Story highlights The DEA is withdrawing its notice of intent to make kratom Schedule I

A public comment period on kratom will be open until December 1

(CNN) It's been a wild ride for kratom lately.

Since August 31, when the Drug Enforcement Administration announced its intention to classify the plant as a Schedule I substance , a group of kratom vendors filed a lawsuit against the government to block the move, angry advocates took to social media in protest and scientists questioned whether they would be able to continue kratom research.

Now, the DEA is withdrawing its notice of intent to put kratom in the most restrictive category of controlled substances, with drugs like LSD and heroin. The DEA says it will instead open an official public comment period -- to last until December 1, 2016 -- for people to share their experiences using kratom as a medical treatment. It has also requested that the Food and Drug Administration expedite scientific research.

DEA spokesman Russ Baer says the DEA received more than 2,000 phone calls since August, mostly in opposition to the plan to classify kratom as Schedule I.

"So in a spirit of transparency, and to open this up to public dialogue, we withdrew our notice to temporarily schedule kratom," Baer said. "We will then give full consideration to those comments before we move forward with any action."

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