We the people led the charge to march in front of The White House to support Kratom and prevent the DEA from labeling Kratom as a Schedule I Substance. On Tuesday, Sept. 13th we organized at The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington D.C.

On 31 August 2016 the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced its intention to place the active materials in the Kratom plant into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act in order to avoid an imminent hazard to public safety. According to the DEA press release "Kratom is abused for its ability to produce opioid-like effects and is often marketed as a legal alternative to controlled substances. Law enforcement nationwide has seized more Kratom in the first half of 2016 than any previous year and easily accounts for millions of dosages intended for the recreational market, according to DEA findings. In addition, Kratom has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision. These three factors constitute a Schedule I controlled substance according to the Controlled Substances Act passed by Congress in 1970.

Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. This is not true for Kratom, it has been shown numerous times in reports from users to help recovering Opiate addicts, treat pain, combat depression and anxiety, and much more. Deaths that involve Kratom being a persons' system have always been from the result of mixing Kratom with other drugs, rather than Kratom alone. In states that banned Kratom, Alabama specifically, opiate usage and deaths went up after Kratom was banned in the state. Please stop the DEA from scheduling Kratom as Schedule I, there are many people who will suffer from this.

What is Kratom?

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) refers to the leaves of a South East Asian tree closely related to the coffee plant. Like coffee, it has stimulating effects. In large doses, Kratom acts as a sedative and supports the body’s ability to deal with everyday minor aches and pains. It has been used for medicinal purpose in traditional South Eastern medicine for several hundred years.

Mitragyna speciosa has been used by manual laborers to provide energy, positive mood, and to help mitigate everyday aches and pains of the back breaking manual labor associated with agriculture in rural Southeast Asia. It has also been used as an anti-diarrheal against dysentery in the regions that it is native. Here in the U.S., it is primarily used for its mild stimulant effects similar to coffee that promotes a positive and energized state of well being. It is also an important medicinal herb that helps to relax the body and ease life’s every day minor aches and pains.

Kratom has many benefits for those who use it responsibly including beneficial effects on supporting positive mood, energy, immune function, and assisting those who experience various minor aches and pains.

Kratom is remarkably safe when used in a responsible manner. According to the CDC, cigarette smoking causes 440,000 deaths in the United States every year; about one of every five deaths in this country are caused by cigarettes. Alcohol causes more than 1.2 million emergency room visits and 2.7 million physician office visits due to excessive drinking each year. Pharmaceutical drugs are one of the leading causes of death in this country, killing one American every 19 minutes. Prescription opiate pain killers account for more than 475,000 emergency room visits annually. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as Tylenol send over 56,000 people to the emergency room each year with liver-related complications. Between 2011 and 2014, over 11,000 reports were made to Poison Control centers on energy drinks alone. Kratom has never caused a single recorded death and as is about as habit-forming as coffee.

New users are trying Kratom every day after hearing about successful experiences with this plant from friends or stories posted online.

In small amounts, Kratom is energizing like a cup of coffee or tea. Most people that use Kratom say that it gives them an uplifting feeling to their mood and cognitive state. Kratom can also give the feeling of a sense of deep contentment and well-being. In larg doses, Kratom can give the user euphoric feelings. This is likely the result of the mitragynine alkaloid which has been found to offer anti-depressant like qualities. Kratom has also been called an intense focus booster. There are reviews from some users who say it improved ADD/ADHD symptoms, making their thoughts clear and making it easier to concentrate. While supporting a positive mood, Kratom can also calm you down and help rid your mind of stressful thoughts. Kratom is also reported to reduce feelings of nervousness and help ease both physical and mental exhaustion.

Mitragyna Speciosa has been used by many as an effective alternative to prescription pain-killers. Kratom acts similarly to morphine to relieve temporary or chronic pain. Kratom has been reported to relieve conditions from headaches/migraines, muscle pain and soreness as well as chronic pain that has been resistant to prescription medications. Kratom is viewed by some as a much safer and less addictive treatment than some of the addictive medications currently being prescribed.

Another effect of Kratom is its ability to improve the quality of sleep. Kratom helps to turn off your mind before going to bed and put you into a restful state making it easier to fall asleep and wake feeling more refreshed and ready to take on your day. It has also been reported that Kratom usage can enhance your social experiences rid the mind of the anxieties associated with social interaction.

One of the most important uses for Kratom is to ease the effects associated with opiate withdrawal. Kratom is said to offer serious assistance in reducing the effects of withdrawal and reduce the cravings for opiates.

Come join us to show your support for Kratom and its positive uses. For more information please contact us @ info@KratomMarchDC.com.