Stop the DEA from Placing Kratom into Schedule 1

The placement of Kratom and its constituent alkaloids is an affront to scientific research and potential major health hazard to thousands of recovering heroin and opiate addicts. Kratom and the alkaloids contained within are used throughout the world in the form of tea to alleviate the symptoms of opiate withdrawal and the alkaloids found within Kratom do not produce the same effects as heroin or prescription opiates. In many states which a quick to ban compounds the DEA deems “dangerous” Kratom remains legal to purchase over the age of 18 due to the recognized benefits the plant has. There is mounting scientific evidence that Kratom is an effective treatment for addicts:

http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2094342​

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27018165​

 http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2016/08/30/dea-to-place-kratom-mitragynine-on-schedule-i-premature-move-may-compromise-research-benefits/#1acec96d7924

The DEA sites 660 hospitalizations due to Kratom use (most of which were in combination with one or more intoxicants) over a 5-year period as a reason for temporary placement into Schedule 1. This statistic is laughable considering the 500,000+ alcohol related hospitalizations per year in the United States. The DEA postulates that since no current drug investigatory applications are pending for any alkaloids of Kratom, this is grounds for its placement in Schedule 1, the most restrictive category for any substance. This effectively creates a Catch-22 by which no such applications can be made and no research on the constituent alkaloids can be conducted. Meanwhile substances with much higher abuse and addiction potential are placed in less restrictive Schedules including the drugs which cause the need for the withdrawal alleviation provided by Kratom. Placement of Kratom in Schedule I rather than II-IV where most prescription pain killers fall shows that the DEA has no interest in scientific research being conducted on the alkaloids found in Kratom or the possibility of development of new therapeutic agents based on them. It displays either a complete disregard for scientific and pharmacological study or merely an exercise in flexing its political muscle for the sake of relevancy. The claim of Kratom posing a significant public health risk is drastically over exaggerated by the DEA in its filed documents for the placement of Kratom into Schedule 1.

What will instead happen is people using Kratom as a treatment for withdrawal will once again turn to street drugs, further worsening the opiate overdose epidemic the U.S. is facing. The DEA’s action will likely cause thousands of deaths due to the hyper potent fentanyl analogs being sold on the illicit market as heroin.