Stop The Ban on Kratom in Iowa City, IA
Stop The Ban on Kratom in Iowa City, IA
The Issue
Dear Mayor and City Council members, I understand that you are sponsoring a ban, which would make the medicinal herb, Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), illegal in your city. I ask you to make an informed decision by educating yourself on the safety of this plant compared to street drugs (fentanyl, heroin, cocaine or meth), and prescription drugs, and I urge you to research the medicinal potential that this plant has ALREADY displayed.
Consider reasonable legislation that would restrict its use to 18+ like other states. Kratom can provide a safe and herbal alternative to an epidemic which is most prevalent in Iowa City. Oxycontyn and opiate abuse can be avoided altogether with use of this herbal supplement. It is used by people as a safe alternative to addictive painkillers.
It is also used to stop the withdrawal symptoms when stopping the use of opiates. Kratom is not an opiate but is helpful for people who are trying to stop using opiates. It is in fact the opposite of what it has been portrayed to be by misinformed media outlets.
The following are important facts for your consideration: Kratom is a plant, not a synthetic chemical or a “Street Drug”. Kratom is in the same family as the coffee tree (Rubiaceae), Kratom is no more habit forming than coffee. Kratom has been safely used for thousands of years as a medicine. It is nearly impossible to overdose on Kratom. Keep in mind that it’s possible to overdose on any substance including water. However, millions of Americans can attest to the beneficial properties of Kratom.
Furthermore, Kratom and its 54+ active alkaloids show tremendous medical potential. Banning Kratom is not a sensible approach to regulating this plant. Current peer reviewed studies on Kratom and its constituents have shown that Kratom has no acute toxicity, displays powerful antioxidant and antibacterial properties, assists with drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, contains several oxindole alkaloids which have exhibited potent immunomodulation properties, and even contains constituents that have exhibited anti-cancer properties! A brief search in any scholarly database will present hundreds of peer reviewed studies and clinical trials that can attest to the medical potential of this plant.
A few more facts for you to consider when making your informed decision:
Supporters of Kratom have played a big role in Iowa, where H.F. 2355 was proposed to ban Kratom. Letters and phone calls to the House of Representatives persuaded non-passage of the law. The bill died on the floor without getting passed, allowing Kratom to remain legal in Iowa.
According to the CDC, there were 74,402 fentanyl, 36,251 meth, and 29,918 cocaine deaths in 2023. Alcohol-related deaths have increased by 30% in the United States and kill almost 500 people a day according to aamc.org. U.S. News.com published an article called Death By Prescription, they reported an estimated 128,000 Americans died in 2016 from taking their prescribed medications which at the time was five times the number of people overdosing on painkillers and heroin. Approximately one of every 80 visits to the ED were opioid-related.
Let’s compare facts:
Kratom: In 2019, the CDC published a report called: Unintentional Drug Overdose Deaths with Kratom Detected — 27 States, July 2016–December 2017. This report of the 27 states showed there were 152 Kratom positive deaths but only 7 had only Kratom in their system and the CDC reported that other substances weren’t fully ruled out. The same report said about 80% of the people who had Kratom in their system had a history of substance misuse.
Nearly all of them had other substances in their system including fentanyl, heroin, benzodiazepines (also known as tranquilizers), prescription opioids and cocaine. The number of people whose deaths were associated with Kratom make up less than 1% of all SUDORS overdose deaths.
Opioids: The opioid related death rate has surpassed that of motor vehicle deaths, homicide, AIDs and suicide. The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total "economic burden" of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose in the United States is $1,021 billion in 2017. This report only included 38 states and DC, making the true combined cost higher.
In fact, if Kratom products were banned from the market, it appears likely that many users would turn to the illicit market that would immediately expand to meet the demand.
Are you really willing to outlaw an organic substance that has helped millions of Americans struggling from addiction, and force them to endure the pain and/or addiction that led them to take solace in the Kratom leaf in the first place? Even worse, are you willing to force them to fall back into the arms of the substances that are killing our loved ones and fellow citizens faster than any other substance available today?
If you insist on regulating Kratom, please regulate to 18 and over. This would ensure only responsible adults have access to this safe and mild herbal alternative and allow researchers to continue to develop valuable medicines that would benefit MILLIONS of Americans.
