In just over a week, the herbal supplement kratom will be listed as a Schedule I as seen on the U.S. Controlled Substances Act. This is due to the fact that the capsules contain mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, 2 substances which although are naturally occurring in the plant, are now classified as harmful by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The DEA classifies a drug to be on Schedule I if it has no accepted medical use, has a potential for abuse, and lacks medical supervision, which cannot guarantee the safety of the person taking the substance. As kratom is known for its opioid-like qualities which many people take in place of painkillers, the move to ban it is seen by the DEA as a protective measure. [1]
Many People are Upset over the DEA’s Decision
But many people are protesting the ban, saying that the herbal supplement has saved their lives. A petition to stop the ruling gathered over 130,000 signatures and there was a march at the White House on September 13, which evidently fell on deaf ears. Many use the supplement to help combat depression, anxiety, chronic pain and to replace harder drugs which they may have previously been addicted to. [2]
The DEA will be placing the plant on Schedule I temporarily, but currently there is no word on how long it will last or what will happen to those who are caught buying or selling the herbal supplement. It is estimated that the ban will last 2-3 years, unless there is a major breakthrough that can determine that kratom has medicinal benefits. Until then, it will remain illegal.
Some, like Edward Boyer, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, say there are benefits to studying whether kratom might have medicinal benefits. In a lab test, it was found that lab rats who overdosed on kratom were able to remain alive and breathe freely, unlike other opioid drugs, which Boyer feels negates some of the fears around it. [3]
However, because the DEA has made plans to list the drug as a Schedule I substance, researchers will now face a bigger challenge in proving its medical benefits.
Brad Burge, the director of communications and marketing at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), states:
“The Schedule I status has historically made it more difficult for researchers to gain access to the compounds. The DEA’s rule to schedule it to make it less available is just completely opposed to the best interest of research and completely opposed to the best interest of public health.” [3]
Burge also adds that making a substance a Schedule I results in organizations being less likely to fund research on it, meaning that the DEA places those who are looking to prove its medicinal benefits in a catch-22.
Sources:
[1] Forbes
[2] STAT
[3] The Verge