Michigan Considering Kratom Regulation Efforts While Other States Push to Ban

The state of Michigan is looking into creating legislation that would regulate kratom and provide opportunities for companies to test it for multiple uses. This bill, referred to as the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, puts forward regulations for preparing, distributing and selling products with kratom in them. Currently, nine other states are considering similar legislation. Conversely, multiple states and some cities and counties have banned kratom.

While it is controversial, there is evidence that kratom can help people who are trying to overcome opioid addiction.

People become addicted to opioids for a variety of reasons, including after being prescribed them for legitimate medical conditions. When the prescription runs out, addiction may remain. Like all states, people in Michigan who become addicted to opioids have a variety of choices for procuring more drugs. These illegal choices often include drugs of questionable origin and content that may contain dangerous substances.

There are currently many methods for addiction recovery from opioids, including drug replacement and drug therapies. Medical care providers who help people overcome drug addiction are eager to employ any and all tools available for rehabilitation services. Kratom has been used in some trials to treat opioid addiction. A primary issue is kratom regulation.

In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued an intent to classify kratom under the Controlled Substances Act, which would subject it to guidelines and make it relatively unavailable to the general public. Their concern was over its addiction risk and potential threat to public health. After significant public disagreement, the DEA withdrew this ruling. The DEA has not currently scheduled kratom for classification, awaiting more research for its potential benefit or use.

Miracle Addiction Cure or Not

Kratom has a similar effect on the brain to opioids. Anecdotally, it has been used as a replacement for opioids. Drug replacement therapies are growing in popularity as people understand the power of careful tapering or replacement drugs for long-term addiction recovery. It remains to be seen whether kratom could be integrated into medically approved recovery programs.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, kratom can be purchased and consumed in multiple forms, including:

• Powder, usually green in color
• Extract
• Gum
• Pill or capsule
• Leaves can be eaten or smoked

Kratom is available on the internet and is currently not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As of April 2019, the FDA is researching kratom to better understand if it has value as a supplement or addiction cure. Legitimate research will be conducted to assess kratom’s effectiveness and create guidelines for its use.

Kratom Regulation

Kratom regulation is a source of debate for many legislators across the nation. Because opioid addiction is an epidemic, policymakers recognize the value of including every possible means of recovery in drug rehabilitation. Regulating kratom may make it more widely available and applicable in medical services. The fate of kratom as a way to recover from opioid abuse is currently in limbo as further research is being conducted.