Do what you can to stop this right now! We can do it if you contact people in government ASAP. Spread the word!
In case you don't know what kratom is - it's a natural plant that is very good for chronic pain, anxiety or to help people get off hard drugs. It's very good for people with chronic Lyme or other chronic pain conditions.
It will be a dark day for chronic pain sufferers if they do put this ban into effect. Lots of people wrote to their representatives in Nj last year & they threw it out. The assemblyman reintroduced the bill again so we still have to fight it. Now, the DEA is trying to make it into a schedule 1 drug.
Please do all you can to keep this plant legal!
[ 09-11-2016, 06:18 PM: Message edited by: sparkle7 ]
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
MITRAGYNINE AND 7-OH CAN NOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. The plant cannot argue with antiquated agencies like the DEA that it is safe and no more addictive then coffee. So we must do it for it, and for our friends, families, and future generations that deserve nature’s most precious gifts.
To take positive action against this injustice please:
• Call and email your personal Congressman
• Sign Petitions online
• Contact the Assistant Secretary of Human Health Karen Desalvo at [email protected] or call (202) 690-7694 and comment on the DEA’s action at https://www.justice.gov/doj/webform/ your-message-department-justice.
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Hi Sparkle, thanks for posting this.
I hope people come and sign. I'm not in the US, so I don't think it will count.
It's not about ONE HERB. It's about ALL MEDICINAL HERBS.
If they do that with Kratom, they will do with all other plants we need so badly such as Artemisia annua, Cats claw, even simple herbs like milk thistle can come under attack.
THey take herbs one by one off. They are taking all homeopathics off too, not one by one, but by tens, every single month, here in Europe.
In the past I could find Borrelia nosodes easily. Now, homeopathic makers are closing their doors (such as STAUFEN PHARMA that produces the Borrelia nosodes used in photon therapy).
Taking off one medicinal plant a time, off the market, is the way these lobbies do, one by one, so that less people complain.
I DO hope kratom will stay. It's not only about one herb, as I say, but about herbal medicine and alternative medicine. It's about slavery of a whole population to drugs and pharma business.
Posted by gz (Member # 43818) on :
Here's the petition "Please do not make Kratom a Schedule I Substance"
It has already reached its goal of 100,000 signatures but every extra voice helps.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Hi Brussels & sixgoofykids!
Yes, you are correct Brussels! All these fights are basically the same fight. I've seen a bunch of general herb sellers go under. Really great companies with a lot of knowledge. All this knowledge is going to be lost.
It makes me shudder to think what is going to happen for future generations. They will have no choice about how they want to heal themselves.
Kratom is an incredible herb. It's not for everyone but it's extremely useful - just like any medicinal herb…
I'm not a big fan of marijuana but it has it's uses. I see no reason why it should have been prohibited for so many years. Now, see how hard it is to get it back…
I know people who have died of cancer who wanted to take marijuana who were unable to obtain it legally. It's kind of barbaric…
From what I see - a lot of people are fighting this. I think a lot of people are taking kratom - all kinds of people with chronic pain, anxiety, social phobias or addiction problems.
I don't think they want to make a big announcement about making it illegal because more people will find out about it & want to try it.
Almost all the comments about kratom people are making on the internet are positive. The Forbes article has had over 60,000 views. People are benefiting from this herb. It should not be banned.
They are having a march on Washington on Sept 13th. I won't be able to go but here's the info -
(breaking this up for easier reading for many here)
[ 09-09-2016, 07:18 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
Well, people should fight back, just like they are fighting back currently over the upped price of the Epipen.
I know very little about kratom - are people taking it here, at all?
Posted by Catgirl (Member # 31149) on :
Come on lyme friends, FIGHT! Sign the petition! Brussels is right, if not kratom, what's next, artemisinin, cats claw? I've never taken kratom, but we have to fight this. It is just ridiculous to ban herbs.
GET INVOLVED because even just one little herb like this can affect YOUR ability to purchase herbs in the future.
Posted by Catgirl (Member # 31149) on :
Sparkle, can you please consider changing your post from Attention Kratom people to Attention herb people? Anything that will catch everyone's eyes.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
OK. I'm changing the title…
I know a few people on this board take kratom. It's really a great herb. It's helpful for soooo many things! It's not for everyone, though (like any herbal medicine). I think it gets bad press because people try to sell it as an "herbal high". It gets thrown in with synthetic marijuana & bath salts.
It's a leaf from a tree that grows in Southeast Asia. It good for pain, anxiety, social phobias, stress, and helping people to get off hard drugs like heroin or opiods. It kind of acts like an opiod but the plant is related to coffee.
It's like big pharm.'s worst nightmare... It's a natural plant & can't be patented.
Historically, this is why it was made illegal in some places to begin with - it was competing with the illegal drug trade.
From my knowledge, it's pretty innocuous - i.e.: it is safe & about the worst side effect is a bad stomach ache if you take too much. This is why people usually don't overdo it.
PS - I heard from a vendor that the decision may be delayed but everyone should still voice their opinion. The vendors have an association & they have lawyers fighting it.
No one had a chance to vote about this decision to ban kratom. They just announced one day that it was going the be banned & made illegal. They are making it a Schedule 1 drug which is like marijuana, LSD or heroin.
Hopefully, it can be delayed if people voice their opinion & sign the petition - contact government representatives, etc.
It came up in NJ to be banned but people fought it & we won. They are introducing it again so we have to keep fighting it. Big pharma owns NJ… Whatever happened to Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness (for Americans)?
Last May kratom was banned in UK. It's all gone now… No chance for further study there.
Posted by Catgirl (Member # 31149) on :
quote:Originally posted by sparkle7:
Last May kratom was banned in UK. It's all gone now… No chance for further study there.
I don't take kratom, but one day it's kratom, the next maybe something you take that is extremely helpful to you! Look what happened to marijuana. Now parents of REALLY ill children are finding it is the only thing helping.
This is serious stuff folks, fight! Sign your name! Get involved please.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Thanks Catgirl!
Here's my letter if anyone wants to use it:
I am writing you today because I recently learned that there are plans to place kratom on the DEA banned substance list on September 30, 2016 which would criminalize the manufacture, sale and possession of substances containing kratom in the United States.
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
This is not the case for kratom. It has been shown in numerous studies to help recovering opiate addicts, treat pain, combat depression and anxiety, and much more.
Deaths that involve kratom have always been from the result of mixing kratom with other drugs, rather than Kratom alone. In states that banned kratom, Alabama specifically, opiate usage and deaths went up after kratom was banned.
Please stop the DEA from scheduling Kratom as Schedule I, there are many people who will suffer from this.
This plant should be studied, not banned.
