Media Coverage 2016

January

February

controversial herbal supplement helps kick addiction

Kratom: Harmful Banned Substance or Safe Drug Addiction Treatment?

Rep Dancer in New Jersey re introduced bill a3500 to ban kratom

Alabama email addresses for committee members

Mitragynine Attenuates Withdrawal Syndrome in Morphine-Withdrawn Zebrafish

KRATOM VS. OPIUM

Mitraphylline an alkaloid found in kratom

Bibliography on Mitragyna speciosa Kratom and alkaloids

Recent Research in Epicatechin Molecule which are also found in kratom

Lawmaker looks to ban herbal drug in New Jersey

Update – Georgia Senate Heath and Human Services Email List

Kentucky Kratom added to Bill SB136

A Vaccine For Drug Addiction Is In The Works

Kentucky Email List House Judiciary Committee

Florida email list to say thank you for keeping kratom available to adults.

Are we really going to ban another harmless herb?

Kentucky Kratom Senate Bill 136

NEW YORK LEGISLATORS LETTER LIST

Palm Beach County rejects kratom warning signs

Alabama Email List

Kratom is removed from Georgia Bill HB783

Florida Drug and Law Enforcement Official Statewide Intelligence Drug Report

A Call to Action! Your Help Needed in Keeping Kratom Legal

Assembly Bill A9068 to Prohibit the manufacture, sale or possession of Kratom

New Hampshire SB540

Panel Bans Kratom On Tearful Testimony

March

Kratom production is similar to coffee and tea.

New York State with four bills with civil penalties up to $5000 for violators of the bill, age restrictions of 21 years and older or FDA approval.

Wisconsin Hearing Photo … Kratom remains schedule 1

Kentucky SB136

CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain — United States, 2016

Fact Checker by The Botanical Legal Defense #savekratom

Kratom Vs Energy Drink by The Botanical Legal Defense

Kentucky Action

Florida Law Enforcement Recognizes Kratom’s Positive Safety Profile

Total Synthesis of (-)-Mitragynine and Analogues Master Thesis by Isabel Kerschgens

Natural Alternatives Vs. Pharmaceutical Drugs from The Botanical Legal Defense

Pharmacology of Kratom: An Emerging Botanical Agent With Stimulant, Analgesic and Opioid-Like Effects

The Huffington Post – Some Say Kratom Is A Solution To Opioid Addiction. Not If Drug Warriors Ban It First. by Nick Wing Senior Viral Editor

New Hampshire amendment to regulate to 18 and older.

patent on kratom alkaloid – Speciofoline, an alkaloid from mitragyna speciosa

Botanical Legal Defense Petition – Sign Now

KRATOM IS NOT THE NEW BATH SALTS Written By: Meko Haze

Is Kratom a Heroin Like Drug?

Banning Kratom Would be a Terrible Mistake By: Ryan F. Estevez, MD, PhD, MPH

Botanical Legal Defense BLD Hails Victory in Stopping Florida House Bill Banning Kratom

Experts Speak Out on Benefits of Kratom:Why it Would be a Mistake to Ban It

Kratom Story of New Jersey Pharmacist, Dr. Gerald Wall

Transitional Institutes Analysis Legislative Reform of Drug Policies Addresses Kratom Law Reform in Thailand

Studies at Univ Of Mississippi On Mitragyna Speciosa Show Great Promise for Treating Addiction

Assessment of Kratom – scientific study

A Case Report of Kratom Addiction and Withdrawal

April

Experts Speak Out on Benefits of Kratom: Why it Would be a Mistake to Ban It

Alabama bill #175 postponed indefinitely SB 226 is still active

CINCINNATI (WKRC) with negative media. please contact them before the airs Monday

Federal Court rebuffs FTC effort to apply pharmaceutical standards to dietary supplement substantiation

Alabama Kratom Ban Not a Solution to Heroin Epidemic

Alabama Legislature contact information. Please call or email them in regards to keeping kratom legal in Alabama

Forbes Magazine and the three kratom articles- David DiSalvo writes a first negative article with no research and then redeems himself. See all three articles here.

Mississippi study on kratom and addiction Christopher R. McCurdy

Kratom Study University of Mississippi and Christopher R. McCurdy

Import Alert 54-15 Detention without physical examination

Kratom drying in Borneo

May

Suffolk County New York kratom law

NC may outlaw an herb that aids during drug recovery.

