On Wednesday December 13, 2023 at 11:30 AM- 1:00PM a Congressional Briefing on Kratom Science and Policy will be held in Capitol Visitors Center. Room 210/12, Reception Room 385, Russell Senate Office Building.
Speakers include Director of NIDA Dr. Nora Volkow , Dr. Kirsten Smith of Johns Hopkins, and Dr. Mary Huestis of Thomas Jefferson University.
This event hosted by the American Kratom Association will give kratom consumers who can attend a chance to meet with their representatives in Congress. If you would like to register with the AKA to attend, do so at this link.
The event comes as the Federal Kratom Consumer Protection Act (SB3039/HB5905) is being considered by Congress.
The Federal Kratom Consumer Protection Act would require…
- …the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary to hold at least one hearing on kratom that includes input from leading kratom scientists, and a discussion of the number of kratom consumers in the US, the “scope and scale” of dependency and addiction issues, kratom associated deaths, health benefits and adverse effects
- …the HHS Secretary to accept public comments for consideration at the hearing
- …the FDA to publish transcripts of all hearings on its website
- …the HHS Secretary to establish a “Kratom Research Task Force” to coordinate federally funded kratom research, submit quarterly reports to be published on FDA’s website, and hold public meetings for a period of 2 years
- …that HHS Secretary/FDA NOT “impose requirements on kratom or kratom derived products that are more restrictive than the requirements for food, dietary supplements, and dietary ingredients that apply under The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act”, treat kratom “as an adulterated dietary supplement”, or require kratom to undergo requirements for a New Dietary Ingredient, or “issue, implement, or enforce an import alert for a kratom or kratom-derived product unless the Secretary determines that there is a history of such kratom or kratom-derived product being adulterated”
If you would like to contact your representatives in the US Senate and House of Representatives, this link can find them here. Enter your address, click “find my officials”, then click “Federal officials” and click on the names to find their contact information. You can also use an AKA form.
For more information on kratom laws in the US and internationally, see our Kratom Legality page.