THE AMERICAN KRATOM ASSOCIATION STRONGLY ENDORSES DR. HENNINGFIELD'S REVIEW THAT QUESTIONS THE CONCLUSIONS RELATED TO KRATOM SAFETY IN THE EGGLESTON ET AL. BRIEF REPORT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington D.C., July 16, 2019 - The American Kratom Association (AKA), representing more than 15 million kratom consumers in the United States, strongly endorsed the review and critique by Jack E. Henningfield, Ph.D. of the deficient Eggleston, et al. report on “Kratom Use and Toxicities in the United States.” READ DR. HENNINGFIELD'S RESPONSE HERE AKA Chairman, Dave Herman, has called upon the FDA “to turn off the ‘FDA Echo Chamber on Kratom’ that has deliberately and persistently disseminated inaccurate, misleading, false, and scientifically invalid information that is clearly intended to demonize kratom consumers. Dr. Eggleston and his colleagues are the latest victims of the vicious FDA Echo Chamber on Kratom that grossly misleads the public on the real safety profile of pure kratom rather than dangerously adulterated kratom products the FDA has allowed to enter the marketplace.” Jack Henningfield, Ph.D., Vice President, Research, Health Policy, and Abuse Liability, PinneyAssociates, and Professor, Behavioral Biology, Adjunct, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, stated, “The brief report by Eggleston et al. lacks the scientific rigor to support its conclusions about kratom use and safety and to meaningfully address the potential risk of kratom products for the public. Few, if any, conclusions can be drawn from the report that would otherwise benefit researchers, healthcare providers, and the public at large to make kratom safe – either by regulating it or banning it.” The attached report from Dr. Henningfield outlines the inaccuracies and flawed assumptions that were used by Dr. Eggleston and his fellow contributors to his Brief Report. Some of these are due to limitations of the National Poison Data System (NPDS) as discussed in NPDS reports, as well as limitations in the use of the types of medical examiner data as have been discussed in the CDC’s Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report, the New England Journal of Medicine and elsewhere. “Conversely, the limitations do not mean that kratom is without risk or has never contributed to deaths. In fact, kratom, like any substance should be assumed to carry some risks and unintended effects, which appropriate regulatory oversight could minimize. Regulation, including standards for kratom product contents and labeling, and further research is needed on kratom use, effects and safety,” wrote Dr. Henningfield. ABOUT AKA

The American Kratom Association (AKA), a consumer-based non-profit organization, is here to set the record straight about kratom and give a voice to those who are suffering and protect their rights to possess and consume kratom. AKA represents millions of Americans, each of whom have a unique story to tell about the virtues of kratom and its positive effects on their lives. www.americankratom.org ###