Will FDA crack down harder on kratom by The Fix

Mcinnis Bill threatens to outlaw the herb kratom

Lets Hope North Carolina values freedom more than Alabama by Paul Kemp

How to quit heroin with kratom

Will FDA crackdown harder on kratom – The Fix.com

What the hell is a kakistocracy? It’s Alabama

North Carolina contact list

We support the Impeach Governor Bentley

Still hope in Alabama. Governor Bentley’s office reviewing bill to ban kratom.

URGENT Contact Governor Bentley and ask him to veto SB226

The sudden rise in the number of media reports recently that call kratom (purik) as Narcotics new types of farmers make a scene purik in Kapuas Hulu

Alabama 226 passes and moves to the Governor to be signed. Call the Governor of Alabama now.

Thailand looks to legalize kratom Justice Minister Chaikasem Nitsiri is pushing senior officials to end a 70-year-old ban on kratom enacted under a dubious pretense: kratom once helped opium users kick addiction in an era when the government raked in lucrative opium taxes.

Case of kratom used to self-manage chronic pain and opioid withdrawal complicated by a potential interaction with modafinil by Dr. Cristopher McCurdy and Dr. Edward Boyer

Prince had a life-threatening Percocet addiction and authorities believe opiates will likely be either the sole or at least a significant factor in his death. Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2016/05/04/prince-dea-criminal-investigation-drugs-opiates/#ixzz47k4wQLZR

American Kratom Association a non profit organization

American Herbal Products Association guidelines for manufacturers.

EMCDDA European profile of kratom

Representative Farnsworth from Arizona was the first Rep to amend a kratom bill.

June

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July

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August

Kratom to join heroin, LSD on Schedule I drug list By Nadia Kounang, CNN

DEA SET TO SCHEDULE KRATOM AND ITS ALKALOIDS by Travis L

Federal Register – proposed rule

Feds Declare War On Herb Touted As A Solution To Opioid Addiction

DEA plans to ban all sales of kratom

Petition to The White House – Do Not Ban Kratom

Petition To The White House Do Not Make Kratom Schedule 1

Notice of intent to ban mitragynine and 7 hydroxymitragynine – FEDERAL 202 307 7297 This is the contact number for the liaison in the DEA who is dealing with this matter.

The Top-Notch Holistic Substance You’ve Likely Never Heard Of – By Anthony Tyler

September

Huffington Post- Senators Ask DEA To Delay Plans To Criminalize Another Herb

Forbes and DiSalvo – Kratom Remains Legal, For Now

Drug Policy Alliance – Stop the DEA’s War on Kratom

American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) expresses concern about DEA using emergency scheduling authority to temporarily classify herb as schedule I substance

Washington Post- DEA defies senators’ appeal to reconsider ‘unprecedented’ kratom ban

DEA appears to open up for modified comment process before final decision.

Self-treatment of opioid withdrawal using kratom (Mitragynia speciosa korth)

US NEWS – Kratom Will Remain Legal for Days, Possibly Longer

Letter to – Loretta Lynch Attorney General of the United States from members of Congress

These Senators have all signed the Hatch Letter to the DEA

Congressman Johnson and Pocan write a letter to the DEA

Kratom Has The Senate’s Attention, And The DEA’s Schedule I Date May Shift

Dozens of Congressmen Speak Out Against Tyranny — Tell DEA Not to Ban Kratom Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/congress-speak-dea-ban-kratom/#tfwm5C72LtKj0bXM.99

Forbes – Top Kratom Researcher Discusses Potential Medical Use In Opioid Withdrawal

Here are the guidelines for how a final order becomes effective. Click the link that says when do final rules go into effect for details.