Sincerely,
_______________________
Sources:
Kratom and Other Mitragynines: The Chemistry and Pharmacology of Opioids from a Non-Opium Source by Robert B. Raffa (Editor)
Review "This is a novel foray into the realm of reviews on non-poppy-derived opioids and their pharmacology and … provides very solid information about the chemistry of the mitragynines…
The editor, Robert Raffa, is a widely known expert in the pharmacology of opioid drugs with significant knowledge and respect in the field."
―Kenneth E. McCarson, BChE, PhD, University of Kansas Medical Center for Doody's Review Service
"This book should be an indispensable single-volume information source for anyone working in the fields of opioid chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology.
Some chapters would be of particular interest to … specialists working in addiction treatment and drug regulation.
The book would also be an excellent addition to any library collection specialized in natural products or drugs of abuse." ―Journal of Addition Research and Therapy
About the Author Robert B. Raffa is a professor of pharmacology in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Temple University School of Pharmacy as well as a research professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Temple University School of Medicine.
He has bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and in physiological psychology, master’s degrees in biomedical engineering and toxicology, and a doctorate in pharmacology.
Dr. Raffa was co-leader for analgesics discovery at Johnson & Johnson and was pivotal in the elucidation of the mechanism of action and development of the analgesic drug tramadol (Ultram™).
He is the co-holder of several patents, including the combination of tramadol plus acetaminophen (Ultracet™). He has published more than 280 scientific articles in peer-reviewd journals and is the co-author or editor of several books.
This page is simply a summary of the current medical benefits of Kratom as provided by the Botanical Legal Defense.
These medical benefits are described in various medical studies conducted in relation to this non-synthetic, natural plant that has been used safely for literally thousands of years.
For a growing list of the 150+ medical studies that BLD is currently making their way through and then writing a “PLAIN ENGLISH SUMMARY” of each study, please visit the KRATOM MEDICAL RESEARCH page at Botanical Legal Defense instead.
The current list, updated as new research papers are submitted or read by the BLD team:
• Opioid Withdrawal Use: Kratom has been reported as a traditional alternative to manage drug withdrawal symptoms in Malaysia.
Report described it as affordable and easily available with no serious side effects despite prolonged use, and allows self-treatment that avoids stigmatization as a drug dependent.
The claims merit further and serious scientific investigation, with the potential as a low-cost alternative therapy, especially in developing countries.
• Analgesic/Behavioral Activities: Study on analgesic and behavioral activities of the methanol and alkaloid extracts of Mitragyna speciosa
showed it possessed analgesic activity which partly acted at opioid receptors in the supraspinal opioid system. It produced no significant prolongation of latency in nociceptive response.
• Sedating Effects: Study results suggest that mitragynine possess sedative properties acting on the CNS of rats. The methanol and alkaloid extracts produced no significant changes in locomotor activity.
• Urine Alkaloid Markers: Study reports a simple urine extraction procedure for routine GC-MS analysis and suggests two major alkaloids in urine samples as markers of kratom consumption: mitragynine and speciogynine.
• Effect on Drug Metabolizing Enzyme Glutathione Transferases (GSTs): Data showed concentration-dependent inhibition of cytosolic GSTs when MS extract was added to the reaction mixture. Only MS aqueous extract at dosage of 100 mg/kg showed significant results.
GSTs are dimeric enzymes involved in the detoxification of toxic and carcinogenc compounds in the cells. GSTs also act as antioxidant enzymes due to their selenium-independent GSH peroxidase activity.
• Anti-Diarrheal: Study showed methanolic extracts of leaves caused a dose-dependent protection against castor-oil induced diarrhea in rats and also inhibited intestinal transit.
The anti-diarrheal effect was not antagonized by naloxone. The effect may occur via pathways in addition to the action on opioid receptors.
• Cognitive Behavioral Effects: Study suggests that the chronic administration of mitragynine can alter cognitive behavioral function in mice.
• Antinociceptive/Anti-Inflammatory: (1) Study in rodents suggests the presence of potent antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory principles in the methanol extract,
with significant dose-dependent activity in all nociceptive models and dose dependent suppression of carrageenan-induced paw edema2)
Study showed the antinociceptive effect of mitragynine was less potent than the crude extract of Mitragyna speciosa, suggesting that one or more minor constituents of MS may have a very potent antinociceptive effect.
• Neuromuscular Blockade: Study investigated the effects of mitragynine and a methanolic extract of kratom leaves on neuromuscular junction and compound nerve action potential.
The ME and mitragynine blocked nerve conduction, amplitude and duration of compound nerve action potential. Muscle contraction was greater with extract.
The dominant effect of the K extract was at the neuromuscular junction and not at the skeletal muscle or somatic nerve
• Alcohol Withdrawal Benefit/Antidepressant Effect: Administration of the aqueous extract of MS at dose of 300 mg/K significantly inhibited ethanol-induced withdrawal behaviors such as rearing, displacement and head weaving.
It also showed antidepressant activity without affecting spontaneous motor activity.
REFERENCES: Thanks to the Botanical Legal Defense for the content of this extremely informative page.
Anyone who has even a passing interest in Kratom will likely hear that it’s banned in the country it originates from; Thailand.
As always, there are a number of urban legends, rumors, and other stories, some of which are true, and some of which are complete fabrications.
This brief article is intended to clarify the facts behind this amazing plant and its banning in Thailand in 1943.
The 1930’s and the 1940’s were a tumultuous time in Thailand on many levels. They were marked by a military dictatorship that bludgeoned the citizens of Thailand from the 1930’s up to the 1970’s.
The military came to power in the bloodless Siamese revolution of 1932, which transformed the government of Siam (Thailand) from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.
The new regime of 1932 produced a constitution in December of 1932, which was Siam’s first. It included a National Assembly, that promised that full democratic elections sometime in the 1940s.
By 1939, political unrest had reached a pinnacle. In that year, forty political opponents, both monarchists and democrats, were arrested,
and after rigged trials eighteen were executed, the first political executions in Siam in over a century. Many others were exiled.
The government launched a campaign against the Chinese business class, closing anything Chinese, while taxes were raised to alarming levels. A man named Luang Phibunsongkhram was in power during this time.
Phibun used the exact propaganda techniques that were used by Hitler and Mussolini o build political power.
Aware of the power of mass media, the government’s monopoly on radio broadcasting was also used to shape popular support for the regime.
During this time, Phibun passed a number of authoritarian laws which gave the government the power of almost unlimited arrest and complete press censorship.
Seething within the underbelly of this political turmoil was the ever-present black market. Not surprisingly, one of the largest black market trades was the opium trade.
Knowing how profitable it was, the Thai government passed a series of laws that levied duties and taxes from every aspect of the opium trade that they could;
from the grower, to the manufacturer, to the distributor, to the shop owner and even the end consumer. It was a “cash cow” for the government.
