The use of Kratom, an herb grown in Southeast Asia for centuries for its mood-altering effects, has exploded in popularity in the United States in the past fews years, particularly in Florida.
Kratom enthusiasts say it helps ease anxiety and depression and even helps with opioid addiction. But critics say it can be habit-forming and even addictive, and medical examiners say it was a contributing cause in hundreds of deaths in the past decade. But it is not regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration, and while the Drug Enforcement Administration has listed kratom as a Drug and Chemical of Concern it has not exercised its authority to schedule kratom or its active compounds.
The Kratom market in the U.S. is like the wild, wild west and that needs to change, said Matthew Lowe, executive director of the Global Kratom Coalition, during an interview on WMNF WaveMakers with Janet and Tom.
“There is a lot of misinformation going around about Kratom, and that is on both the negative side and the positive side of things,” Lowe said. His group formed about six months ago. “We saw the need from a global perspective…to expand access and education.” That’s particularly true in the U.S., where the market is expanding rapidly without robust public education.
The coalition wants to ensure that manufacturers are producing safe products that are labeled accurately so consumers know what they are buying, and that consumers know how much Kratom is safe to use, Lowe said. That will take government regulation, he said, either on the federal or state level. About 10 states, including Florida, have laws regulating some aspect of the herb, he said.
Hear the entire conversation by clicking the link below, going to the WaveMakers archives or by searching for WMNF WaveMakers wherever you listen to podcasts.
One Response to “Global Kratom Coalition pushes for regulation of the mood-alerting herb”
Leave a Reply
I found kratom in 2016 and was able to get off of a long list of meds. Nothing pharma helped my interstitial cystitis, abdominal adhesions, fibro and kidney stone pain until I found this tea. Drs labeled me an addict that wasn’t in pain but just wanted to get high. I was weeks from giving up when I found it, and just like that my life started again. My family got me back.
My drs are thrilled, tests come back perfect. Plain, TESTED, crushed leaf kratom is completely safe for us to consume. The only thing in danger from kratom is pharma and those specialists that we support with our illnesses.
Thank you for helping us get the truth out, The Kratom Gals would love to talk to you further.