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[Beatofficer]

I didn't see this posted yet.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has filed a notice of intent (PDF) to place the southeast Asian plant called kratom to the most restrictive classification of the Controlled Substances Act. The plant, Mitragyna speciosa, and its two primary constituents, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, will be temporarily placed onto Schedule I on September 30, according to a filing by the DEA at 8:45 am Eastern time today. The full announcement is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register tomorrow, August 31.

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This is absolutely ridiculous trying to put kratom on a list with cocaine and heroin while the DEA is spreading misinformation about the plant. This is an item that's made it possible for a healthy amount of people to get off of their various addictions including pain killers, heroin, alcoholism. It's also helped people with their anxiety and chronic pain with little to no side effects. As a person who used Kratom to end a five year + pill addiction this makes me incredibly sad.

The kratom community is trying to fight this as much as they can while also starting a whitehouse.gov petition.

Edit: Forbes has a couple of follow ups including a little bit more information on the situation and also the DEA saying public opinion is unnecessary before the ban.

The American Kratom Association, a consumer group spearheading the effort, is planning a march on the White House for Sept. 13, two weeks before the ban takes effect. The association is led by founder Susan Ash and executive director Paul Pelosi Jr., the son of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

March planned in Washington, DC and the DEA labeling it as herbal heroin is highly deceptive


What is Kratom?

Mitragyna speciosa, also known as ketum or kratom,[2] is a tropical deciduous and evergreen tree in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to Southeast Asia in the Indochina and Malaysia phytochoria (botanical regions). M. speciosa is indigenous to Thailand where it has been used in traditional medicine.[3]
Little research has been done on the health effects and it has no approved medical uses.[4][5] Some people use it for managing chronic pain, opioid withdrawal, or recreationally.[6][4] Effects last for between two and five hours.[4] Kratom use is not detected by typical drug screening tests, but its metabolites can be detected by more specialized testing.[7][8]

Source

 

[teepo]

what a load of bullshit

 

[baxter2231]

Lot of money to be made by the Pharma companies, time to buy those stocks.

 

[entremet]

Pharma companies don't want the competition.

 

[TheHolyTurnip]

It's marijuana all over again.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

I just started looking into this as an alternative to Vicodin.

 

[Unicorn]

Quick rundown of what it is?

 

[NYCmetsfan]

It's marijuana all over again.

I can't find much research on it but it acts like an opiod. That's not a drug like weed

 

[Crayons]

It's marijuana all over again.

Yup. Someone in the DEA is getting good money from the pharma companies in making this move. Fuck big pharma

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I just started looking into this as an alternative to Vicodin.

Maybe ask a doctor?

 

[Brakke]

Quick rundown of what it is?

Why do we even bother putting links in OPs?

 

[TAJ]

Maybe ask a doctor?

I don't think anyone is going to pay doctors to promote this plant, or pay to advertise it to doctors, especially now.

 

[blame space]

welp

 

[Nikodemos]

'temporarily'

 

[blame space]

guess I'll go back to drinking then

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Can you currently buy this online legally? If so, can I get a recommendation?

 

[Effnine]

The hypocrisy continues .. fuckin dumb

 

[Baraka in the White House]

What an absolute crock.

The DEA is a fucking racket.

 

[TAJ]

'temporarily'

"There's something going on."

 

[Beatofficer]

I just started looking into this as an alternative to Vicodin.

It's been an absolute miracle for me. I was able to quit vicodin and norco with no withdrawal symptoms at all. The dosage was just a tablespoon in the morning and one tablespoon at night. A friend of mine did the same thing and it also calmed her anxiety. The extra nice part is you can go days or weeks without taking it and feel completely fine and not get sick.

guess I'll go back to drinking then

Don't give up yet! A lot of people are calling their local representatives and members of the DEA. There are several peaceful protests set up and various online campaigns.

 

[Host Samurai]

Bullshit. Last year I was actually looking into opening one in NYC. Stuff prints money

 

[TAJ]

Bullshit. Last year I was actually looking into opening one in NYC. Stuff prints money

There will be way more money in it a month from now.

