Kratom: US senators, veterans push DEA to [reconsider proposed ban] on herbal supplement
“At the end of August, the DEA threw a curve ball at kratom users, announcing plans to declare the drug a level one controlled substance — the same as heroin. But nationwide protests, tens of thousands of signatures and specific criticisms from a number of U.S. Senators has delayed action on the DEA’s proposal… the DEA [will] now consider a period of public comment, after which they may decide to reverse the decision altogether.”
“They use it like we use coffee or tea,” Williams said. “A lot of people are finding that it’s great for energy. Some veterans claim that Kratom helps with PTSD and depression. Others, like Williams, “use it for minor joint pain”. In a report from Stat News, a “US official familiar with the process” said the DEA has stepped back from the designation, at least temporarily. The report said the DEA would now consider a period of public comment, after which they may decide to reverse the decision altogether.Dr. Eric Geisler, a medical director at Serenity Lane, said the designation would be well-deserved. Although it’s not an opiate itself, Dr. Eric Geisler says kratom attaches to the same receptors in the brain.
Read ECfES.org’s open letter to Serenity Lane in response to a tragic overdose death at one of their facilities earlier this year.
Original Article (KATU):
Kratom: US Senators, veternas push DEA to reconsider ban on herbal supplement
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