With this boom in opium consumption, there was also a boom in opium addicts, opium-related deaths, and general public health concerns that come with any drug, licit or illicit.
The government was clearly in the opium trade, as it was profiting heavily from it. With the amount of money that was generated from their taxes and levies, this was an aspect of money generation that was worth protecting.
Well, in the fields of Thailand, where workers often toiled in the fields for 16-18 hours a day, often with no days off, there was an amazing plant that helped them get through their days.
This plant was known as Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa). Not only did it help mitigate the pain they felt from all of the hard physical labor, it provided them with a mild sense of calm, of peace, to help them get through their day.
In fact, Kratom was often referred to the “poor man’s marijuana”, as it became associated with field workers who couldn’t afford the more expensive Cannabis that was widely available.
From a few pieces of literature I’ve found on the subject, if a man was asking for a woman’s hand in marriage, he was held in higher regard if we was a “Kratom chewer” rather than a “Cannabis smoker”.
That meant he was a hard worker, dedicated to family values, and not afraid of work in general.
Kratom spread like wildfire across the working class people of Thailand, and they were using this widely-available, often-free, safe, non-addicting, natural plant instead of opium.
In fact, what was even more alarming to those with conflicting interests, is that many of these new opium addicts who provided easy and reliable income to the government, were finding respite from their addictions by using Kratom to alleviate their symptoms.
In other words, as early as the 1930’s, the people of Thailand had discovered that Kratom was a powerful means of helping them with their opium addictions.
Not only did Kratom tress grow everywhere in Thailand, it was easy to boil down a few leaves, and make a “Kratom Ball”; the most common form of ingestion of this plant at the time.
War broke out in 1942; the East Asian War as history has called it. When war breaks out, it’s terrible for the economy, and all of the taxes from the opium trade that the government had enjoyed suddenly vaporized.
The government raced to find ways of bringing back the cash cow they had enjoyed as a result of the opium trade. One of the first things they did, was look to see if there was any competition in this particular market.
Sure enough, Kratom, which had swept the nation, and was accompanied by little to no adverse reactions or hospital visits of any kind (unlike opium),
was now seen as a threat to the massive amounts of cash bring brought in because of the opium trade. Kratom was one of the “low hanging” fruits, and and easy target:
A member of the House of Representatives from Lampang in a special meeting on 7 January 1943 (Police Major General Pin Amornwisaisoradej) said this:
“Taxes for opium are high while kratom is currently not being taxed. With the increase of those taxes, people are starting to use kratom instead and this has had a visible impact on our government’s income.”
(1) An act was passed called “The Kratom Act”, which criminalized Kratom. By now, its use was so widespread (it had been part of Thailand culture for over 3,000 years),
that anyone in the working class was at least familiar with Kratom, had a friend, family member, or even relied on its safe, effective use themselves.
Kratom tress were grown with impunity, the millions of acres of naturally-occurring Kratom trees flourished, and leaves were chewed openly in public without any fear of arrest. So, it seems that the Kratom Act was never really enforced.
Fast forward to 1979:
In 1979, kratom was included in the “Thai Narcotics Act“, under Schedule 5 (the least restrictive and punitive level). It was added to the same classification that Cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms belonged to.
The Kratom Act had severe penalties for ingesting Kratom, and this was intended to reduce the sentences and the punishment for those found to be in violation of the Kratom Act.
So, although Kratom is still criminalized in its home country, it’s at least on a level with other mis-categorized natural herbal products,
which allows for the possibility of a policy change that would finally place Kratom back where it belongs;
as a safe, effective herbal supplement that has a wide range of medical benefits, many of which we outline in detail in our “Kratom Medical Benefits” article.
REFERENCES: Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Nr . 13 Apr il 2011 “Kratom in Thailand” Decriminalisation and Community Control? By Pascal Tanguay (1). Asnangkornchai, S. & Siriwong, A. (eds.) 2005. Kratom Plant in Thai Society: Culture, Behavior, Health, Science, Laws.
An excuse for crushing kratom The FDA’s undue scrutiny is unscientific
Illustration on the FDA labeling of Kratom as “dangerous” by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times more >
By Lloyd Billingsley - - Thursday, July 23, 2015
Last year, Americans spent an estimated $374 billion on prescription drugs, up 13 percent from the year before.
These drugs include OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet and others that the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for sale without regard to their potential for abuse.
Meanwhile, the “potential for abuse” was used for many years to block even a discussion of the possible medical benefits of cannabis. And now federal officials are using it again to attack another potential natural remedy, kratom.
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), which derives from a tree that grows in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, has been found to reduce pain, lessen dependence on opiates (like OxyContin), and work as a mild stimulant.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers kratom a “drug of concern.” The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calls it “dangerous.”
Last year, U.S. marshals, at the request of the FDA, seized more than 25,000 pounds of raw kratom in Van Nuys, Calif.
The action, explained Melinda Plaisier, FDA associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, “was taken to safeguard the public from this dangerous product.” Ms. Plaisier called kratom “a botanical substance that poses a risk to public health and has the potential for abuse.”
Kratom’s potential for benefit was of no apparent concern.
Edward Boyer, professor of emergency medicine and director of medical toxicology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, told Scientific American in 2013 that kratom blunts a patient’s withdrawal from opioids “awfully, awfully well.”
Dr. Boyer explained that kratom binds with serotonin receptors. “So if you want to treat depression, if you want to treat opioid pain, if you want to treat sleepiness,” kratom “really puts it all together.”
It gives addicts access to a drug that effectively treats pain without causing respiratory problems.
Oregon resident Paul Kemp occasionally uses kratom, he says, to ease back pain, help him relax and gain energy.
Last year Mr. Kemp told reporters it was “ludicrous” for the FDA to stop the importation of kratom on the grounds that it “may be” dangerous, when FDA-approved products such as OxyContin are known to be dangerous.
Likewise, FDA-approved Xanax and Valium are often abused, along with the “psychostimulant” Adderall, used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
What bothers the FDA, Mr. Kemp writes, is that kratom is being used very effectively as “a way for America’s prescription drug addicts to break free
without experiencing the usually traumatic withdrawal symptoms that stop most victims of OxyContin and other opioids from getting clean.”
Edward Boyer, the toxicology professor, acknowledges that kratom can be abused, but “speaking as a scientist, a physician and a practicing clinician,
I think the fears of adverse events don’t mean you stop the scientific discovery process totally,” he told Scientific American.
If big pharma isn’t behind something, the attitude seems to be in Washington, legislators and regulators don’t even want to talk about it. But talk and listen they should.
Scientific research should continue. Federal and state officials need to be open-minded, see where the scientific research leads, and consider all the evidence — including the testimony of people like Paul Kemp who swear that kratom has helped them.