 

[mike6467]

Kratom is to heavy opiates as children's cough syrup is to Bacardi 151. I know several people who use it daily for anxiety as well as pain. All lead fully functional lives and none have ever appeared even the least bit high or out of it when taking it, the fact that it's being put under schedule I blows my mind.

 

[Arsenic Yellow]

I've been sitting on about 150g of red horned that I bought for my previous partner for his pain management.... terrible that this is going to be classified level one, especially for those looking for pain management.

 

[Emerson]

I'm surprised there's so much anecdotal support (on NeoGAF, which purports to value evidence) for this substance which has undergone a minimal amount of true scientific research.

 

[Smellycat]

I have never heard of this plant.

Oh and Cocaine is schedule II

 

[Crayons]

I'm surprised there's so much anecdotal support (on NeoGAF, which purports to value evidence) for this substance which has undergone a minimal amount of true scientific research.

There are many substances that have undergone a minimal amount of true scientific research that the public is familiar with. The invention of the internet has resulted in a wild west of various chemical and plants being available for the type of person eccentric enough to be interested in them

Might I add, the state of Vermont wanted to ban Kratom. However, there was a town hall with either the senators or the governor, can't recall, but the people of Vermont convinced their government not to schedule the drug. And they didn't. If only the whole country worked like that.

 

[Rembrandt]

I'm surprised there's so much anecdotal support (on NeoGAF, which purports to value evidence) for this substance which has undergone a minimal amount of true scientific research.

you shouldn't be.

i'm ambivalent on this even with all this anecdotal evidence.

regulate it but maybe schedule 1 is too deep. but i also think the possibility of it not being damaging or addictive is yet to be seen. but our drug restrictions are terrible. even when drugs have positive benefits, they still get gridlocked which has me nervous considering the good things i've heard about this.


real question: can i get high off this?

 

[jb1234]

Very bad news for pain management. What a mess.

 

[Beatofficer]

you shouldn't be.

i'm ambivalent on this even with all this anecdotal evidence.

regulate it but maybe schedule 1 is too deep. but i also think the possibility of it not being damaging or addictive is yet to be seen. but our drug restrictions are terrible. even when drugs have positive benefits, they still get gridlocked which has me nervous considering the good things i've heard about this.


real question: can i get high off this?

You can get high but from my experience you need to take a ridiculous amount of it. Like 5+ grams at once.

 

[TAJ]

I'm surprised there's so much anecdotal support (on NeoGAF, which purports to value evidence) for this substance which has undergone a minimal amount of true scientific research.

So basically you're saying that there's no real evidence to support making it highly illegal.

 

[Crayons]

you shouldn't be.

i'm ambivalent on this even with all this anecdotal evidence.

regulate it but maybe schedule 1 is too deep. but i also think the possibility of it not being damaging or addictive is yet to be seen. but our drug restrictions are terrible. even when drugs have positive benefits, they still get gridlocked which has me nervous considering the good things i've heard about this.


real question: can i get high off this?

It's a weak opiate, so yes. But you'd need high doses. It's not going to get you as high as heroin or morphine or oxy or anything (which is a good thing...)

 

[Beatofficer]

It's a weak opiate, so yes. But you'd need high doses. It's not going to get you as high as heroin or morphine or oxy or anything (which is a good thing...)

Used as an opiate substitute, kratom contains no opiates of any kind, but it does bind to the same receptor sites in the brain. It binds to the mu-opioid receptor, as do both enkephalins and morphine. Additionally mitragynine binds to kappa-opioid receptors, which are associated with pain relief and sedation.

Source

Technically does not have any opiates but binds to the same receptors.

 

[mike6467]

I'd like to think they'll use this time to do actual research, and assess it's medical uses and standing vs. existing opiates/SSRI's/anti anxiety meds, then make an informed decision on how to proceed.

It's a plant though, so I'm not holding my breath. The way we do things in regards to this type of thing makes me sick.

 

[Crayons]

So basically you're saying that there's no real evidence to support making it highly illegal.

