Forbes made the above quote based upon a conversation that Congressman Pocan had with Administrator Rosenberg.
In another interview, a DEA spokesman stated it is not a question as to if kratom is banned, but only when.
It is important that the “modified comment process” take place before any action on a ban is announced, however tentative. To this end those commenting should give consideration to regulating kratom as dietary supplement, see
cre-position-statement-on-kratom and
http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2016/09/30/kratom-remains-legal-for-now/#3c27a7316642
If the “modified comment process” is as described below by one our commenters, considerable progress has been made; however at this point in time CRE has no information to confirm or deny the statement. ( A number of regulators review this site and are welcome to contact us on an anonymous basis.)
It seems today, 10/1/2016, that the DEA has corrected itself and is allowing the enforcement of the “ban” to be considered as part of a two year study period or trial. Permanent enforcement may not begin before those years are completed including with public opinion, which has been ongoing for some time. The DEA must respond publicly as to this “trial” as it appears they have not even consulted with the representatives of the country(public). I am monitoring this and have not heard of any arrests concerning kratom leaf. This is what I have witnessed today.
In addition I must add kratom as useful for my manic/panic condition. I was denied a critical medication that I need due to a technicality. My pharmacist was not allowed to issue me emergency 3 day refill of clonazepam. Theycan do this but she said there are laws for controlled substance. Thank god I can use kratom to balance my mood. I might have ended up in the ER…you all know what that is like. Sit and suffer. Then they would not do anything except as if I was suicidal. Anyway, this as it turns out is irrelevant but I hate to think of someone being harmed do to a technical issue. Life over law
I am still listening for word on any arrests related to kratom. Has anyone been arrested for kratom?
In addition, I have called DEA Seattle twice and did not hear from a single agent. Are they on duty or not!!!
Kratom is a leaf it is food to some of us. Please ask the FDA to support this movement. I request this to save lives. DEA cannot ban this food.
Refer to Senator Maria Cantwell US Senator from Washington state regarding DEA and FDA on two year combined effort to understand what kratom is, medicine or food.
One bit I am personally confused about. Going back and re-reading the congressional letters to the DEA and Justice Department, I notice that they all suggest if not explicitly ask for the established protocol be followed with regard to scheduling in this matter. It seems to me that the DEA’s proposal to Representative Pocan for a “modified comment process” falls woefully short of this request. Is this just a posture that represents a negotiation tactic on the part of the DEA, or is it simply a blatant disregard for the request by the Representatives and Senators who signed those documents? The latter seems inappropriately arrogant, even for the DEA and Mr. Rosenberg. My understanding of bureaucratic maneuvering is limited. Can someone help me put this into context?
John, I think that it is pretty simple. The true power is with the people. Congress etc. represents us the people, so the bureaucracy exists because of the people. The bureaucracy is because we say it is. And I say we follow the natural path, from the ground up.
Chris, In theory, yes. And the request from congress was a direct response to the pressure from a determined group of people. My question is more about the nature of the DEA’s response. The people will continue applying pressure, I’m sure. I just don’t understand why the DEA doesn’t simply just acquiesce to the request of the people, officially made through members of congress, and follow the full and established protocol in this matter. Seems like they are trying to maintain a position of power and autonomy and I don’t know if it is for negotiation purposes or outright defiance.
I think they are confused. Maybe it is time to cut slack and let them think for awhile. I don’t like what is happening, but there is a lot of time to fix this mess. Rest assured, those in the know favor kratom over opioids, and that is the way it should be.
Pressure is only good if you are a balloon that doesn’t pop.
There has been great concern over what exactly constitutes “modified”. It can be interpreted a few different ways, but what does stick out most is the slow response to what are very clear demands by the Senate and our Representatives. Where is the OMB in this all? I’ve spoken with so many people on this issue, and it is agreed this truly was a blatant overreach of power that was not meant to be used in this manner. Our guess as to why only 2 compounds within the tree were planned for scheduling rather than the whole plant is that the emergency powers granted to the DEA were for synthetics and new novelty drugs. It was not meant for herbs that have been used for decades in the USA. It is possible that the real battle here is not between the DEA and the people, but rather HHS and the people. Perhaps the DEA is simply acting on a request by HHS.
perfect…I thought there was too much confusion…this helps me understand, by the way who is the hhs?
HHS is Health and Human Services. In the DEA’s Notice of intent to place 2 compounds of the kratom tree in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it states that only comments from the Assistant Director of HHS (Karen B. DeSalvo) will be considered.
Thanks, J. I suspect that last bit has changed dramatically. I too am curious about the OMB as they were called on directly to exercise oversight on this. Good point too about HHS. I guess we shall see.
I wonder how much longer the DEA is going to let the opiate epidemic take 1,000’s of lives?! I find it funny that 10’s of thousands die every year from opiates, and the DEA thinks banning kratom is going to… help? I would like to think they can’t be THIS stupid. Everybody knows kratom helps people get back to normal once they decide to quite opiates/heroin. Kratom has saved countless lives! If the death toll goes up after banning Kratom (as it has in the states that banned Kratom), how many will die until the DEA realizes it was a mistake? What’s a few THOUSAND lives to the men in DC who need to make a career for themselves? Is somebody who disregards a few thousands lives much different from somebody who attacks our nation and takes a few thousand lives?
DEA Spokesman Melvin Patterson has been quoted by several different media sources in regards to the proposed ban on Kratom. Depending on the day of the week and the media outlet he is speaking with, he can come across as either compassionate or sinister. Each new statement that Patterson makes to the media seems to contradict his previous statements.
The DEA told the public they wanted to make Kratom a felony drug by September 30th. Nearly one week later, they have still not provided the public with *any* clarification of what happens next, despite thousands of testimonials on social media, YouTube and this website.
It’s obvious that the DEA needs to step back and stop lying to the American people. Stop putting profits over the freedom of your fellow citizens to choose a natural and non-addictive solution for their pain.