Pocan/Salmon letter to DEA with signatures

Vice.com The DEA Is About to Make Life Even More Dangerous for Heroin Users

Pain News Network- Law makers ask the DEA to delay action

STAKEHOLDER PANEL ON ALKALOIDS OF KRATOM Background & Fitness for Purpose (Mitragynine & 7‐OH Mitragynine) Chair, Corey J. Hilmas, MD/PhD Senior VP Scientific and Regulatory Affairs (NPA) September 5, 2014

US NEWS – 45 Congressmen Ask DEA Not to Ban Kratom Next Week

Should Kratom Use Be Legal? Scientific American 2013

DEA Blocks Research Into Promising Opioid Alternatives

Kratom March On Washington – Chris Bell Documentary

One Week Until Kratom Components Are Banned In The U.S.- Forbes

The alkaloids of Mitragyna with special reference to those of Mitragyna speciosa, Korth Originally published in UNODC Bulletin on Narcotics, 1974, Issue 2

43+ members of Congress have joined the dear collegue letter. Contact your congressional representative and ask him or her to consider also signing.

Prescription painkillers are more widely used than tobacco, new federal study finds – Washington Post

Call the DEA and ask them to stop the kratom ban 202 353 1417 Melvin Patterson

Dear Colleague Letter

Kratom Users Say Ban Will Lead to More Drug Abuse

Synthetic and Receptor Signaling Explorations of the Mitragyna Alkaloids: Mitragynine as an Atypical Molecular Framework for Opioid Receptor Modulators

5 Things to Know About Kratom _ LiveScience

Kratom Defenders Fight Plan To Ban Herb Used By People In Recovery – Kaiser Health News

WebMD – What Is Kratom? Why Does the DEA Want to Ban It?

CDC Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) Exposures Reported to Poison Centers — United States, 2010–2015

Kratom Movement Draws Attention From Congress, And More On The DEA’s Plan To Schedule 1

Jay Z (Shawn Carter) “The War on Drugs Is an Epic Fail” [Opinion Video 2016]

The following Members should be contacted immediately via in person meetings, phone calls, emails and letters: ask them to sign the dear colleague letter from Honorable Mark Pocan, Member of Congress

KRATOM SURVEY

Regulatory watchdog calls on DEA to halt Kratom ban, calls on OMB intervention

The DEA Didn’t Talk To Kratom Users Before Pushing A Ban. Here’s What They Would’ve Said.

What The DEA’s Plan To Schedule 1 Kratom Will Mean For Millions

Petition – Please do not make Kratom a Schedule I Substance

DEA removes substance from the controlled substances list in 2013

WAR VETERAN ON KRATOM: DEA TAKING AWAY RIGHT TO A MANAGEABLE LIFE

Washington Post – The DEA wants to ban another plant. Researchers say the plan is ‘insane.’

Huffington Post – Why Kratom’s Getting Banned – And How We Can Stop This Drug War Madness

Center for Regulatory Effectiveness – An Open Letter to the Obama White House Staff

Impending US Ban on Asian Painkiller Stirs Rally in DC

Huffington Post – I Tried A Soon-To-Be Banned Herb In Front Of The White House And Lived To Write This Story

Kratom Proponents Present 120,000-Signature Petition To White House To Stop DEA Rush To Ban Coffee-Like Herb In U.S., Seek Opportunity To Comment

NPR and Kratom Advocates Speak Out Against Proposed Government Ban

DEA targeting of addiction treatment kratom will protect Big Pharma profits

Why is the US banning kratom, the virtually harmless herb? Marc Lewis

Hidden network of kratom devotees tries to keep the supplement safe — and legal

Petition Please do not make Kratom a Schedule I Substance

Kratom ban will hinder studies of the plant for treating pain or addiction, researchers say

Rise up and join Robby Wells candidate for president and the Botanical Education Alliance march in Washington D.C. Sept 13th

The DEA Is Rushing To Criminalize Another Herb, And Congress Is Silent – Huffington Post

ROBBY WELLS and The Botanical Education Alliance head TO WASHINGTON, DC TO SPEAK ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 AT A RALLY IN FRONT OF THE WHITEHOUSE.

More Than 100,000 People Urge Obama To Stop The DEA From Banning Kratom

Drug Policy Alliance Joins Kratom Fight!

How to find your congressman and representative for your district. This is very effective and works fast. We all need to do this NOW.

Strategies for reversing the DEA’s attempted ban on kratom and its alkaloids

This is the oversight committee who has the ability to stop the DEA. This committee houses all the congressional members so you do not need to contact them individually.

Email your Congressman or Representative and tell them why kratom needs to remain available

DEA acknowledges kratom users message is getting through

A detailed overview of Facts, Scientific Study, and Professional Testimony on Kratom

Call the DEA and tell them kratom helps – Melvin Patterson 202-307-1000 (press #4 for media department).

