Category: Kratom

A controversial and unregulated supplement that users say works wonders for anxiety, addiction and other maladies — but which some health officials call dangerous — could soon be taken off the shelves in Georgia.

What’s happening: State Rep. Rick Townsend (R-Brunswick) today will present his legislation to add kratom, an herbal supplement made from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree, to the state’s list of controlled substances. 

• The legislation would essentially put kratom on par with hallucinogens and heroin — drugs with a high potential for abuse and no medicinal value, according to the law. 
• Georgia law currently prohibits kratom sales to people under the age of 18. 

Catch up quick: Sold in health stores, gas stations, CBD shops and online, kratom can make people feel upbeat and peppy if they take small doses. At higher doses, the supplement can have an opioid-like effect.

Read more at Axios Atlanta

A Livingston Parish Council proposal to ban the sale of kratom, an herbal extract that has prompted heated debate in the community about whether it is a danger to constituents, did not make it out of committee for a formal introduction Thursday night.

A motion made by Council member Shane Mack, who proposed the ordinance, to introduce the law for a public hearing and eventual vote in two weeks was not seconded, halting efforts by some local officials to prohibit the product’s proliferation in the parish.

“The future plan is to continue researching,” Mack said after the ordinance introduction failed. “And [continue] the discussion on whether the sale of kratom should be banned or regulated in Livingston Parish. I would like to learn more about the benefits and hazards of selling kratom in Livingston Parish.”

Keep reading at theadvocate.com

Widely available for purchase primarily in smoke shops around the Kansas City area, kratom — an herbal supplement made from leaves grown in Southeast Asia — is federally unregulated. Users claim kratom relieves chronic pain, treats symptoms of mood disorders and mitigates the effects of opioid withdrawal.

Kansas lawmakers are considering the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which, if passed, would define the supplement as a food product and end what Rep. John Eplee, an Atchison Republican and physician, called the “wild, wild west” of an unregulated industry he said begs to be regulated.

Mac Haddow, senior fellow on public policy at the American Kratom Association, said the legislation would protect consumers from dangerously adulterated, or kratom products that are contaminated with non-kratom substances, such as fentanyl, and mislabeled kratom products.

Read the story from the Kansas City Star

Around 1 a.m. on April 17, 2021, Laci Kanada finished taking a bath and found her two-year-old daughter had stopped breathing, police reports say.

She rushed her to the bathroom and let the water run over body, trying to wake her, and attempted CPR, but it was too late: Elizabeth Kanada-Martin was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the reports say.

A coroner’s report says the girl died from poisoning after ingesting combined drugs: “An extraordinarily high, lethal level” of tianeptine, an antidepressant drug that acts like an opioid — and the herbal extract kratom. Described in the report as a “psychoactive botanical substance,” the coroner wrote that kratom “affects the same opioid brain receptors as morphine.”

Keep reading at nola.com

Biloxi Councilman Robert Deming III was the subject of a DEA investigation Thursday as agents raided his home and businesses that sell kratom. The investigation into the stores Deming owns has been going on for about a year and a half, Chris Bell, resident agent in charge of the DEA in Gulfport said, and agents were looking for documents inside his home and shops in Biloxi and Ocean Springs. “We had complaints at the businesses in and around the Gulf Coast of products that were sold and having ill effects on people consuming them,” Bell said.

Deming has not been arrested or detained. The DEA said the target of the raid was synthetic cannabinoid oils and edibles. Kratom supplements have long polarized the U.S. and are outlawed in some places. For the past five years, Mississippi lawmakers have tried to ban the use and sale of kratom.

Read more at sunherald.com

Kratom has become a cause for concern in Louisiana, with two parishes banning it and two others considering a ban for fear of more drug addiction.

Here’s what kratom is and why it alarms some: 

What is kratom? 

Kratom is a plant native to southeast Asia and is colloquially known as thang, kakuam, thom, ketum and biak, according to a 2020 fact sheet produced by the U.S. Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration. 

What does it do? 

Kratom leaves contain both mitragynine and 7-hydroxymytragynine, chemicals that can cause psychotic activity, according to the fact sheet. 