Here are some links to articles about the benefits of Kratom and its safety:
https://www.americanKratom.org/science
538
The Issue
Dear Mayor and City Council members, I understand that you are sponsoring a ban, which would make the medicinal herb, Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), illegal in your city. I ask you to make an informed decision by educating yourself on the safety of this plant compared to street drugs (fentanyl, heroin, cocaine or meth), and prescription drugs, and I urge you to research the medicinal potential that this plant has ALREADY displayed.
Consider reasonable legislation that would restrict its use to 18+ like other states. Kratom can provide a safe and herbal alternative to an epidemic which is most prevalent in Iowa City. Oxycontyn and opiate abuse can be avoided altogether with use of this herbal supplement. It is used by people as a safe alternative to addictive painkillers.
It is also used to stop the withdrawal symptoms when stopping the use of opiates. Kratom is not an opiate but is helpful for people who are trying to stop using opiates. It is in fact the opposite of what it has been portrayed to be by misinformed media outlets.
The following are important facts for your consideration: Kratom is a plant, not a synthetic chemical or a “Street Drug”. Kratom is in the same family as the coffee tree (Rubiaceae), Kratom is no more habit forming than coffee. Kratom has been safely used for thousands of years as a medicine. It is nearly impossible to overdose on Kratom. Keep in mind that it’s possible to overdose on any substance including water. However, millions of Americans can attest to the beneficial properties of Kratom.
Furthermore, Kratom and its 54+ active alkaloids show tremendous medical potential. Banning Kratom is not a sensible approach to regulating this plant. Current peer reviewed studies on Kratom and its constituents have shown that Kratom has no acute toxicity, displays powerful antioxidant and antibacterial properties, assists with drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, contains several oxindole alkaloids which have exhibited potent immunomodulation properties, and even contains constituents that have exhibited anti-cancer properties! A brief search in any scholarly database will present hundreds of peer reviewed studies and clinical trials that can attest to the medical potential of this plant.
A few more facts for you to consider when making your informed decision:
Supporters of Kratom have played a big role in Iowa, where H.F. 2355 was proposed to ban Kratom. Letters and phone calls to the House of Representatives persuaded non-passage of the law. The bill died on the floor without getting passed, allowing Kratom to remain legal in Iowa.
According to the CDC, there were 74,402 fentanyl, 36,251 meth, and 29,918 cocaine deaths in 2023. Alcohol-related deaths have increased by 30% in the United States and kill almost 500 people a day according to aamc.org. U.S. News.com published an article called Death By Prescription, they reported an estimated 128,000 Americans died in 2016 from taking their prescribed medications which at the time was five times the number of people overdosing on painkillers and heroin. Approximately one of every 80 visits to the ED were opioid-related.
Let’s compare facts:
Kratom: In 2019, the CDC published a report called: Unintentional Drug Overdose Deaths with Kratom Detected — 27 States, July 2016–December 2017. This report of the 27 states showed there were 152 Kratom positive deaths but only 7 had only Kratom in their system and the CDC reported that other substances weren’t fully ruled out. The same report said about 80% of the people who had Kratom in their system had a history of substance misuse.
Nearly all of them had other substances in their system including fentanyl, heroin, benzodiazepines (also known as tranquilizers), prescription opioids and cocaine. The number of people whose deaths were associated with Kratom make up less than 1% of all SUDORS overdose deaths.
Opioids: The opioid related death rate has surpassed that of motor vehicle deaths, homicide, AIDs and suicide. The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total "economic burden" of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose in the United States is $1,021 billion in 2017. This report only included 38 states and DC, making the true combined cost higher.
In fact, if Kratom products were banned from the market, it appears likely that many users would turn to the illicit market that would immediately expand to meet the demand.
Are you really willing to outlaw an organic substance that has helped millions of Americans struggling from addiction, and force them to endure the pain and/or addiction that led them to take solace in the Kratom leaf in the first place? Even worse, are you willing to force them to fall back into the arms of the substances that are killing our loved ones and fellow citizens faster than any other substance available today?
If you insist on regulating Kratom, please regulate to 18 and over. This would ensure only responsible adults have access to this safe and mild herbal alternative and allow researchers to continue to develop valuable medicines that would benefit MILLIONS of Americans.
Here are some links to articles about the benefits of Kratom and its safety:
https://www.americanKratom.org/science
538
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Petition created on August 8, 2024