DEA’s Sudden ‘Herbal Heroin’ Ban Triggers Stiff Resistance from Kratom Community

White House Petition- Do Not Ban Kratom – we need 1000,000 signatures

Kratom March in DC Sept 13th

DEA Argues That Public Comment Is Unnecessary Before Kratom Ban by David Kroll

October

Episode 1 Botanical Education Alliance Video Series

Scientific American – What’s Next for Kratom after the DEA Blinks on Its Emergency Ban?

How to comment on the federal register

Kratom processing in Indonesia.

CNN- Kratom gets reprieve from DEA’s Schedule I drug list

Scientific Rebuttal to the DEA’s Notice of Intent to emergency schedule mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine,

Kratom News: What the DEA’s Ban Lift Means, What’s Next & What You Can Do

What to Know About Kratom—A Plant Some Scientists Say Could Solve the Opioid Crisis

A First Time User Says Kratom Works

New opioids could relieve pain without dangerous side effects

Washington Times – DEA delays kratom ban, waits for word from FDA

In Unprecedented Move, Drug Enforcement Administration Withdraws Emergency Kratom Ban

DEA Withdraws Kratom Ban, Opens Formal Comment Period

Washington Post- DEA opts against ban on plant some call opioid alternative

New York Times- DEA Opts Against Ban on Plant Some Call Opioid Alternative

AHPA- Legal Alert

DEA Officially Backtracks On Move To Ban Kratom, An Herb Many Use As Medicine After intense backlash, the agency is making an unprecedented move to reconsider prohibition.

ABC News – DEA Opts Against Ban on Plant Some Call Opioid Alternative

DEA Withdraws Kratom Ban, Opens Public Comment Period

Group: DEA Has Overstepped Its Bounds And Should “Immediately Suspend” Use Of Emergency Authority

The DEA is withdrawing a proposal to ban another plant after the Internet got really mad

DEA – Withdrawal of Notice of Intent to Temporarily Place Mitragynine and 7- Hydroxymitragynine into Schedule I

DEA, Stop the kratom ban

Why Kratom Should Affect Your Voting

Students for Sensible drug Policy – An FGCU Student’s Reaction to the DEA Scheduling of Mitragyna Speciosa

12 PhD’s from major universities add a letter to the Booker, Gillibrand, Wyden Seantor letter which was sent to the DEA

Travis Lowin Botanical Education Alliance update

What a Kratom Ban Would Look Like- Andrew Turner, A Veteran

We Are Kratom

Kratom Madness! The Head-Shop Staple Remains Legal — But for How Long?

DEA Cutting Opioid Supply in 2017

Thailand reclassifies kratom and cannabis as schedule 2 from schedule 5 – Under Thailand’s narcotics Control Act Category 1 and 5 drugs cannot be licensed for medical, or any other use.

DEA appears to waver on kratom listing in face of pressure from lawmakers By Hank Schultz, 05-Oct-2016 Nutra Ingredients

DEA IMMEDIATELY REMOVE CANNABIS AND MITRAGYNINE/ 7HYDROXYMITRAGYNINE FROM SCHEDULE 1

Why Does the Government Want to Ban Kratom, an Herbal Supplement?

Quick Claims Guide – Do’s and Dont’s when discussing supplements.

DEA Tries To Stay Relevant And Ban Kratom, Gets Immediately Shot Down

SANDERS, HATCH AND NINE OTHER U.S. SENATORS URGE DEA TO HALT PUSH TO BAN NATURAL HERB KRATOM

Kratom Helps Me Feel Normal – Pain News Network

The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think -Huffington Post addiction study

Donate to Botanical Education Alliance – Save Kratom

Lobby 101 and messaging guide – How to address your law makers- American Kratom Association

Call To Action!!! Now is the time to turn up the pressure and show the world how very serious we are. We will be heard

University of Florida Survey of kratom users. This will take about 10 minutes.

White House Petition – Please do not make Kratom a Schedule I Substance

November

The DEA Has The Wrong Priorities And Kratom Is The Wrong Target

Researcher Suggests Kratom May Have Medical Benefit as Opioid Alternative

Drug War Fail: Drugs now kill more people than car crashes

10,000 comments thus far. Please keep them coming.

