Rhode Island was the latest state to ban the benign plant kratom. Like Arkansas, they did so by extra-legislative means, quite possibly because of the success of the kratom lobby in educating state and federal legislators. The science supports the use of the plant and (I never thought I would say this) I have to thank CNN for being willing to offer the straight dope on a plant that has been effective at replacing pharmaceuticals for many.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Still amazed that the state of RI pulled a fast sneaky move and banned Kratom with zero public input or knowledge. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsntDemocracy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisIsntDemocracy</a> <a href="https://t.co/gptVWw4xUz">pic.twitter.com/gptVWw4xUz</a></p>— Drew Turner (@DrewTurner73) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewTurner73/status/923084211585679361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Dr. Christopher McCurdy explains that the reason there isn't more research into the plant that has been investigated for efficacy at treating pain, withdrawal symptoms, anxiety, sleep, chronic fatigue, PTSD and other conditions is that there is "no financial incentive" for pharmaceutical companies to study it further. Despite this, a good bit of research into the plant has shown it is not only safe, but has multiple medicinal benefits across the board.
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It's just about a year out from the kratom community's historic win. A year ago, the DEA attempted a federal ban that would circumvent legislation via "expanded powers." Thanks to the kratom community and a number of medical professionals, botanists, pharmacologists and other research scientists bipartisan support was raised in the 11th hour of last year's legislative session. Most recently, forensic toxicology experts called out <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/9790-Experts-Debunk-Kratom-Deaths">two coroners who were claiming kratom use resulted in two deaths</a>. As it turns out, the deaths were shown to be attributed to other readily noticable causes. In clinical conditions, scientists could not even induce death in laboratory animals.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FakeNews?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FakeNews</a> of Kratom Deaths Spurs Demands for TN TV Station & GA Coroner Retraction, Reprimands… <a href="https://t.co/bZAxM3YrmE">https://t.co/bZAxM3YrmE</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tellthetruth?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tellthetruth</a> <a href="https://t.co/BDgEx2pwgk">pic.twitter.com/BDgEx2pwgk</a></p>— AmericanKratomAssoc (@TheKratomAssn) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheKratomAssn/status/923248356083863553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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With the President attempting to declare a state of emergency over the opioid crisis, kratom could be more important than ever. The plant has been used for centuries to treat pain as well as to combat opium or opiate addiction while being no more addictive than it's botanical cousin coffee. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/26/health/opioid-crisis-kratom-potential/index.html">Dr. Sanjay Gupta has talked to kratom users</a> who found it to be a lifesaver. Dr. Gupta's documentaries on cannabis as a medicine for CNN were gamechangers. In a world where methadone and suboxone are known to be as dangerous, addictive and inebriating as the legal and illegal drugs they replace, there is a plant alternative with multiple health benefits. We can only hope that sanity prevails here.