Kratom is an opioid-like botanical product that's made from the leaves of a tropical Southeast Asian tree. It has been used as a sedative, to address chronic pain and addiction, as a stimulant, and more. It's considered legal in the US although there are at least 5 states so far that have moved to ban it altogether.

It's estimated that between 2 to 4 million people in the US use kratom.

As a result of the growing use and awareness for kratom around the US in recent years it's now prompted the DEA to consider regulating the herb. The Department of Health and Human Services has made the recommendation that kratom be listed along with the likes of heroin and LSD as a Schedule I drug.

Various authority figures have suggested that there isn't any evidence that it's helpful in treating medical conditions and that it shouldn't be used as an alternative for opioid prescriptions. There are concerns that it could be banned any day now.

In the meantime, while bureaucrats struggle over whether or not to limit the people's freedom in regards to kratom, researchers are still busy trying to investigate the potential benefits.

Just recently, the University of Florida received a multi-million dollar grant to study kratom, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

More specifically, it's the University of Florida College of Pharmacy that will be receiving the funding. It's a 2-year, $3.5 million dollar grant that is expected to fund studies that are seeking to investigate the active compounds in the plant.

The FDA has previously insisted that they don't see any kratom products as safe and they've sent out letters to various distributors, marketers, and others, demanding that they stop offering unapproved kratom-containing products.

In May of this year they indicated that they would “step up” their actions against these drugs and other unapproved substances, even if there are some people who claim that it's helping them to overcome a harmful addiction or find some other benefit from taking it. At the end of the day those millions of kratom users don't hold the ultimate authority over their own body, the FDA holds that authority and exercises it by telling them what they can or cannot put into their own body as an "approved substance".

Freedom shouldn't consist of asking permission before we can decide what we put into our body.

Pics:
pixabay

The information that is posted above is not intended to be used as any substitute for professional medical advice, or diagnosis or treatment. The above is posted for informational purposes only.

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