FDA, DEA Struggle over Kratom’s Fate

(Winter 2017) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning to the public regarding kratom. This herbal supplement, sold in a variety of forms including powder and capsules, is made from a Southeast Asian evergreen tree. It is used to reduce pain, depression and anxiety, as well as to dampen the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Kratom is said to act somewhat like an opioid.

The FDA’s statement highlighted the substance’s potential for misuse and addiction. Additionally, the organization emphasized a large spike in calls to poison control centers between 2010 and 2015 due to kratom use. Some batches of the substance have also been found mixed with opioids such as hydrocodone. Side effects of kratom may include liver damage, seizures and withdrawal symptoms.

The FDA’s announcement came one month after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) halted plans to temporarily outlaw kratom by making it a Schedule I drug. The DEA had abandoned their plan because of public outcry, including a letter with the signatures of 62 Congress members and a demonstration staged by the American Kratom Association at the White House, protesting that making Kratom an illegal drug would limit research into its therapeutic benefits.

Although still legal under federal law, some states, such as Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee and Wisconsin, have outlawed kratom.

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