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FDA Declares Popular Alt-Medicine Kratom an Opioid (nbcnews.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NBC News: The Food and Drug Administration declared the popular herbal product kratom to be an opioid on Tuesday, opening a new front in its battle to get people to stop using it. New research shows kratom acts in the brain just as opioids do, FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. And he said the agency has documented 44 cases in which kratom at least helped kill people -- often otherwise healthy young people.
"Taken in total, the scientific evidence we've evaluated about kratom provides a clear picture of the biologic effect of this substance," Gottlieb wrote. "Kratom should not be used to treat medical conditions, nor should it be used as an alternative to prescription opioids. There is no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use." The FDA released detailed accounts of several of the deaths. The victims often had mixed kratom with other substances, including chemicals taken out of inhalers and found in over-the-counter cold and flu drugs.
"Taken in total, the scientific evidence we've evaluated about kratom provides a clear picture of the biologic effect of this substance," Gottlieb wrote. "Kratom should not be used to treat medical conditions, nor should it be used as an alternative to prescription opioids. There is no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use." The FDA released detailed accounts of several of the deaths. The victims often had mixed kratom with other substances, including chemicals taken out of inhalers and found in over-the-counter cold and flu drugs.
I'm just going to leave this here...
http://www.pogo.org/our-work/r...
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
I came to inject my personal experience with Kratom a good decade back.
Due to an injury and a multi-month stay in the hospital for many surgeries, once out and a good way through recovery I found myself physically dependent on actual opioids, becoming unbearably sick whenever I just stopped taking them.
I found it was easier to lower my dosage by a certain percent every few days, and initially worked with my doctors to do just that.
About a month in they ended up simply cutting off my prescription while only down to 25mg/day from my original 100mg/day.
In absolute terror to feel like I did when cold stopping, I turned to a friend who somehow managed to remain prescribed a large quantity prescription that he was basically doing the same thing as I was, tapering down, but he wasn't working with his doctor for it and remained on the same dosage the full time.
This helped a lot to continue my plan, at least up until he was sent overseas for work for six months.
Not wanting to either go down the hardcore path, or the withdraw agony, it was suggested I try Kratom pills.
So here's the thing. They did work to trick the body and brain enough to not experience withdraws, so clearly there is something in the stuff that acts similar to the real thing.
But it is VERY mild. There is no high, no pain relief, no other effects.
However to get even the relief from withdraws, I had to take 6-8 giant capsules every 4 or so hours. Basically a $40 bottle a day.
I can totally see why someone would turn to shooting up instead of that crap.
These pills are like most "natural herbal" pills you see peddled, huge size "triple zero" gelcaps packed with powder. These are the kind that suck to take even one of, let alone 8 at once.
They also float, so its a bitch to swallow them with water so you don't gag and choke.
They also do quite a number on your stomach inducing cramps and all.
When they were suggested to me, the same person said it needs a larger than usual dose, aka 6-8 pills instead of what it said on the bottle. The funny part was 6 pills WAS what was suggested on the bottle.
I can't even imagine how many you would need to take at once to get any sort of recreational effects out of the things.
I'm not even sure I could physically get enough down at a time to get any more effect without throwing up.
I know people will go to some amazing extremes to get high, but damn!
Granted this is just my own experience, and I had a lot going on with my body at the time, but I find it a bit hard to believe that the Kratom itself is what caused these deaths.
Your comment about mixing it with other chemicals seems to me to be spot on.
Not quite. Close, though.
The problem is testing. To get a drug approved takes mega-bucks. However, with conventional medicines, the company has a patent on the medicine so they get a guaranteed period of income.
Kratom, however, is just a plant. It could be a wonder-cure, but nobody will pay millions for the testing because, once approved, anybody with a greenhouse could sell it for less.
"-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
Right, it binds to the same receptors, but is not an opiate. It just emulates an opiate, and it won't kill you.
You forgot the important part that's mostly the reason behind this FDA move.
It takes money away from lobbying & contributing pharma companies, health care networks/hospitals, clinics, doctors, and franchise pharmacies. Same reason marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I Narcotic by the FDA.
That, and the billions of dollars in kickbacks to US officials from SA drug cartels hidden in offshore accounts
Always follow the money.
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
The exact same plant our military is attempting to eradicate in Afghanistan. It's just technically illegal to harvest and store "opium poppy straw", but if you harvest and milk seed pods for opium tea nobody is going to stop you; the DEA literally doesn't want to know because then it's got to crack down on gardeners. Or if you don't have a garden you can buy the dried seed pods at the florist for flower arrangements, and when you're done with them make your opium tea from them.
I'm not saying there's nothing to be done on the supply end, but even if you stopped all the heroin coming into the country and outlawed the "garden" poppy, addicts would just turn to synthetic opioids, some of which can be synthesized from innocuous precursors. The primary fight has to be prevention and treatment of addiction.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
The age of "racist drug policy" is long gone; the urge to ban substances is based on authoritarianism and dogooderism. Accusing people of racism where none exists weakens your case and makes you look like a fool.
It gets worse. Your tying race to poverty reveals that you have racist beliefs.
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
And how many fatal overdoses were avoided because people were able to get off heroin (the primary use of kratom; some use it recreationally but most people use it for quitting harder opioids)? I'm guessing way more than 44. There's nobody that's going right now "Oh, well if the FDA makes kratom illegal that's it for me, I'm going to stop using opiates". No-bod-y. Users will invariably switch to a more dangerous opiate instead.