Brian

Let’s Look at the New Florida Kratom Consumer Protection Act

Florida House Bill 179, the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) was signed into law by Governor Ron Desantis on June 2, 2023. The law explicitly prohibits the sale of kratom to those under 21 years of age. It also prohibits adulterants that make the product stronger or more toxic, a level of 7-hydroxymitragynine that exceeds …

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Indonesian Governor Calls for Quality Control as US Importers Reject Kratom Shipments

On May 25, Governor Sutarmidji of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, called on the Ministry of Agriculture to pass quality control regulations on kratom. The governor’s request occurred following a rejection of 7 out of 14 cargo container shipments by American kratom buyers. The containers were returned because the product sent did not pass the quality test. …

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Scientists Interview Kratom Consumers About Their Experience

Last year, we published a 255 page document of first-person experiences that kratom consumers posted in the comments section of KratomScience.com articles. Other places like Reddit.com/r/kratom feature thousands of kratom testimonies. So far the nuances of these experiences, though abundant and similar, have not been reflected in the science. Case reports, often woefully inadequate in …

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Is kratom being adulterated with other drugs?

Both legality proponents and prohibitionists claim that kratom sold in the Western marketplace by some nefarious vendors is adulterated with other drugs such as fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. But where is the evidence of this? There are confirmed cases in the scientific literature and media that we examine below of kratom being adulterated with O-desmethyltramadol, …

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Respiratory Distress in Heavy Smoker Caused by Kratom, Say Doctors

A case report published in European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine entitled “Kratom-Induced Acute Respitory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)” claimed kratom induced ARDS in a 36 year old man with a “a 7.5-pack year history”. A “pack year” according to the National Cancer Institute, “is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes …

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Kratom Interactions with Food, Drugs, and Dietary Supplements

Many foods, drugs, and dietary supplements can interact with other foods, drugs, and dietary supplements. This can have various effects on the body ranging from barely noticeable to a toxic adverse event. Kratom can interact with multiple drugs and dietary supplements, and certain foods. Multiple studies have shown alkaloids in kratom inhibit cytochrome P-450 enzymes …

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Alabama Woman Charged with Drug Trafficking for 250 Grams of Kratom; Stopped 200 Feet from Florida Border

Flomaton Police Officer Charles Land assisted by Escambia County Sheriffs Department arrested Shaina Megan Brown and charged her with drug trafficking. Police say she was carrying 250 grams (about 8.8 oz) of kratom into Alabama from Florida. Officer Land pulled Brown over on Old Atmore Road near the intersection with Tulip Road, approximately 200 feet …

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Kratom Consumer Protection Act Introduced in Louisiana Legislature as East Feliciana Parish Looks to Ban

A public hearing was held on April 3, 2023, at East Feliciana Parish Policy jury, about a possible kratom ban in the parish. Ascension Parish where Ryan Burroughs of the American Kratom Association spoke in favor of regulations and not bans on Kratom products, and requested that science drive the decisions on regulation. In 2022, …

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Kratom and Hallucinations: Examining the Evidence Behind the Claims

Hallucination defined in Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide is “a perception without a stimulus” (2017). Kratom is not classified as a hallucinogen. Hallucinogens are defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as “drugs that alter a person’s awareness of their surroundings as well as their own thoughts and feelings” (2019). However, while the Food …

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NIDA Review Finds Kratom Case Reports “Inadequate”

A case report is a detailed medical report of the symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment of an individual patient who presents to a healthcare professional. Case reports are an important part of evaluating the risks of psychoactive substances new to Western medicine, including possible toxicity, drug interactions, and effects on individuals with certain pre-existing conditions. With …

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