Mitragyna Speciosa, commonly known as kratom, is a natural herb from the same family of plants as coffee (Rubiaceae). This herb indigenous to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea. It has been a tremendous blessing, assisting millions—including myself, my friends, and my family—in numerous ways.

Personally, it has helped me effectively taper off rather heavy abuse of synthetic opioids, which posed far more insidious and life-threatening risks, while dramatically impairing my abiliy to function and contribute to effectively society. It also profoundly improves my general mood and sense of well-being while giving me the energy and pain relief necessary to maximize productivity, especially in fields of work that require hard labor.

Kratom is not merely an alternative; for many, it’s a lifesaver. It contains naturally occurring alkaloids that aid in pain management, relief from depression and anxiety, and in enhancing focus and energy. Many advocates highlight its effectiveness in aiding cessation from a variety of addictive substances, including legal substances like alcohol, caffeine, and smoking tobacco (nicotine). Additionally, some users even report improved sleep quality and duration, all leading to an overall increase in quality of life for countless individuals.

Kratom is grown and used worldwide, with numerous studies recognizing its safety and efficacy. It has been used for centuries in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand and Malaysia, for its medicinal properties and as a stimulant by laborers. In the United States alone, at least 15 million people use Kratom according to the American Kratom Association, and it has clearly not lead to any increase in health crises. The situation is, relatively speaking, very comparable here in Canada. 

For any of you who haven't tried kratom, I will tell you now that the effects of kratom are not even nearly as intoxicating as legally sold cannabis products. Not to mention alcohol, and even many of the pharmaceutical substances that get prescribed for the exact conditions this herb helps to treat symptoms of.

In terms of addictiveness, it really depends on the individual. I would honestly place it around the same level as nicotine, and caffeine

Also somewhat similar, when it comes to intensity and duration of withdrawals, which are only experienced when regular (daily), high-dose usage over a long period of time is ended abruptly. Not following a proper taper protocol will always result in most undesirable symptoms for many substances, even if they are short-lasting, and non-lethal, as it is with kratom. All of this can be greatly reduced, or even completely avoided if a taper process is done properly.

(Any concerns surrounding potential dependency, or even addiction, are not something we wish to hide or ignore, at all. The positives simply seem to outweigh the negatives, by a landslide).

It should be available to access by any adult Canadian citizen. Less frequent, recreational users obviously do exist, as well. Most of us truly don't have a problem with this, socially speaking, either. This natural herb actually boosts cognition, physical energy, and greatly relieves muscle tension/pain in the body, and helps many other conditions that people suffer from, for various reasons.

It is clearly helping millions of people. In a much, much more affordable and safer way than most alternatives, too. The alkaloids within the plant actually have undesirable effects when consumed in overly large amounts, almost like a natural, "built-in" anti-abuse mechanism. This makes abuse undesirable, as the positive effects are maximized when it is used in moderation. All of this, and still no life-threatening danger to health, even if taken in excess amounts.

Despite all of these benefits, Health Canada is tightening its control over the importation of lab-certified kratom products. Health Canada has voiced obscure concerns about kratom's safety and potential risks, leading to stringent regulations. These restrictions seem to be focused on labeling discrepancies, as well as unclear regulatory rules as to how they deem this product is to be used. This is more than an imposition; it threatens lives and undermines public health.

They have also made vague claims regarding how much should be used in a 90 day time period by an individual. Kratom is not illegal, and is not controlled or prohibited by law. Therefore, these statements lack any legal basis to stand on. The two agencies don't even seem to be on the same page. Nothing seems to line up here.

Kratom is currently not a controlled or prohibited substance in Canada, and has not been proven to be harmful.

For all we know, there could be ulterior motives behind this action. Especially when you take into consideration the tragically devastating impact which our society is suffering from due to the crisis of the opioid epidemic, and the corporations that actually benefit from it... cracking down on kratom in this way is clearly not the right thing to do. We say this is antithetical to the whole purpose of the agency (Health Canada).

These agencies need to be more open, understanding, and transparent about these matters, while reasonably taking into consideration that vendors in the U.S. and other countries must comply with their own regulations too. It all has to be imported, we don't have the climate for that here, obviously.

We implore Health Canada to reconsider its position on the importation of lab-tested Kratom products. It seems Health Canada is guiding the CBSA to enforce restrictions and interference on kratom importation in ways that lack transparency, authenticity, and go against the public's best interest.

We highly encourage Health Canada to conduct the necessary research to validate the beneficial alkaloids in kratom and study their potential applications to relevant health conditions. Additionally, we urge Health Canada to ease the current restrictions on kratom importation, as it is evidently not posing a threat to public health (Quite the opposite, actually). 

This dual approach could lead to significant advancements in modern medicine for a variety of conditions, while ensuring Canadians still have safe and reasonable access to kratom for the time being, especially with the depth and complexity of the current opioid epidemic in this country. It is out of control.

Let us not lose loved ones to harmful opioids, stimulants, or depressants when a natural, safer alternative exists.

Please sign & share this petition if you support the cause.

Lend your voice now to halt the restrictions and interference on Kratom importation influenced by Health Canada and enforced by the CBSA.

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