Some users say it relieves pain. Consuming the leaves can lead to stimulant effects in lower doses and sedative effects in higher doses, as well as to a range of psychotic symptoms. It also can make a user dependent on the plant, the drug fact sheet said.

Keep reading at nola.com

Jan. 26—The raid of multiple CBD and kratom stores in Mississippi and North Carolina on Thursday is part of a year-and-a-half-long U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency investigation that was sparked by complaints of illness after taking products sold there.

DEA agents raided six Candy Shop & Kratom stores across Mississippi, three in Hattiesburg and three on the Mississippi Coast, along with two stores in North Carolina. They are owned by Biloxi City Councilman Robert Deming III.

His home in the upscale Taylor Oaks Subdivision also was raided. An agent confirmed to the Sun Herald that Deming, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. House seat in 2020, has not been arrested or detained.

Read the story at sunherald.com

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) – Kratom and tianeptine could find themselves off the shelves in Mississippi.

State Representative Donnie Scoggin is working to pass House Bill 364, making both schedule one, making it illegal to sell them.

“Once it’s illegal to sell, then, hopefully, we could get it off the gas store shelves and make it a whole lot harder to get,” said Scoggin.

Many people in Jones County, including Ann Marie Brahm, have strong feelings against Kratom due to personal experiences.

“The effects of Kratom will forever affect me and I didn’t even take it,” said Brahm.

Brahm said her husband killed himself after taking a significant amount of Kratom.

“Anytime I go into a store and see a big glass case of Kratom, I just want to smash the glass,” said Brahm.

Read more at WLBT3

Colorado’s wild west days of kratom — an unregulated and controversial herbal supplement — are coming to an end.

Driving the news: The Polis administration is proposing a robust set of rules — akin to the regulation of marijuana — that the kratom industry says would put retailers out of business and leave consumers without access, John discovered.

• The $1.5 million regulatory scheme would impose strict manufacturing, testing and labeling requirements, and ban sales of vaporizers, concentrates, food additives and certain gummy edibles. The existing prohibition on sales to anyone under age 21 would remain in effect.

Yes, but: The proposed rules expressly permit the production and sale of kratom, which currently resides in a legal gray area.

Keep reading at MSN

After two Louisiana parishes banned kratom, Livingston leaders are now also considering whether to prohibit the unregulated herbal extract.

Officials are mulling whether they want to ban or regulate the product that some fear could fuel addiction or worsen the effects of other drugs if they are combined. It is part of a larger discourse gripping Louisiana, where kratom has already been outlawed in two parishes. One state lawmaker plans to file a measure to ban the extract in the upcoming Legislative session. 

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration calls kratom a “drug and chemical of concern” that has been found to provide an energy boost at low doses but sedative, opioid-like effects at higher ones. While the product is not regulated under the Controlled Substances Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved kratom for any medical use.

Read more at nola.com

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A new bill filed in the General Assembly would create new regulations for Kratom, a controversial narcotic, keeping it legal in the state but imposing restrictions on its sale.

Kratom, marketed as an “herbal supplement,” is derived from the leaves of a tree native to Indonesia, and has become popular in recent years as a treatment for pain and an alternative to opioids. But the plant has also invited controversy and warnings from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it could pose dangers of its own.7 men arrested in online predator operation in Fairfax County

The drug is currently unregulated in Virginia, meaning it can be sold over the counter at gas stations, smoke shops, and dedicated kratom shops with names such as “CRAZY VAPOR KRATOM CBD THC VAPE STORE” — a recently opened shop in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom.

Keep reading at ABC 8 News

A north shore senator is taking aim at kratom, an herbal supplement that’s been flagged as dangerous by two federal agencies, and wants to see it banned in Louisiana.

In small doses, the substance derived from a tree native to Southeast Asia, acts as a mild stimulant that users say can increase alertness and energy, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration fact sheet.

But kratom, which is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, can also cause psychotic symptoms and lead to addiction, according to the DEA, which lists it as a “drug and chemical of concern.”

Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, said he’s heard from parents whose teenage children have gotten sick from kratom, which he says is sold everyone. “It’s hard not to find it,” he said.

Read the full story at nola.com

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