Current Events

Arkansas man sentenced to 10 years for kratom allegedly killed in Greene County Jail

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UPDATE: There is a GoFundMe for Marshall’s family to pay for funeral expenses. Please share this on your social media with the hashtags #JusticeForMarshallPrice #JusticeForMarshall https://www.gofundme.com/f/marshall-price-justice-fund?fbclid=IwAR2_lkkG80LQBNCYcQTmOFy5ghoJxqDjDl76HgFdP0ePkpZ0lAHthAn_GUg Marshall Price, an Arkansas man sentenced on November 16 to 10 years in prison for carrying 7 ounces of kratom, was killed in Greene County Jail, according to his …

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Groups pushing for kratom regulation in Czech Republic

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Three groups, the European Kratom Alliance (EKA), the Czecho-Slovak Kratom Association (CSKA), and the Pirate Party (a progressive political party) are pushing for rational kratom regulation in the Czech Republic. Kratom is legal in Czech Republic, but unregulated. A recent moral panic in Czech media has threatened a kratom ban in the country over the …

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Florida family sues kratom vendor for wrongful death; Strong kratom extract found

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A Florida family is suing kratom vendor Grow, LLC (d/b/a Kratom Distro) for the wrongful death of Krystal Talavera, a 39 year old nurse from Palm Beach, Florida. An open packet of “Space Dust”, reported as an extremely strong kratom extract, was found near her body when she died in June 2021. The packet was …

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Arkansas man sentenced to 10 years for “trafficking” kratom

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On November 16, Greene County Circuit Court in Arkansas sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for carrying kratom. Arkansas classified kratom a Schedule 1 substance in 2015, making it just as illegal as heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. In 2021, Greene County police pulled over Marshall Ray Price, 46. Police claim Price was driving …

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Cannabis, Psychedelics Reform on the Ballot in 6 States

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Nov 8 2022 Voters in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota today will get to decide on ballot questions that will offer some form of cannabis legalization. In Colorado, a Yes on Prop 122 will decriminalize certain psychedelics. Polling indicates the Maryland initiative is likely to pass, and a majority of Missouri residents …

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Lawsuit Slams Kratom Industry; Antihistamine Combined with Kratom Extract May Have Caused Death

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The parents of a man who died after ingesting kratom extract are suing multiple kratom companies and the American Kratom Association (AKA). In a 45 page complaint, Dana and John Pope allege their 23 year old son, Ethan, died after purchasing and ingesting “one or more bottles” of OPMS extract from two stores in two …

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Rapides Parish, Louisiana Criminalizes Kratom Consumers

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Another Louisiana parish turned back the clock on rational drug policy and decided to criminalize kratom consumers. On October 10, the Rapides Parish Police Jury (the governing body of the parish, made up of elected officials, much like a county council) voted unanimously to fine and imprison citizens for the possession and sale of kratom. …

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Interview with International Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Expert Pascal Tanguay

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This interview is the text version of the audio episode #66 of the Kratom Science Podcast, posted December 2, 2021. It’s been lightly edited for clarity in reading. Pascal Tanguay is originally from Montreal, Canada and has been living in Thailand for 20 years studying issues around people who use drugs, international and Southeast Asian …

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Bill introduced to Federally Legalize Cannabis in the USA

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On July 21, 2022, Senator Cory Booker, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden introduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act which will “decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses”. Cannabis has been …

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NIDA is rolling out a massive nationwide study of regular kratom consumers

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QR Code link https://enroll.drugabuse.gov/kratom-nida/ From the research team: About The KEMA Study We are conducting a new study on kratom entitled “Real-world momentary assessment of kratom use accompanied by product assays: A natural history study toward an interdisciplinary characterization of kratom use and pharmacology”! That is a long name, so we typically refer to it …

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