What is happening on December 1st for kratom.

FDA Inspections, Warning Letters & Emerging cGMP Compliance Issues

Medical Use of Kratom ‘Too Large to be Ignored’

Join the Botanical Education Alliance on Facebook

Now under contract by the AKA to perform an “8-factor analysis” as required by the Controlled Substances Act to show that the DEA and the FDA have this all wrong. Welcome aboard Drs. Jack Henningfield and Reginald Fant! Check their bios — there is likely no one better in the world, working with our attorneys, to prove Kratom should not be a scheduled drug. www.pinneyassociaties.com/about Thanks to donations we still desperately need more of! www.americankratom.org/donate

Indonesian’s response to the potential ban on kratom

With 2 Weeks To Go: American Kratom Association Urges Kratom Community To “Speak Up Now!” And Get 10,000 Comments In To DEA

Joe Rogan Experience #876 – Chris Bell discuss kratom

Huffington Post – We Still Have A Chance To Stop Kratom Prohibition — And The DEA Actually Wants To Hear Your Thoughts

Time to Fight for Our Rights as Pain Patients

DEADLINE IS DEC. 1ST: SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT KRATOM TODAY!

Huffington Post – The DEA Has The Wrong Priorities And Kratom Is The Wrong Target

Kratom ban withdrawn by DEA – Albany Herald

DNC Process Server Shawn Lucas Cause of Death Released _ (kratom is one of the reported substances in his system)

December

Update on the Pharmacology and Legal Status of Kratom Walter C. Prozialeck, PhD

DÉJÀ VU? IS THE DEA UNLAWFULLY ATTEMPTING TO OUTLAW ALL CANNABINOIDS…AGAIN?

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION URGING PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP TO STOP THE REGULATORY ASSAULT ON KRATOM!

A US Kratom Ban Will Lead To An Enormous Public Health Crisis

The Institute for Cannabis – DEA and Marijuana Extract Means.. NOTHING

U.S.: Hemp Industry Association Says DEA Ruling Does Not Make CBD Illegal

Is this the end of CBD or the catalyst which will bring and end to cannabis prohibition.

New DEA Rule Says CBD Oil is Really, Truly, No-Joke Illegal

DEA – Establishment of a New Drug Code for Marihuana Extract

FDA Inspections, Warning Letters & Emerging cGMP Compliance Issues

PBS – Herbal drug kratom faces uncertain legal future, despite public outpouring

Kratom: When Laws Collide

Businessweek – Is Kratom a Deadly Drug or a Life-Saving Medicine? Advocates believe the powder helps people kick opioids without risk of addiction. When the DEA tried to criminalize it, they fought back.

Kratom’s potential for good would be jeopardized by DEA ban

Doctor’s – Kratom: Safe Supplement or Dangerous Drug?

Drug expert says FDA, not DEA, should oversee kratom as herb poses little public health risk

The Doctors – Understanding the Kratom Controversy

Kratom: Healing Herb or Dangerous Drug? – Is it a dangerous drug or a healing herb? It’s called Kratom it’s banned in the city of San Diego, and The Drug Enforcement Administration has set its sights on banning it nationwide. KPBS’s Maya Trabulsi looks into the reasons why and what it could mean for the people who use it to manage pain.

Washington post – Drug policy experts and advocates implore DEA to keep opiate-like plant legal

Over 22,000 Comments on DEA’s Kratom Ban

American Kratom Association: Major New Analysis Shows No Basis For DEA To Restrict Herb Kratom Expert Finds Potential for Abuse May Be As Low As Such Unrestricted Substances as “Nutmeg and St. John’s Wort”

Drug policy experts and advocates implore DEA to keep opiate-like plant legal

The alkaloids of Mitragyna with special reference to those of Mitragyna speciosa, Korth Originally published in UNODC Bulletin on Narcotics, 1974, Issue 2

8 factor analysis of kratom performed by Dr. Hennigfield submitted the DEA/FDA

AMERICAN KRATOM ASSOCIATION: MAJOR NEW ANALYSIS SHOWS NO BASIS FOR DEA TO RESTRICT HERB KRATOM

Final Hours To Make Your Comments