Thoughts at the End of the Kratom Era

With the recent changes to the national attitude towards kratom, we cannot help but feel like the United States is moving in strange directions. Here at HH, we have been working to keep good connections, and to be fair, we haven't directly advocated for petitioning in the same way as other venues in the ethno community, for a very specific reason. As an entity that does reviews of kratom, as well as other products, we feel very strongly about the importance of proper education and use of these plants and materials. While, like many supplements, health benefits are often hard to prove, there is at least room for a standard level of quality, care and growing practice. Consider vitamin supplements, for example. They are not "proven" in many ways but there is enough medical evidence and study to suggest that their use can be generally beneficial to consumers when used in moderation and under proper care. However, if a person randomly decided to take certain vitamins without cause, and took them without considering or heeding dosing directive that are considered safe for general use, those vitamins on the OTC shelf can kill you just the same as anything else. We oppose the movement of the DEA to make kratom a schedule I drug, but understand the path that has lead us to this point. When you consider the fact that kratom is often used by people and written about in the community as a "legal high" despite the fact that it doesn't typically intoxicate... That it's used to replace opiates, as a replacement substances for many addictions other than opiates such as alcohol, and regulated psychiatric medications.. and has been at least a contributing factor in serious harm and death when used improperly by consumers... Much of the reason behind this situation has come from the community itself. All of these statements are documented facts; they are not excusable or arguable points. Locally, we have tried to explore local headshops for supplies and to review brands, and are almost always unable to find capsules for purchase; not because they don't carry, but because the word has spread among the halfway houses that kratom will take the edge off withdrawal, potentiate certain psychological benefits, but is not tracked through routine drug screening. This is NOT a good thing. Most local rehab facilities of this nature are housing alcohol and opiate addicts, and the problem with unregulated distribution of kratom without proper guidance of use is not only the fact that these typically low income earners are spending copious amounts of money a day (one instance I was told a gentleman was spending upwards of $100 a day to get enough kratom for the habit he'd established) but also... When you consider the fact that these addictions typically compromise the cardiac and liver functions of individuals, kratom becomes even more potentially hazardous, simply because of its potential effects regarding heart rate, blood pressure and central nervous system side effects. We have read many accounts of people taking over 15g of kratom chasing a "high" that will simply not come but then finding themselves vomiting, having heart palpitations, suffering serious dehydration, or even worse, chasing it with things like alcohol or intentionally mixing kratom with psychiatric sedation and tranquilizers, opiates, speed, and other substances. So when we say that much of the reason this has come about, is because so much of the community is abusing kratom, rather than effectively using it. When we read the blogs and protesting parties that have a problem with this restriction, it is very often not people who are speaking on behalf of say, those working for alternative pain control or treatments for chronic medical conditions. Most of the time, the words come from users that are either casually using it as a potentiator, or people who are using it to treat serious chemical addictions that really should be monitored by physicians. We are all for natural remedies.. Hell, we run an ethnobotannical review blog... and Kratom, really, has been our #1 favorite thing to explore over the last few years... but we are not all about people chasing a chemical escape and excusing that behavior simply because it is a plant. Don't get us wrong, we think the plant should be available... But we think that the community needs to be truthful about it and look at the situation like the adults that we are. The fact that kratom, in conjunction with other substances or with lifestyle situations, can contribute to DEATHS is a serious thing. Saying something like "There is always something else involved" doesn't remove the fact that kratom was involved. There is *always* something else involved or something about a circumstance that can explain why that circumstance killed or seriously harmed someone. All this being said, our support of tighter restrictions on kratom comes down to the simple fact that there was a huge boom in the market... Sub-par plants being sold and people being granted the rights to re-brand the product when they bought it wholesale. Producers refusing to cite their source growers. Huge disparities in the pricing of the market. One of our common questions would be, is this source safe for me to buy from? What do you think of this website? There have been a ton of people trying to cash in on the pain and suffering of the population... Even to the point where we ourselves were asked for a positive review of a product, that ultimately made our reviewer sick for *two months* because of the terrible quality. All of these things are made even more evident by the flat out liquidation sales going on, extreme discounts being made available, shops closing down and giving away product because you know what? Whoever is holding when the doors close, those are the people that will lose out. So anyway... regardless of the decision... we will continue to support and review alternative methods to relax and enjoy ourselves, as well as pain treatment. We will never lie about why we do these things though. Some things we try for recreational reasons, some for medical reasons, and some recreational things turn out to be medically beneficial. We sincerely hope that the reason behind this restrictiveness is because of the very real and potential danger of abuse that comes with substances that act upon opiate receptors. Believe me, I'm not happy about it. As a chronic pain sufferer who thought kratom, even with its expensive price tag, was a Godsend for my fibromyalgia symptoms, it's hard for for me to accept that the freedom of availability is diminished. Unlike many others that can respond to Rx medications but prefer to not take them, I do not respond to traditional treatments and have been released from care due to modern medicine's inability to treat the severity of my symptoms... and kratom helped me function on some pretty difficult days, even if it didn't alleviate all of my pain. But I do believe that we have to work within the system, rather than scream like a spoiled brat that has been told they can't have what they want... So we just have to fight for it with legitimate cause. And maybe this fight will finally weed out the predatory producers that rack up thousands of dollars in sub-par products, so that when we do put our money down, we can be assured we're getting what we actually paid for... Yeah? We sure hope so.

Edit:

Since the posting of this entry, it's come to public light that the DEA has decided to stall their "emergency ban" on kratom, which has made many of us very hopeful. They have stated, the ban is still coming, but the statements that have been released on multiple news outlets seem to imply a hesitation at this time... We'll have to see how long it goes. I'm still not surprised that we've gotten so close, considering its relation to addictions, opiates, and its residence in headshops across the country... and I sincerely hope that this helps kratom users everywhere regain a sense of responsibility.

I know that as has been stated by so many, kratom users are primarily comprised of those using it for addiction treatment and non-pharma pain treatment, but I hope this has been a wake-up-call for those that may be using it for relaxation and fun, who don't think too carefully before they post... Some of us really do rely on the availability of this herb. Be safe, friends!