In the US, drugs are made illegal before they're ever proven to be bad for you. On the other hand, chemicals (as in the industrial kind) can be proven to be highly dangerous and toxic and are STILL not banned. Look at asbestos. We all know how bad it is, but it isn't even regulated! The EPA wrote up literally ten thousand pages on why it should be regulated...and they were shut down! In the U.S., we regulate under one dozen chemicals. Seriously. The E.U. regulates thousands. But in the U.S., we make drugs totally illegal before they're ever proven to be "bad".

So my fellow Americans, take pride in the fact that your government is protecting you from this evil natural painkilling inexpensive plant, and at the same time exposing you to countless chemical pollutants in your homes, in your air, in your water and in your soil.


God fucking bless America.

 

[Fall Into The GAF]

What's in it for the DEA for this specific drug though? I take it as an excuse for them to get more fed money to bust up head shops and whatnot. This is just bizarre to me.

 

[Crayons]

What's in it for the DEA for this specific drug though? I take it as an excuse for them to get more fed money to bust up head shops and whatnot. This is just bizarre to me.

It's a natural painkiller = bad for big pharma

 

[DigtialT]

I'd like to think they'll use this time to do actual research, and assess it's medical uses and standing vs. existing opiates/SSRI's/anti anxiety meds, then make an informed decision on how to proceed.

It's a plant though, so I'm not holding my breath. The way we do things in regards to this type of thing makes me sick.

Nope, they aren't going to do that

 

[smurfx]

Pharma companies don't want the competition.

well if they can create their own strain of the plant and patent it then maybe it will become legalized.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Just don't mix drugs.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6529a4.htm

 

[bengraven]

My wife was taking kratom for over a year. It became a huge pain in the ass as stores kept shutting down or prices would go up. Finally she just started going to pain management and got a real prescription.

 

[Crayons]

I'd like to think they'll use this time to do actual research, and assess it's medical uses and standing vs. existing opiates/SSRI's/anti anxiety meds, then make an informed decision on how to proceed.

It's a plant though, so I'm not holding my breath. The way we do things in regards to this type of thing makes me sick.

When the DEA "temporarily" schedules a drug, it's not actually temporarily. And no they wont research it. So stock up on kratom, GAF, before its as illegal as heroin (and more illegal than meth, or cocaine because remember those are only schedule 2!)


I think some of you in this thread may be unaware of the Drug OT I made in Off Topic Community, so please check it out if it interests you!

neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1270299

 

[h1nch]

I've said it before, but the DEA is a criminal organization masquerading as a government agency.

Fucking scumbags. Every last one of them.

 

[NikonShots]

Can a president stop this from happening? Who has the power to cut the DEA, and put that money into something that matters. The drug war failed, and we waste billions.

 

[K.Jack]

How have I never heard of this stuff.

Guess I should order some now, before it puts me in prison.

 

[blame space]

I'm only half joking about drinking again. but this stuff helped me kick a severe alcohol dependency and now it's going to be super illegal. really cool.

 

[Ace 8095]

Can a president stop this from happening? Who has the power to cut the DEA, and put that money into something that matters. The drug war failed, and we waste billions.

I'm sure Obama would stop it if he could. He's such a cool guy. Sadly he has no power over the DEA

 

[Crayons]

Can a president stop this from happening? Who has the power to cut the DEA, and put that money into something that matters. The drug war failed, and we waste billions.

Well, our next president (Hillary) isn't going to do it. She hasn't even spoken in favor of medical marijuana. Guess we have to wait until 2024 at the earliest.

 

[mike6467]

When the DEA "temporarily" schedules a drug, it's not actually temporarily. And no they wont research it. So stock up on kratom, GAF, before its as illegal as heroin (and more illegal than meth, or cocaine because remember those are only schedule 2!)

Yeah, I should've included /s, I guess I was saying "if they had actual good intentions, it would go like this." There's clearly incentives elsewhere though and there's no indications it'll ever not be like that, so it seems like the decision has been made. I hope for a lot of people's sake they're able to save this, or at least bring it back, even if regulated at some point, but it doesn't look great.

Then I think of how tightly regulated and monitored the supplement industry is.

Spoiler

/s

God damnit.

 

[Hale-XF11]

I gotta tell ya guys, I'm real fucking tired of living in a world where the DEA and the CSA exists.