News

Why the AHRQ Review On Chronic Pain Matters

December 2020 The Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality (AHRQ) is currently conducting a systematic review on plant-based treatment for chronic pain. Their goal: “identify alternative treatments (to opioids) with equal or better benefits for pain while avoiding potential unintended consequences.” Specifically, they will be reviewing the benefits and potential harms of cannabinoids and kratom. …

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Election Day 2020: Cannabis referendum results from 5 states

12:32 am Update Arizona: 60% in favor of recreational cannabis Mississippi: 74% are in favor of medical cannabis Montana: 59% in favor of recreational cannabis New Jersey: 67% support recreational cannabis South Dakota: 52.8% want recreational cannabis Voters in Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota will decide on various legal rights for adults …

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“Kratom addiction” used as defense in trial of Customs Officer who stole thousands from travelers

Joseph Cialone, a US Customers officer, is being charged with a felony for stealing approximately $10,000 from travelers coming into the United States in violation of 18 U.S. Code § 654. Over a period of a year, Cialone would target handbags and discreetly snatch money with a closed fist, then remove the latex glove from the …

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Mississippi towns, counties can still ban kratom in 2020

On March 3rd, two Mississippi statewide kratom ban bills, as well as a Kratom Consumer Protection Act, were all left to die in committee. This ensures a statewide ban on kratom cannot happen until the 2021 legislative session. The same night, the city council of Edwardsville, Illinois voted to ban kratom, even though a Kratom …

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Bill to ban kratom to be considered by Maryland Judiciary Committee

Democratic State Senator Ronald Young has introduced SB147, a bill that would ban kratom in Maryland effective October 1, 2020. In a call to action surrounding a January 22 judiciary committee hearing on the bill, the American Kratom Association posted an easy contact form to help put Maryland residents in touch with key lawmakers. Maryland …

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Thailand is on the path to legalize kratom after a 76 year ban

Last week, Thailand’s Justice Minister Somsak Thapsutin announced that his ministry no longer considers kratom a narcotic, and plans to legalize the plant where it’s been traditionally used for centuries. Thapsutin was quoted in The Nation/Asia News Network: “To consider plants or chemicals as narcotics, the government referred to World Health Organisation (WHO)’s drug regulatory …

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A disabled veteran with cancer was just evicted by the VA. He needs your help.

HELP DREW TURNER VIA GOFUNDME HELP DREW TURNER VIA VENMO Drew Turner is the US Navy veteran who served in Iraq and appeared in the kratom documentary on Netflix, A Leaf of Faith. Facing financial troubles as a result of his disabilities, Drew found out on August 29 that he might be facing eviction. On …

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Dr. Drew trashes chronic pain patients as “borderline druggies”

Last week on his podcast This Life You Live, celebrity addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky called chronic pain patients “borderline druggies” for seeking medical treatment in the form of pain medication. Not surprisingly, this angered thousands of chronic pain patients who are now struggling to receive proper treatment from their doctors in the aftermath of …

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Philadelphia Inquirer’s continuing attacks on the kratom community

In the last year Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mari A. Schaefer has written several articles with headlines like “Deaths from kratom, sold as an herbal supplement, are rising”. Her colleague Scott Sturgis, an editor at the Inquirer, is suing a kratom vendor after his son Caleb died in a car accident. The Chester County, Pa coroner …

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