Every day this question arises on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter and every other social media platform that members of the “Kratom Community” have a presence on. Its a question that came up a lot several weeks ago during a large midweek rally of supporters and advocates on Capitol Hill here in DC. Its a question that the DEA may have hinted at that same day in a response to Nick Wing as part of his recent article where he wrote “The DEA has hinted that a decision could come as early as this summer, but an agency spokesperson declined to provide HuffPost with a more concrete timeline.”

The fight to Keep Kratom Legal has now gone on publicly for several years, the media has covered it ad nasueum and very little has been left out of the picture. Lately though there has been a quieting of sorts, both from the government and the media until yesterday when the DEA, on the twitter account of their Chicago Field Office, dropped a hint that they are ready to ramp up their war on Kratom. A war many have coined with the term #LeaferMadness.

The funny and strange part of this Twitter post is that they have garnered a massive surge of comments from those that have found quality of life improvement after being introduced to Kratom. An amount of comments so great in a short span of time that this one Tweet has jumped to the top of the search if you look up Kratom on Twitter. Strangely though in the likes and retweets this post got, nearly half are from other DEA field offices and DEA HQ accounts. Could it be that the DEA is now preparing their efforts to bring a ban of Kratom back just as they hinted to reporters? Are they preparing their public front so they can present more misinformation such as they did in this tweet of surveys from decades ago that have yet to be duplicated with Kratom consumers?

Many have wondered why the DEA and to an extent the FDA, in the past 2 years, have made such a push over a plant that has been regularly proven to be mostly benign and helpful overall in nature. Could there be a connection to lobbyists deeper than Daniel Fabricant and his Natural Products Association? Or could this just be that organization trying to keep a spotlight off so many other supplements that are largely following a voluntary regulatory structure that the organization is able to sell their “Natural” stamp on. Products in many cases that are man made, standardized by Chemical companies like BASF, 3M, Onnit(yes Joe Rogans supplement company) and so many more. Some in the media have regularly sent FOIA requests to both the DEA and FDA requesting copies of correspondence between federal agencies, their staff and lobbyists regarding Kratom. So far all of those requests have been stymied by refusals to release much of any information and have protected the lobbyists identities and claims of why they want to see Kratom banned.

With all this happening one would think the Kratom consumers, like myself, and the industry both importing and selling this would have been working hard at getting in to compliance with the regulations to at least show an act of good faith. Sadly that thought would have been wrong for much of the industry and its consumers. That all changed yesterday when the American Kratom Association, along with the community that both buys and sells kratom products stepped up in a major way to show that this community wants everyone to be safe, have access to better quality products and that will be able to stay legal far in to the future.

I will be the first to admit sharp criticism of the Kratom organizations, organizations presenting themselves as consumer advocates but largely representing the industry selling it as much as consumers. Yesterday they surprised me and others, as it appears they are all basically working together to provide a standard for vendors and consumers to strive for. A standard largely dependant on US regulation under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act and 21 CFR 111. A standard some of us have championed for quite a while and led by a small group of importers and vendors that want to see Kratom both legal and safe for the general public. This push could very well be the key to making sure Congressional support stays on the side of so many like myself who have had our lives changed by this plant.

So the answer I feel confident in giving to the question “Will Kratom Be Legal Tomorrow?” is Yes, but only if you and everyone you know keep fighting. Be ready because the government would be happy to increase the War on Drugs with plants like Kratom since they are losing full support of keeping cannabis scheduled and they sure need something new to do now don't they?

If you are a Kratom consumer, someone interested in the plant or someone that is part of the industry importing and selling Kratom, Get involved and reach out to the American Kratom Association, Botanical Education Alliance and others that are pushing for better standards of safety and legality today and make sure you are on board with these standards because this time the fight is for keeps. Get educated on the science and the laws surrounding dietary supplements like Kratom with the links below:

Google Drive provided by Robert McMahon-

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B_SMhCuwVcKjZ3p0amk4ZXpmSzg

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act-

US regulation 21 CFR 111-

As Always….This Isn't Over!