Blog Post

Kratom has been in the crosshairs of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for years. It has survived multiple attempts by the FDA to classify it as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which would make it federally illegal.

While widespread public and political support has helped avoid such an action, the most important thing that kratom has on its side is simple:

Science.

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rescinded their prior recommendation to add kratom’s main alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, to the Schedule I list. A letter submitted to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) by the Assistant Secretary for Health, Brett Giroir, MD, stated the following regarding the agency’s reversal:

“This decision is based on many factors, in part on new data, and in part on the relative lack of evidence, combined with an unknown and potentially substantial risk to public health if these chemicals were scheduled at this time.”

— Brett Giroir, MD

Assistant Secretary for Health
U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (DHHS)

In other words, a ban is not backed by science and would actually do more harm than good.

Since 2018, more than 100 new peer-reviewed studies have been published by researchers about kratom. These studies have only bolstered kratom’s case further, proving through scientific research that kratom is safe, effective, and should remain legal.

According to a 2021 comprehensive review by Dr. Jack Henningfield and PinneyAssociates, these new kratom research studies concluded the following:

• There is strong evidence for kratom to be legal and regulated.
• Mitragynine is the main natural constituent of kratom and has low abuse and health risks.
• Kratom is not an imminent public health threat and is not fueling the opioid epidemic, but rather it is a potential alternative to opioids and helps many people manage cravings and withdrawals.
• Kratom has low addiction and withdrawal risks compared to opioids.
• Leading reasons for kratom use are to self-manage pain, depression, anxiety, and addiction, as well as to increase focus and alertness.
• A kratom ban would increase the risk of users turning to dangerous opioids or other drugs, and/or illicit adulterated kratom products.
• Kratom is not an opiate.
• No serious adverse effects or consequences from long-term use were found, although more studies are necessary before definitively making this claim.
• New medicine innovation could potentially emerge that offers safer, more effective treatments for pain, addiction, depression, and other disorders.
• Research has been greatly enhanced, due in part to funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
• Further kratom research is needed, which would be severely stifled by CSA scheduling.

The volume of recent scientific evidence that demonstrates the safety and effectiveness of kratom is astounding. Even more studies are on the way in the future as funding continues to increase due to the potential that researchers recognize in kratom.

Anyone interested in learning more about the science behind kratom should check out all the available studies for themselves. Research the research, and find out what those in Southeast Asia have already known for centuries about kratom’s remarkable ability to manage their health and well-being.