Source: Tampa Bay Times
Excerpt:
Trump administration to recommend banning kratom ingredient | July 29|
Provides Relief
The Federal Drug Administration is wrong to recommend rescheduling 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a compound derived from kratom sometimes used for pain relief and as part of recovery from opioid addiction. Banning 7-OH wouldn’t save lives. It would just make the opioid crisis even worse.
I live with chronic pain from a figure-skating accident that broke my back. 7-OH is one of the only options that gives me functional relief. As a medical student and former nurse in addiction recovery, I’ve also met patients who turned to 7-OH to move away from opioids. I have not seen evidence of anything approaching a public health crisis linked to 7-OH.
To schedule 7-OH alongside LCD or heroin ignores this reality. Instead of banning 7-OH, the FDA should regulate it, like some states already do, so that people don’t lose access to products they need for their recovery.
Blue Sinclair, Bradenton