Banning kratom or banning its ingredients, as Indiana has done, is the wrong message at the wrong time.
A better option at this stage would be to let the voters decide, as California did in 1996 with medicinal marijuana.
Let voters decide if kratom should be banned — without proof — as a dangerous menace, or whether individuals suffering from withdrawal pain and other maladies should be free to make their own informed choices.
• Lloyd Billingsley is a policy fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif.
(breaking up the post for easier reading for many here)
[ 09-29-2016, 07:13 AM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
This is such an important issue, even though only some people here use it. As sparkle pointed out, first it will be kratom, then another herb, etc, etc. "The Powers That Be" have already outlawed a ton of things that were a saving grace for me, and for a lot of others.
The amount of suffering that I have, and am, going through ever after, not to mention tons of others, is unreal. All natural treatments are a threat to Big Pharma; they want to do away with ALL of them. ANd they are doing a good job of it.
So we need to all speak up, whether we use kratom or not. It's appalling, both specifically about kratom, and all the other remedies in general. We can't let them walk all over our rights.
Posted by dogmom2 (Member # 23822) on :
signed
Posted by hopingandpraying (Member # 9256) on :
Just found this article on Yahoo written in the Washington Post:
Thanks. Good article! I'm glad to see it's getting better press these days than it used to. They used to post a bunch of fear mongering to get it banned.
It's a strong medicinal herb but far from "deadly"… Anything can be harmful if you do it to excess. You usually get sick to your stomach if you take too much. Then, you never take too much again.
I think they are going to rethink the "surprise" ban… I'm glad people have been on the ball & protesting it. In England, they banned it without much protest.
Once it's banned, it's very hard to get them to reconsider. I guess Amsterdam is not too far from UK so people could go there if they really need some.
I'm just glad some Americans are awake. All this controversy just makes more people curious about kratom. I will voice my opinion when it comes to banning other supplements, as well. I hope others will do the same.
Many things are difficult to find in Europe that we take for granted here in the US. We need to keep the pressure on to keep our supplements & herbal remedies available. I've seen some great herb vendors go out of business.
Rain-tree who sold herbs from the Amazon was one of them. They had an amazing knowledge base. I think the website is still up but she no longer sells herbal supplements.
KT Botanicals was another one… They had a huge amount of research about all kinds of herbs on their website. Unfortunately, their experience & knowledge will be lost, as well.
I guess the positive about Europe & UK is that they banned GMOs. I wish they would do the same here. Kind of screwy that they protect their people from GMOs but they don't let them have access to as many supplements as we have here.
We have to keep letting the politicians that we are aware & voice our opinions to keep our health choices free. Mainstream allopathic medicine doesn't always work for everyone. We need to have alternatives available.
(breaking up the post for easier reading for many here)
[ 09-29-2016, 07:15 AM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posted by bluelyme (Member # 47170) on :
So it is going to be banned?sad panda
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Sparkle said:
Rain-tree who sold herbs from the Amazon was one of them. They had an amazing knowledge base. I think the website is still up but she no longer sells herbal supplements. KT Botanicals was another one… They had a huge amount of research about all kinds of herbs on their website. Unfortunately, their experience & knowledge will be lost, as well.
----------------------- Here in Europe, big HOMEOPATHIC makers are closing their doors too.
In Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland: it's a clear attack against mother tinctures... Belgium used to have good labs: closed, they merged, next lab (BOIRON) wants just to make money.
The LIFE SAVING lab Staufen Pharma closed its doors last year. The whole protocol of Borrelia that cured me and my daughter used Staufen Pharma nosodes: no one can buy these nosodes anymore!!
Due to Staufen Pharma nosodes, my daughter and I could live lyme free for at least 7.5 years!
Now we need to buy Borrelia nosodes in Austria and prepare the vials by ourselves, in case we need it again.
I hope Kratom will stay!!!
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Wow that's sad Brussels. Are those the nosodes people were using with the Bionic 880? It seems like the decision was economic rather than political. I hadn't heard anything about the state of affairs with homeopathic remedies in the EU. Some people I've come across are fanatically against them. It makes no sense. Keep us posted.
Sometimes they work for me & sometimes they don't. I'm not against them in any case.
A decision hasn't been announced yet, as far as I know. It has gotten press. Hopefully, they will reconsider or postpone the ban. I'll post if I find out any news.
Posted by lymenotlite (Member # 33166) on :
Does anyone know a good source for kratom? Thanks.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Sent you a PM - lymenotlite
New article in the news today:
45 Congressmen Ask DEA Not to Ban Kratom Next Week Researchers, addicts and politicians say the leaf appears much safer than hard drugs.
I signed the petition but big pharma has this country so bought out that they sit back and make the rules. I try to stay positive but the deep corruption in this country makes one want to puke.
Posted by lymenotlite (Member # 33166) on :
Thanks for the PM, Sparkle.
I've already signed the petition.
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
Bump up for the last push on this, this time around, anyway. If you haven't already, PLEASE send these pronto. We can't afford to lose one more option. Nor can we take it lying down, while more and more natural remedies are taken away from us.
So many things that used to help me enormously, have been taken away, making me, and hundreds of thousands of others, suffer needlessly.
I finally got around to signing both the White House petition not to ban kratom, and the congress's letter, too.
Although I added my own paragraphs, I afterwards saw sparkle's excellent and succinct letter (above) with tons of references. I would have used that, plus my own words if I had noticed it beforehand (my bad).
Posted by hopingandpraying (Member # 9256) on :
up to keep this going for several more days until the deadline
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
up. not much time left on this.
It's for all of us, whether we use kratom or not. The FDA continually takes one natural remedy after another away. We have to stem that tide. Right now they are also taking away vinpocetine, an herbal supplement that helps the brain. It will never end if we let them take it all away like this.
This is just what Big Pharma is clamoring for, no competition.
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
Tomorrow, Thurs. is the last day!
Posted by lookup (Member # 44574) on :
Signed!
Brussels is right about the homeopathics disappearing. So interesting though, that Queen Eliz and her clan have a private homeopath and
everywhere she travels the homeopathic remedies also go in the doctor bag. I know because one of my first mentors was the Queen's private homeopath. So...straight from the horse's mouth.
Last year in the US, homeopathic remedies were under the gun. It took an organized and concerted effort to keep them off the chopping block (for now).
The Codex Alimentarius (commission to control vitamins/organic foods etc) has been implemented much more in Australia than the in US and it is a sorry thing for the Australians. Ugh.
I really wanted to immigrate there but you can't get hardly anything there and if you do it costs an arm and a leg. Example: Rhodiola - outlawed! Best thing was iherb that would ship from the US. They had all the restrictions sorted so you could avoid the whole Customs aggravation.
