, it wards off the urge to take opiates such as oxycodone and heroin. Others say they use it primarily to fight pain and anxiety disorders, or to help take away the edge of the excruciating withdrawal processes of strong pharmaceutical-grade painkillers, anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants and other drugs. A natural alternative during a time that opioid use has become epidemic in our country seems like a no-brainer, yet a massive amount of people have found themselves battling the “fight of their lives,” literally.

Read the interview at Heavy.

Police Jury members are taking steps to prohibit the sale of kratom within Franklin Parish.

The group has scheduled a public hearing Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. to hear public comment about a possible ordinance that would outlaw the sale of kratom. They scheduled the hearing at their Nov. 17 regular meeting.

In their Sept. 13 meeting, Baskin aldermen unanimously banned the substance. Mangham aldermen are also looking into banning kratom which can be bought over the counter at many stores.

Kratom is an herbal extract that comes from the leaves of an evergreen tree grown in Southeast Asia, according to the Mayo Clinic. Kratom’s liquid form is often marketed as a treatment for muscle pain, or to suppress appetite and stop cramps and diarrhea. Kratom is also sold as a treatment for panic attacks.

Read more at Franklin Sun

With last year’s removal of the kratom plant from Thailand’s national list of narcotic substances, the kingdom now hopes to export the plant and make it a cash crop. To facilitate exports and ensure compliance with legal requirements, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) was recently signed on electronic data connectivity.

The MOA was signed between the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB). Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin and Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat witnessed the signing of the agreement, intended to facilitate data connectivity between the Customs Department and the ONCB. This in turn would enable licensing and the issuance of electronic documents for the exporting or importing of kratom leaves.

Get the full story at pattayamail.com

The Justice Ministry is urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review its regulations on the level of mitragynine allowed in kratom products after potential investors complained the rule is stifling interest.

Kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa) has been taken off the national list of controlled substances. People can cultivate, sell, buy and consume kratom, which is widely used as a mild stimulant, regulated by the FDA.

Business operators say FDA regulations that limit the level of mitragynine in kratom products to 0.2mg per unit are too restrictive to make viable products. They also point out that a single kratom leaf, which is chewed by many people and considered safe, contains 1.2-1.6mg of mitragynine.

Read more at bangkokpost.com

RAPIDES PARISH, La. (KALB) – On Monday, Oct 10, the Rapides Parish Police Jury unanimously voted to pass two ordinances that ban the sale and possession of the herbal supplement kratom.

Kratom is an herbal supplement derived from an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. It can be bought over the counter at most gas stations and smoke shops and contains two psychoactive compounds, and some say the effects are comparable to opioids. Ascension Parish became the first in Louisiana to ban the substance in August, and now Rapides Parish has followed suit.

Users say it can help with everything from sore muscles to headaches and insomnia, though the FDA says there is no proven medicinal use for it.

“We think it is something here in Rapides Parish that we want to address. There are enough things going around,” said Craig Smith, President of the Rapides Parish Police Jury.

Read more at KALB.com

ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta family is suing to stop convenience stores from selling a product that killed their son. It’s called kratom and their lawsuit also goes after companies making and distributing it.

The grief is still fresh for the Pope family almost a year after their son Ethan died. The family’s lawsuit alleges while kratom is legal in Georgia, it’s not regulated, and they’re hoping to change that.

“Ethan was 23 and in the prime of his life,” Dana Pope said.

His life ended unexpectedly last December. 

“We received a call from the coroner that Ethan was found dead on the floor with his puppy Wilson by his side,” Pope said. “Months later, we received his death certificate, and Ethan’s cause of death was kratom toxicity.”

Ethan’s parents are now filing a lawsuit against about a dozen companies associated with kratom, alleging the herb contributed to his death.

Keep reading at News19

LOUISIANA (KLFY) — Healthcare professionals and law enforcement officials across Acadiana are raising awareness against the drug known as kratom.

Sheriff Charles Guillory of Evangeline parish said, “I went to a sheriffs association meeting and training. The main subject we talked about was kratom being transported to the United States.”

Kratom, a plant that grows in southeast Asia, has presented many challenges to healthcare professionals.

Katie Porche, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, said, “It’s definitely something we’re challenged with, most recently the popularity has increased. One of the biggest challenges is that people are able to purchase it over the counter, they can get it at gas stations and they just considered it a dietary supplement.”

Keep reading at KLFY

JACKSON, Miss (AP) — Mississippi lawmakers appear on track to pass legislation to ban kratom, an herbal drug that can be used for pain relief.

Kratom is currently unregulated in most parts of the United States but has been outlawed by some states, including neighboring Alabama. A few local governments in Mississippi have also banned the substance amid concerns that it can be harmful.

This is the second consecutive year lawmakers in the state have tried to either ban or regulate the green powdered substance. Rep. Lee Yancey, a Republican who leads the committee with jurisdiction over drug policy, told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that he will advance legislation to ban Kratom.

Read the full story at SFGate.com

In 2021, Thailand passed the updated Narcotics Act (No. 8) B.E. 2564 (2021), which removed kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) from the list of prohibited substances, eliminated kratom-related offenses on the basis that its consumption is part of traditional Thai cultural norms, and allowed possession and consumption.

On August 26, 2022, Thailand published the Kratom Plant Act B.E. 2565 (2022) in the Government Gazette, and the law came into effect the following day. With the aim of encouraging economic activity related to kratom, the act regulates the trade, sale, consumption, study, and advertising of kratom leaves (alone or as an ingredient in food) in Thailand.

Read more at conventuslaw.com