Mississippi Kratom Ban Gains Momentum

Welcome to the Kratomaton Biweekly Update for February 5th, 2020!

There’s plenty of kratom news to go around this week, with developments in legislation and research alike. And, with this week’s discounts, you can save up 50% on your next kratom purchase!

Mississippi Moves Forward with Statewide Kratom Ban

As of 2019, 28 counties and cities in northeast Mississippi have introduced criminal punishments for citizens possessing or selling kratom. Now, the state is considering legislation that would ban the plant for all Mississippi residents.

The bill, which was introduced on Jan 17th, 2020, aims to add kratom’s alkaloids — mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine — to the state’s list of Schedule I substances. Both alkaloids are primarily responsible for the plant’s psychoactive properties and are naturally present in all kratom leaves. As a result, such a ban would completely illegalize the manufacturing, distribution, or possession of kratom statewide.

Strangely, the bill’s authors appear to have categorized kratom as a “stimulant.” The rationale behind the bill is also unclear.

If you’d like to protect kratom’s legality in Mississippi, you can sign this petition, which was created by advocates in the kratom community.

Johns Hopkins Study: Kratom Abuse and Side Effects Are Uncommon

In a recent study, researchers concluded that substance use disorder and adverse effects are uncommon with kratom use.

The study, entitled Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa): User demographics, use patterns, and implications for the opioid epidemic, was made available online on Monday, February 3rd, 2020. The paper’s authors surveyed nearly 2800 regular kratom users between January and December 2017. Here are some of their findings:

• 41% of surveyees said they use kratom to treat opioid withdrawal
• 36% of the surveyees using kratom to treat opioid withdrawal hadn’t used prescription opioids in over a year
• 33% of study participants reported mild adverse effects when using kratom, such as an upset stomach or constipation
• 10% reported withdrawal symptoms after the kratom wore off
• 2% met the psychological criteria for kratom-related substance use disorder

The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which has previously funded studies helmed by other avid kratom researchers such as Chris McCurdy, Ph.D.

Thailand Advocates for Increased Kratom Personal Possession Limits

According to Thai politician Thepthai Senpong, Thailand’s house committee is suggesting to permit each Thai citizen no more than 20 kratom leaves for personal use. They’re also recommending that Thai citizens who meet or fall under this threshold should be spared legal trouble.

The Thai government expects to consult pharmacists, the National Farmers Council, and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their input on the personal possession increase. As far as a timeline, Mr. Thepthai suggested that they’ll present the legal changes to Thailand’s House of Representatives in mid-2020.

As of this writing, Thailand still actively classifies kratom as a Category 5 narcotic and has banned the production, use, sale, distribution, and possession of the plant within its borders. However, Thailand Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin recently promised that these laws would be overturned.

New Vendors

We’ve added the following new vendors to our growing database of kratom sellers. Go check them out!

Kats Botanicals

January 29th, 2020

Kreed Botanicals

January 23rd, 2020

Don’t Miss Out on These Deals!

Click here to catch up on all the discounts and sales we could find for the week of February 3rd, 2020.

For more ways to save, visit our deals and discounts page, and be sure to follow us on twitter for minute-to-minute updates on kratom sales!

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Love,

Kratomaton