The Denver Department of Environmental Health recently banned the sale of kratom for human consumption. The decision followed a public-health advisory issued on November 14 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning individuals not to consume kratom, a popular herbal substance of Southeast Asian origin that's become more widely available in Colorado over the past few months. For example, Colorado Herbal Imports opened a second store in Glendale this summer to meet the demand.

Hundreds of readers responded with dismay to the Denver decision, praising kratom for how it has helped their conditions...and warning of what could happen now that it's banned. Says Jeanie:

How about doing a story about what else was in the people with "deaths caused by kratom".... Then from there you could do some research on why big pharm and the gov want to ban it. Thailand outlawed it because it crashed their poor opiate economy. Big pharm and gov would lose billions and billions if people knew the truth about kratom: It is in the coffee plant family, it's like drinking a good cup of coffee with pain and anxiety-relief abilities. I've been using kratom for four years and it has saved my life from a lifetime of manmade drugs. I have nerve damage in my back, a disease that makes me extremely tired and an addict. So I have to have something. Hmmm...I should add up how much big pharm is losing from just me, because I have switched to kratom. They are literally going to kill people if they outlaw this....



Adds Adam:

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If they take away my kratom...i'm going back to heroin. As a user for over five years and having had past experience with other opiates through the years, I can certainly attest that kratom is much safer and easier to function with. This is a can of worms, but the FDA has been incorrect several times in the past and there are too many variables to draw conclusions without authentic unbiased studies. Kratom is safe, I guarantee it, but just like anything, too much can be a bad thing. The FDA also fails to describe how bad alcohol is...77,000 deaths attributed to it, and all they can come up with is 16 to 32 deaths over a five-year period from kratom. Or how about the 8,000 people who die worldwide from caffeine each year? Addiction takes many forms, and people don't need drugs to be dysfunctional. The war on kratom shouldn't have been started. Hopefully they will wake up and smell the coffee. Take away kratom and I promise the opoid crisis will increase dramatically.

What do you think of Denver's decision on kratom? Post a comment or email your thoughts to editorial@westword.com.