Customs is so strict they ripped open every single one of my packages I received for the whole 6 years I lived there.
The US has really enjoyed bounteous options as far as health supplements and we need to do every thing we can to keep it that way.
Thanks for bringing Kratom to our attention. I looked to buy some and it is sold out on many sites.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Thanks everyone! If we keep this up we may have a chance.
The response has been "unprecedented".
---
Kratom Will Remain Legal for Days, Possibly Longer The DEA says paperwork still needs filling out, but that the ban is still coming.
“I’m hoping and praying for some kind of negotiation or compromise. But it sounds like the DEA has dug in because they’re trying to save face. The level of calls that they are receiving and the level of complaints there are receiving is nothing like ever before.
We are not a bunch a bunch of drugged out people. If we were, we wouldn’t be on the phone to DEA, congress people and our senators pleading with them to step in and get a delay.”
Susan Ash, founder of the American Kratom Association (she started this organization because kratom helped her with problems from Lyme Disease).
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Thanks for the info lookup. I have family in UK. It's weird because they don't allow GMOs - which is great. Food is generally "cleaner" there then here. It's worrisome that they banned kratom last May.
There is awareness about "natural" and organic food, homeopathy, etc. but you don't see big supplement stores like Vitamin Shoppe.
There have been plans for Codex Alimentarius for a long time. The herbal supplement industry is big business but not as big as the pharmaceutical giants. We just have to keep asserting our rights to freedom of choice.
The US is different in some ways than UK, Europe, Australia... We have to keep letting the politicians know that we care about this issue. Marijuana has been illegal for almost 100 years. Once it's gone - it hard to get it back.
Rumigirl - I didn't know about vinpocetine... That's awful. I'll have to look into that one. It's always something...
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
sparkle and everyone else,
Here is the info on the proposed vinpocetine ban. I don't take these particular things myself, but, as I said, the continual march of ban this, then that, etc. is relentless, and we can't let it stand. It sets a precedent that they can ban whatever they want whenever they want.
The number of things that helped me tremendously that they have already taken away long ago is not to be believed. As I result, I have to suffer, along with tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of others.
Dear Supporter,
If you're over age 30, you likely suffer structural brain changes that impair your cognitive abilities.
The good news (up until now) is there is a validated way to mitigate factors that contribute to neurological impairment.
The bad news is the FDA wants to rob you of a compound that has been safely used by Americans since the 1980s.
FDA's Warped Logic
On August 31, 2016, the FDA published in the Federal Register that it wants to remove vinpocetine from the marketplace.
The FDA is not alleging that vinpocetine is unsafe, nor is the agency questioning its efficacy. In fact, the FDA provided evidence that vinpocetine is beneficial in protecting and restoring cognitive function lost to normal aging, along with disorders like stroke and Alzheimer's.
The basis for the FDA banning vinpocetine is a technicality that has no scientific practicality. According to the FDA's misguided logic, since a new drug application was filed in 1981, then vinpocetine does not qualify today as a dietary supplement.
Year 1981 is not a misprint! The FDA is actually going back to a 35-year-old drug application and claiming this as a basis to rob your brain of a low-cost compound that has demonstrated efficacy in human clinical trials.
600 Published Studies!
If you log on to the government's medical database (pubmed.gov), you'll see over 600 published references describing vinpocetine.
Not only does it protect against neurological aging via multiple mechanisms, but it has demonstrated efficacy against a host of systemic degenerative conditions. The FDA pretends that these studies, readily accessible on the government's own database, are not relevant.
We believe the purpose of the FDA's proposal to remove vinpocetine is to protect pharmaceutical interests. Based on its clinical benefits, there is a strong incentive to sell vinpocetine as an expensive prescription drug.
It is imperative that you log on to a new website vinpocetine.org to easily send the FDA a public comment protesting their attempt to rob you of vinpocetine. We've set this up so you'll simultaneously send your Representative and two Senators a letter demanding they stop the FDA from implementing this and other proposed guidelines that will cause many popular supplements to be banned.
FDA Admits Vinpocetine is Beneficial
To bolster its position that vinpocetine needs to be removed from the market, the FDA references the following article published in the Los Angeles Times in 1986.
http://articles.latimes.com/1986-04-15/news/mn-4847_1_vinpocetine This article describes studies whereby vinpocetine markedly improved cognitive function in older humans. According to the FDA's twisted logic, since pharmaceutical companies funded this research over 30 years ago, then vinpocetine cannot be sold as a dietary supplement (even though the patent long ago expired).
Fight Back!
If the FDA succeeds in banning vinpocetine, an affordable way of protecting against neurodegeneration will disappear.
To stop this flagrant new attempt by the FDA to deny Americans access to dietary supplements, please log on to vinpocetine.org This new website lets your voice be heard in less than 5 minutes.
For longer life,
William Faloon, Co-Founder Life Extension Foundation®
Thanks for posting this. I'll look into it. It's like when they banned L-tryptophan... Eventually, they allowed it again but it was off the market for a while.
We just have to keep asserting our rights to choose. We need to let these agencies know that we are aware of what is going on.
I was listening to a lady on YouTube who was living in Austria during the introduction of the NAZI regime... Before we know it, that can happen again if we let them take away our rights & don't stand up for ourselves.
The DEAs (& FDAs) posturing sounds alot like what happened back in the 1920-30s. We live in a democracy...
Posted by lookup (Member # 44574) on :
sparkle7:"I was listening to a lady on YouTube who was living in Austria during the introduction of the NAZI regime... Before we know it, that can happen again if we let them take away our rights & don't stand up for ourselves."
That's right and supplements are just one little sliver that is being attacked. I wished people would wake up concerning geo-engineering (among everything else too), which is the mass blanket
spraying of toxic chemicals in the air. Our permission was never asked. We were also not informed that they were going to start this hideous program which, amazingly, all the weather
meteorologist on TV play along with, and that makes them complicit to this crime against humanity and all living things. The geo-engineering program is a huge program that is is costing a lot! Just think how much it costs to
fuel just one jumbo jet that spraying this toxic cocktail. Then the cost of the spray. The cost of transporting it to every airport tanking the planes up. It is happening world wide which tells
me all the governments are in on the spraying of their own citizens that they should be protecting. It is a lot of freaking effort to do this. Not to mention the scads of pilots who willingly fly and dump this stuff all day long.
I have seen them do it in Australia and Europe and in the USA. They will spray loads of it right over the biggest source of fresh water-
The Great Lakes. I, even, see them spraying over pristine mountain lakes in the pacific northwest. So disgusting and insane! >:{
It appears that there is a concerted effort to destroy the immune system of all living things.
