Health Jul 29 WATCH: RFK Jr. and health officials announced crackdown on kratom-related products By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press
Health Feb 19 Analysis: Some natural supplements can be dangerously contaminated Consumers take real risks if they use diet supplements not independently verified by reputable outside labs. By C. Michael White, The Conversation
Nation Nov 10 HHS recommended that the DEA make kratom a Schedule I drug, like LSD or heroin The Department of Health and Human Services asserted in a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration that two chemicals in kratom should be classified as Schedule I substances, meaning that the chemicals have “a high potential for abuse” and that… By Ike Swetlitz, STAT
Nation Jan 15 Watch 10:39 If kratom helps opioid addicts, why might DEA outlaw it? The national epidemic of opioid abuse has claimed more than 300,000 lives in the U.S. over the last 16 years -- and some researchers claim that kratom, an herbal psychoactive drug that is currently unregulated, could help people struggling with… By Saskia de Melker, Melanie Saltzman
Nation Jan 15 What happens if kratom becomes illegal? The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has received thousands of comments on whether it should make kratom, a popular painkiller, illegal. By PBS News Hour
Dec 12 Herbal drug kratom faces uncertain legal future, despite public outpouring By Michelle Harven Kratom, a leafy-green herbal supplement used by an estimated 3 to 5 million Americans, has inspired tens of thousands of responses in a public comment period over its possible controlled substance designation by the Drug Enforcement Agency. Continue reading
Sep 29 If DEA blocks kratom, promising research on opioid alternative may suffer By Angus Chen, Scientific American Kratom, a compound from a Southeast Asian tree, offers hope for a safer opioid alternative, but research could slow to a crawl as the DEA steps in. Continue reading