The Drug Enforcement Agency has long ignored science, logic and practicality, choosing instead to seek control over a growing number of harmless substances. This time, it’s the relatively obscure herb kratom. The DEA has filed a notice to classify it as schedule 1, making it illegal. Schedule 1 is reserved for narcotics with no medicinal use and a high potential for abuse which include heroine, meth and sadly, marijuana.
What’s insane about the classification is that kratom is extremely safe, difficult to overdose on, and has been used in Thai medicine for hundreds of years. The plant produces a mild buzz when ingested, similar to opiates. Traditionally it has been used as a treatment for opiate withdrawal and addiction in southeast Asia.
And kratom has tested medicinal benefits, not that the DEA cares about science. They recently decide to maintain marijuana’s schedulization, ignoring reams of research proving the medicinal benefits of marijuana.
Scientific papers have been published showing kratom can be used as a natural sex pill. It can increase physical endurance and sexual performance, and heighten sexual desire. Sure its not the loftiest use, but there’s already legal medicine on the market that fulfill these purposes (with more side effects).
But the real issue is that kratom is so not a big deal, mom. You have to take a lot to get a very mild high, and barely anyone’s even heard of it. So why has the DEA come out of nowhere to harsh the buzz of the few peaceful kratom fans in the country? If I had to guess, they weren’t invited to parties by the cool kids in high school.
Well, now there’s a Whitehouse.gov petition with 20,000 signatures calling on Obama to stop the DEA from going through with their plan. But even if it gets the 100,000 signatures, it is unlikely that the president would act. If the former member of the Choom Gang couldn’t get the DEA to reclassify marijuana, the lesser known and lobbied for kratom won’t fare much better.