Weakening immune systems and weather manipulation seem to be the two biggest uses. They say it is to help ward off global warming but this spray has been proven
to keep the earth from cooling each night like it used to do for the past thousands of years. Also, the amount of pollution this program dumps into the atmosphere is horrendous
compared to cows releasing methane and industrial/auto emissions! If this is being done to modify weather then it appears they must be droughting California on purpose.
The metals in the spray, lock up enzyme systems and deposit in the brain causing the deterioration of thought processes and many more subtle and deleterious health issues.
The reason why I bring this geo-engineering up is that it IS also affecting the plants on a global scale.Look around at the trees. They are all suffering. Look at the south side of the trees.
Many have scars or damage on the trunks because the ozone is being destroyed by this spraying. We always had UV-A and UV-B. Now UV-C is coming through and that is one step away from xray.
The sun used to be so gentle in the west but now it feels like acid on the skin--just like how the sun feels in Australia.
"I now return your regularly scheduled" Kratom thread.
[ 10-03-2016, 05:30 PM: Message edited by: lookup ]
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- I was surprised that the author did not get into how the pharmaceutical industry and government agencies want to ban all supplements -
[Vinpocetine is on the chopping block, now, too, a periwinkle herb helpful with vertigo and cognition]
to keep citizens from making their own choices and having some control of health matters -
and also to capitalize on changing one tiny little bit of a plant substance, or a lab tweak and then charging sky high prices when turning it into a pharmaceutical.
Is the DEA high? The agency’s emergency ban on kratom has to make you wonder what they’re smoking
The ban on kratom — a safe and popular treatment for chronic pain, depression, anxiety and PTSD — is inexplicable
Conor Lynch - Salon.com - Oct 2, 2016
Two-page article and over 200 reader comments -
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
quote:Originally posted by Keebler: - I was surprised that the author did not get into how the pharmaceutical industry and government agencies want to ban all supplements -
[Vinpocetine is on the chopping block, now, too, a periwinkle herb helpful with vertigo and cognition]
to keep citizens from making their own choices and having some control of health matters -
and also to capitalize on changing one tiny little bit of a plant substance, or a lab tweak and then charging sky high prices when turning it into a pharmaceutical.
Is the DEA high? The agency’s emergency ban on kratom has to make you wonder what they’re smoking
The ban on kratom — a safe and popular treatment for chronic pain, depression, anxiety and PTSD — is inexplicable
Conor Lynch - Salon.com - Oct 2, 2016
Two-page article and over 200 reader comments -
Oh, it's explicable all right: follow the money!! Supplements cut into the profit of Big Pharma. Pure and simple.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
It's really absurd. I'm glad there was some blowback on this issue from the politicians. People are getting pretty fed up with not having access to marijuana & now they are working on kratom + all the other supplements, herbs…
It's pretty obvious they are anti-humanity.
Anyway - here's another herb that can be used to treat pain that's supposed to be similar to kratom - Picralima Nitida aka Akuamma. It's also supposed to be anti-malarial & anti other parasites.
Just look at the CDC, the FDA and your justice that send people in prison for promoting peach seeds for treating cancer!
What has been done to LLMDs, prosecution, taking their permission to work...
Parents loosing right to look after their children because they chose to use NATURAL treatments and denied CHEMIO and RADIOtherapy!!
Yep!! Where is freedom?
The real criminals who provoked that economic crash of 2008, the banksters, they are free and enjoying the benefits from tax payers.
This 'democratic' government is spraying germs on the population for tests for decades.
We are going towards a TOTALITARIAN compulsory vaccination programme.
It is already compulsory for medical employees, for children in school, for the army (soldiers treated as guinea pigs), when we travel to certain countries (to get a visa, you NEED some vaccines).
Whatever they are testing on the population, it doesn't look very democratic (did we CHOOSE to have that special treatment?)
A non-pharma treatment is working and it is NOT dangerous: that is THE MAIN reason to pull it off as ILLEGAL.
Kill Rife, kill the MWO, kill homeopathy, kill herbs, kill supplements (like Kratom, GcMAF, Vinpocentine, nosodes...), kill energy treatments.
Why?
Because these will not provide the right profit to a minority who GOVERNS us and makes the laws for them (not for the majority).
They say 'it's for OUR protection'!!
This is EXACTLY like in autocratic regimes!! They say 'they know what is good for us!'
Where is the democracy??
At least, in North Corea, you know you are in a dictatorial regime.
Here, we have the illusion we are living in a democracy.
But what is democracy when there is just a couple of parties in power with practically the same ideology?
We are not living in a democracy, when the interests of very few come above the interests of the great majority.
Who has interests in making our children autistic?
Who has interest in pushing us GMOs?
In keeping us all chronically ill and denying us treatment, even diagnosis?
In giving LIABILITY to all vaccine makers, so that they CAN'T be prosecuted in case of damage??
It's certainly not the majority of the population that want that all.
I don't really see where is the difference between an autocratic government and the state of affairs in our Western societies today.
I know this isn't supposed to be political...
But when our HEALTH depends on politics, when we are denied health options because of politics, well, it is politics that is, in great part, CAUSING our health problems.
In case of autism, that is clear. Who wants glyphosate, GMOs, and 6 in 1 vaccines in babies??
The main root of quite many of our health problems is politics, unfortunately.
Same with lyme treatment.
This whole system will collapse, sooner or later.
Who will pay taxes and buy their products if soon, 50% of the newborn babies will be autistic and the rest, probably ill with other chronic illnesses?
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Yes. It's pretty harsh. It's always been harsh for the underclasses, women, minorities, lower castes… throughout history. In the US, there's a concept that we are supposed to be free & have rights. It was written into the Constitution & Bill of Rights. Not all countries have that.
I know in the UK, if you want to live there - you have to become a "subject" of the queen. I don't know about the rest of the EU. Switzerland is probably very different than the rest of the EU.
It's important for citizens here to speak up & let the politicians know that we want to protect our rights. There's another thread here that's about protecting our right to not be vaccinated. That's another important law that may go through. The comment period is until October 14th, I believe.
I don't know if there is a country that is better or has more freedom. If anyone knows of a place - please list it here. I'll pass on North Korea… Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Update-
In Unprecedented Move, Drug Enforcement Administration Withdraws Emergency Kratom Ban
DEA Opens Public Comment Period, After Immense Pressure from Advocates and Prominent Members of Congress
Drug Policy Alliance: Kratom Does Not Belong in Broken US Drug Scheduling System
In an unprecedented move, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has posted a notice in the Federal Register stating that it is withdrawing its plans to ban kratom using emergency scheduling powers. The DEA instead is opening a public comment period ending December 1st.
The official notice indicates that comments received by the DEA will be considered - along with formal input from the Food and Drug Administration - before a determination is made about scheduling kratom.
