The DEA Is Rushing To Criminalize Another Herb, And Congress Is Silent
Nearly half a century into the war on drugs, in America. But Congress has been silent in the face of an abrupt move by the Drug Enforcement Administration last week to expand the drug war by banning and criminalizing the herbal supplement kratom.
In a notice published in the Federal Register Aug. 31, the DEA announced that it is placing two active ingredients in the herb ― made from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a Southeast Asian tree related to coffee ― into Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act.icans and their congressional representatives finally seem comfortable challenging the nation’s long-standing enforcement-first drug policy.
Except for when it matters.
With very little to show for the more than $1 trillion spent and millions of lives lost or permanently scarred in the fight for prohibition, lawmakers have begun to push broadly for reform, emphasizing treatment, destigmatization, decriminalization and even legalization over tactics like incarceration and other punitive responses.
The DEA’s attack on another naturally occurring substance attracted immediate pushback from kratom supporters and drug policy experts, who reject the agency’s claim that the herb is an “imminent hazard to public safety.” Kratom users say the DEA ignored anecdotal evidence and emerging science that suggests the drug could be a promising treatment for a variety of ailments, including chronic pain and opioid addiction.
https://www.google.com/amp/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57d1ad7ce4b03d2d45993e0e/amp?client=safari
Please sign the petition:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/please-do-not-make-kratom-schedule-i-substance
= new reply since forum marked as read
thinks banning this is a wonderful idea.
