Biography/Memoir

Why does the FDA care about Kratom?

The process of determining the legality of a substance—in this case kratom—is not something most laypeople are familiar with. The FDA says they need information from the DEA. The DEA says scientific tests take time and money but if and when they have anything, they’ll surely send it along to the FDA … Lowin said, “We were all scratching our heads wondering why is kratom even in question. There is no logic. It’s like we’ve all entered the Twilight Zone.”​

The Fix (an addiction treatment magazine] spoke with Lowin via telephone. He said, “I’ve been in the botanical industry for a decade specializing in analytics and plant pharmacology.” He further explained that during his presentation to the committee, he brought to their attention that the Georgia Poison Control from the Georgia Health and Public Safety Department has no relevant information, or any data, on kratom being an issue in the state of Georgia. “None whatsoever,” Lowin stressed. He felt his job was to make it clear that kratom is not dangerous and therefore not a threat. “According to the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency (GDNA),” Lowin said, “kratom was referred to as a drug because it had been brought to the agency’s attention by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences Crime Lab as a problem. Georgia government agencies are aware that kratom is currently illegal in Indiana, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin and of the pending legislation in other states.” … At the Georgia meeting Lowin said, “The Georgia Poison Control had nothing concrete to offer. The head of the Georgia Crimes Unit even said, ‘This is a natural compound, not a synthetic,’ and when he was asked if he’d found kratom at any Georgia crime scenes, he was like, ‘No, ma’am.’” … Lowin said, “We were all scratching our heads wondering why is kratom even in question. There is no logic. It’s like we’ve all entered the Twilight Zone.” … Lowin said, “In Georgia, based on what we all presented, they tabled the bill and were obviously going to strike kratom off the list of dangerous drugs. Kratom isn’t a drug—there’s a lack of information. News agencies are running sensational news stories and that’s where people are getting their information. For news organizations like USA Today and the New York Times to write articles which blatantly leave out easy-to-find scientific evidence it just boggles my mind.”

Original Article (The Fix):
The FDA wants to stop Americans from using a popular but unapproved opioid alternative
Artwork Fair Use: M.O. Stevens

Biography/Memoir

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