The DEA's proposed ban on kratom, a medicinal plant used for millennia in Southeast Asia and currently used by millions in the U.S., was anticipated to go in effect as early as September 30.
Today’s announcement by the DEA comes amidst enormous pressure on the agency from the public and federal lawmakers to halt the proposed kratom ban.
In recent weeks, prominent members of Congress, including Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), have sent letters to the DEA criticizing the kratom ban and calling on the agency to provide a public comment period.
Today’s announcement is considered unprecedented for a law enforcement agency that has never backed down when using its controversial emergency scheduling powers.
“This is a truly remarkable moment to see the Drug Enforcement Administration, a law enforcement agency with a long track record of ignoring both science and public opinion, being forced to consider the scientific evidence and public opinion before taking additional steps with respect to kratom,” said Grant Smith, deputy director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance.
“People who oppose a federal kratom ban only have about six weeks to tell the federal government that kratom does not belong in our broken drug scheduling system."
DPA held a national press tele-conference about kratom on September 27th with leading advocates and researchers – audio is available here. Since the ban was announced, DPA donors and activists have sent over 60,000 messages to Congress.
In the days leading up to September 30th, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the most senior Republican senator and chair of the Senate Finance Committee, senta “Dear Colleague" letter to the DEA asking to postpone its plan to place kratom in Schedule I.
The letter was also signed by Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Angus King (I-Maine), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) also sent a separate letter to the DEA, co-signed by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), stating the need for ”adequate time for experts to weigh in via public comment.”
In the House, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) led a bipartisan letter to the DEA signed by 51 U.S. Representatives urging them to hold off on the ban.
Many people struggling with opioid addiction have turned to kratom as a safer alternative, but all promising scientific studies on its role in opioid treatment would have been immediately shut down by a Schedule I designation.
Critics have slammed the DEA for using its emergency scheduling powers to ban a natural substance that is being actively studied in the U.S. for therapeutic uses and questioned the rigor by which the DEA consulted scientific evidence in its decision.
Schedule I is reserved for substances that have a “high potential for abuse,” “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States” and “no accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision,” criteria that differ from scientific literature exploring kratom and its constituents.
The DEA’s emergency scheduling action would have subjected anyone caught with any quantity of kratom to long prison sentences.
The Schedule I designation also would effectively halt scientific investigation into kratom’s medicinal benefits, while making it impossible to enact sensible legal regulations, such as quality control measures, product labeling requirements, as well as marketing, branding and retail display restrictions, which are long proven to reduce substance misuse and youth access.
Advocates argue that the DEA’s decision to add kratom to Schedule I underscores the need for an overhaul of our federal drug scheduling system.
Decisions about how drugs are classified and regulated should be guided by science -- not by law enforcement. Scheduling decisions should be led by federal health agencies, with input from independent scientists and experts.
“If the DEA gets its way, more people who struggle with addiction will be criminalized,” said Jag Davies, director of communications strategy at the Drug Policy Alliance.
“Given the widespread moral, political and scientific consensus that drug use and addiction are best treated as health issues rather than criminal matters, there’s no good reason to criminalize people simply for using kratom – especially considering how much we already know about prohibition’s disproportionate impact on people of color and other marginalized communities.”
In 2014, DPA and MAPS co-released a report, The DEA: Four Decades of Impeding and Rejecting Science, that demonstrates how the DEA has systematically obstructed medical research and rejected scientific evidence.
In 2015, DPA released another, more far-reaching report, The DEA: Everything You Need to Know. To learn more about how the DEA has fueled mass incarceration, wasted taxpayer money, and blocked scientific research, check out DPA’s “Fire the DEA” campaign.
This is just a temporary stay on the ban, at least that is my understanding ... but there sure has been a lot of criticism of the hasty moves to ban this medically important compound. I hope it remains legal.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Yes. We have to keep fighting for the right to keep kratom legal. It's good so many people took notice. IMO - it seems trying to ban it just makes more people interested in kratom. It kind of backfires for the people who want to make it illegal...
The DEA lost face on this one. They made a mistake but they don't want to look like fascists. So, they have to say it's just a temporary stay on the ban.
We have to keep letting them know that we want the right to take kratom if we feel it helps us. It's not any more harmful than many things that are legal. It should be allowed for adults over 18 & used with wisdom.
Posted by lookup (Member # 44574) on :
"IMO - it seems trying to ban it just makes more people interested in kratom. It kind of backfires for the people who want to make it illegal..."
Yes, he he. I did not know anything about it until this thread. Now I super care about keeping it available to those who need it.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
National Call-to-Action Posted by Angela Ross 60sc on September 20, 2016 TAKE ACTION TO SAVE KRATOM NOW!!!
This page is under construction - please be patient KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON!!!!
Here are things you can be doing until we hear details about the public comment period. In quotes are examples of what to say: KEEP calling the DEA (202) 307-1000
"I am a responsible adult who consumes Kratom to improve my health and well-being and I urge you not to emergency place it into schedule 1, but to go through a rigorous public and scientific comment process instead."
For Domestic Field Offices nearest you:
Atlanta Division (404) 893-7000 New Jersey Division (973) 776-1100 New England Division (617) 557-2100 New Orleans Division (504) 840-1100 Caribbean Division (787) 277-4700 New York Division (212) 337-3900 Chicago Division (312) 353-7875 Philadelphia Division (215) 861-3474 Dallas Division (214) 366-6900 Phoenix Division (602) 664-5600 Denver Division (720) 895-4040 San Diego Division (858) 616-4100 Detroit Division (313) 234-4000 San Francisco Division (415) 436-7900 El Paso Division (915) 832-6000 Seattle Division (206) 553-5443 Houston Division (713) 693-3000 St. Louis Division (314) 538-4600 Los Angeles Division (213) 621-6700 Washington, DC Division (202) 305-8500 Miami Division (954) 660-4500
Sign the Petition: Please Do Not Make Kratom a Schedule I Substance click HERE to sign
KEEP calling and e-mailing your congressperson and Senator (202) 224-3121. Press #1 for Senate and #2 for House. BUT! Please make sure you also call your local district office since Congress is now in recess.
Send copies of the letters. If they signed on to any of the letters, tell them thank you and ask if they could personally follow-up by calling the DEA directly for a response. If they didn't sign any of the letters ask if they would be willing to send one of their own (if they have questions you can't answer, let us know in this thread which we'll keep bumped and we'll have AKA or our lobbyists follow up).
Find out where your Congress people are going to be for public events, town halls, election events, etc. (because they are in your state campaigning right now) and SHOW UP dressed professionally (or looking sharp in one of the many #iamkratom shirts out there - no signs, these types of events don't usually allow anyone to bring signs). Take copies of the 4 congressional letters to try and hand to them. Be prepared to ask a question about Kratom publicly or face-to-face before or after the event.
