“Members of the U.S. House began circulating two Dear Colleague letters on Wednesday, urging their fellow lawmakers to take a stand against renewed federal efforts to crack down on the herbal drug kratom.
One letter, written by Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Dave Brat (R-Va.) and addressed to the Food and Drug Administration, describes kratom as a tool to help fight the opioid epidemic and says the agency has shown “insufficient” evidence to warrant any official warning or action against kratom.
“I have heard from families who, like too many others, have dealt with opioid addiction and who have found relief in Kratom,” said Polis in a statement to HuffPost. “Kratom, a cousin of the coffee plant, is another naturally-occurring alternative to addictive opioids. It should be legal and available for those struggling with addiction. We need new ideas and approaches to end the opioid crisis along with better access to mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and education about the dangers of drug abuse.”
The other letter, written by Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) and addressed to the Drug Enforcement Administration, urges that agency to “employ all the available scientific information on kratom” to inform any further action.”
Read more at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/congress-kratom-letters-fda-dea_us_5a318531e4b01bdd76598fce
Source: HuffingtonPost.com – December 13, 2017