"There is a move right now by the DEA to emergency schedule Kratom, a botanical used safely throughout the world for hundreds of years to improve health and well-being, as a schedule 1 controlled substance; the most restrictive category claiming no medicinal value. Kratom helped give me my life back and is saving the lives of tens of thousands throughout the U.S. during an opioid epidemic. What's your take on the DEA trying to schedule a plant and turn me into a felon, further mucking up our already overtaxed criminal justice system, for using something that's drastically improved my life and the lives of hundreds of thousands of others?"
4) Start drafting what you would like to submit during the comment period. We will try and come up with some template letters.
KEEP calling and e-mailing your congressperson and Senator (202) 224-3121. Press #1 for Senate and #2 for House. BUT! Please make sure you also call your local district office since Congress is now in recess
Send copies of the letters (all in the files here). If they signed on to any of the letters, tell them thank you and ask if they could personally follow-up by calling the DEA directly for a response. If they didn't sign any of the letters ask if they would be willing to send one of their own (if they have questions you can't answer, let us know in this thread which we'll keep bumped and we'll have AKA or our lobbyists follow up).
Find out where your Congress people are going to be for public events, town halls, election events, etc. (because they are in your state campaigning right now) and SHOW UP dressed professionally (or looking sharp in one of the many #iamkratom shirts out there - no signs, these types of events don't usually allow anyone to bring signs). Take copies of the 4 congressional letters to try and hand to them. Be prepared to ask a question about Kratom publicly or face-to-face before or after the event.
"There is a move right now by the DEA to emergency schedule Kratom, a botanical used safely for hundreds of years to improve health and well-being, as a schedule 1 controlled substance; the most restrictive category claiming no medicinal value. Kratom helped give me my life back and is saving the lives of tens of thousands throughout the U.S. during an opioid epidemic. What's your take on the DEA trying to schedule a plant and turn me into a felon, further mucking up our already overtaxed criminal justice system for using something that's drastically improved my life and the lives of hundreds of thousands of others?"
Email the Assistant Secretary of Health E-mail Karen B. DeSalvo, the Assistant Secretary of Health. E-mails and letters must be documented by all federal agencies for proof, phone calls are effective, but aren't documented in the same way. Please send any information you have from doctors, nurses, researchers, or papers from PubMed.
Donate to the American Kratom Association and buy a shirt! We must raise an unprecedented amount of money to pay for our legal team, a public relations firm, lobbyists, scientists and more, but we also must raise money to keep our organization running if the ban goes into place so that we keep our doors open and work to reverse it. https://americankratomassociation.nationbuilder.com/donate or http://www.iamkratom.com/ for t-shirts. Click on AKA Fashions as we have more options available.
Share this AKA Fact Sheet Share the AKA Fact Sheet: http://www.americankratom.org/aka_fact_sheet Send these documents/link to journalist, legislators, law enforcement, friends and family so hopefully we can educate everybody including those higher up to better understand where Kratom stands as a medicinal herb.
Join our Facebook Group for up-to-the-minute updates and join the #iamkratom photo & video campaign
Get all the up to the minute news in our Facebook group HERE
Letter Template*
*It's important not to copy and paste, please use your own words
We need YOUR help to fight the DEA's Intent to Schedule Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, which would make Kratom (i.e., Mitragyna Speciosa) a controlled substance. Below is a letter template you can use to write to your Senator, your Congressperson, the Department of Justice, the Attorney General, the Office of Diversion, Drug Enforcement Administration or the (ASH) Acting Secretary for Health.
Dear Congressman ______ and Senator ________, etc. OR If writing to a committee member, for example, the House Judiciary Committee, use Honorary Committee Member (committees listed at the bottom)
My name is ________, I'm a __-year old _________ from _________ and I’m your constituent (when writing your Congressman and Senator).
I'd like to voice my opposition to the DEA’s Intent to Schedule the alkaloids Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, which would make Kratom (Mitragynaspeciosa), a schedule 1 controlled substance with no medicinal value. This would put kratom, a plant helping millions of people suffering chronic and acute mental and physical conditions that is also safely easing the nation's opiate epidemic problem naturally, on the same level as illegal drugs like heroin. It would also prevent further research which, to date, has shown kratom to be an effective painkiller that does not cause respiratory depression; the main cause of death from opiate overdose.
-How you came to use kratom….. (did you learn about it in a chronic pain support group, etc?)
-What ailments you suffer, what treatments haven't worked (prescriptions, surgery, etc.), how long you've been dealing with your condition, how long you've been using kratom and how many/what medications you've been able to quit.
-What kratom means to you (has it given you your life back, have you gone back to work, can you play with your, exercise or travel, etc., something anecdotal about why kratom is important and should be available).
-Conclusion: Kratom is a safe alternative to pharmaceutical drugs with important medicinal uses and has changed my life. I’m asking you to please contact the DEA. Please send a letter or request an oversight hearing asking to delay this emergency action. I fear this action by the DEA will only lead to more tragic deaths of victims of the opiate epidemic, maybe even my own (if you think this may lead to a replace and illicit drug use). I know that my own quality of life as a productive member of society will not be the same without kratom.
If you have questions about kratom, please visit www.americankratom.org. Thank you for your time and service to the state.
Sincerely,
--- Include your name, address and phone number.
Please be professional and polite, keeping it as short as possible.
These are all the committees that have jurisdiction over the DEA. House and Senate Judiciary being most important. Message all members!
I signed the petitions a while ago, I hope it helped.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
That's great, Beverly.
Please leave comments & continue contacting your local politicians. This is very important to keep the pressure up on the DEA to stop demonizing kratom. They won't back down unless everyone concerned keeps letting them know that we do not want a ban on this plant.
This plant medicine is too important to ban it without any research. It's been so beneficial to so many people in chronic pain, with anxiety-depression & for opiate abuse.
The deadline for comments is December 1.
Posted by buratinos (Member # 52207) on :
I was faced with the problem of constant anxiety and terrible migraines, to which insomnia was added a year later. There were days when I only slept two hours a day and it made me sluggish. When I was completely desperate, I decided to buy the vitamins that my sister had been advising for a long time, but they did not bring any effect. Once in search of a remedy for similar symptoms, I came across kratom leaves from https://kratomgallery.com/ and was extremely surprised at the pleasant price. Just imagine, I decided on my first order. It was important to remember the dosage and the rules of intake, as after a couple of months I began to feel better than ever. I returned to my normal rhythm of life and my sleep returned to normal. Cool!
![[hi]](graemlins/hi.gif)
![[cussing]](graemlins/cussing.gif)
It's a natural plant & can't be patented.![[bonk]](graemlins/bonk.gif)