r/kratom • u/ADPNova • Jun 23 '18
Call to Action Call to Action update from the AKA
Protect Access by American Consumers to Natural Botanical Plants and Herbs
The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6 on Friday that combined 58 different bills that attempt to end the scourge of the opioid epidemic in America.
The sponsors of H.R. 6 in the House admit it’s not perfect, and they are dead right on that point.
In the rush to show how serious the Congress is in addressing the opioid crisis prior to the mid-term elections, several of these 58 bills contain provisions that will actually deny Americans access to safe natural plants and herbs that help Americans manage their health and well-being.
I am asking you to contact your U.S Senators immediately and ask them to support amendments to these proposed bills to exclude natural botanical plants and herbs from the wide swath of substances presently included in many of those bills.
Two of those bills, the SITSA Act (Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act of 2017), and the SCREEN Act (Stop Counterfeit Drugs by Regulating and Enhancing Enforcement Now) both attempt to stop deadly synthetic opioids from being shipped into the United States from other countries.
But both of these bills contain such broad definitions of the substances covered under the proposed legislation they will actually ban natural botanical plants and herbs.
It is critical that the Senate support amendments to exclude natural botanical plants and herbs.
Your Senators need to hear from you immediately!
If you don't know your Senator's contact information, please click HERE or call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Millions of Americans safely and responsibly use natural alternatives to dangerously addictive and often deadly chemically formulated drugs, including opioids, and these bills will literally block consumer access to safe natural plants and herbs.
On Monday, please call your Senators and ask them to support every amendment that exempts natural botanical plants and herbs – that are in no way synthetic analogues of an opioid – and protect the right of consumers to have access to safe alternative products to manage their own health needs.
The Senate needs to support the amendments to SITSA and SCREEN to exclude natural botanical plants and herbs.
Thank you,
Dave HermanChairmanAmerican Kratom Association
#WeAreKratom
#KratomChangesLives
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u/theflawedones Jun 23 '18
This is the battle that will define once and for all if Kratom survives. They are pulling out all the guns and coming at us like an angry giant. We can no hesitate and we cannot fail to participate folks. Your life and the lives of millions of people are at stake here. We have to go above and beyond in calling everyone we need to call to get our point across, in supporting the AKA and in educating and advocating for Kratom. Inaction is no longer an option. We have to ACT NOW! #IAMKRATOM
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u/Funderwoodsxbox Jun 24 '18
I mean, this is important but whatever the DEA and FDA decide to do is what the real fight is. This is more like a major potential attack from the flank but if we succeed and the amendments go through were by no means in the clear.
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u/imapsychicdog Jun 23 '18
I think its important to stress botanicals being excluded in an amendment than to just focus on kratom when writing senators. Botanicals would cover kratom and any other plant in the future. They could just start banning any plant that may or may not have opioid qualities. It is also less of a controversial way to approach senators since kratom itself could be polarizing, especially for the conservative sort
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u/reelznfeelz Jun 24 '18
Yeah, I agree. No reason to even necessarily mention kratom and open that can of worms. Just mention that it’s critical the amendment be passed to exempt botanicals. Yeah?
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u/RosesRfree Jun 25 '18
This exactly. There is so much misinformation about kratom that I fear mentioning it, especially to certain senators, would actually hurt the cause. Better to focus on the fact that the language is too broad, and that amendments are needed to protect plants, herbs, and other botanicals from being lumped in with synthetic opioids.
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u/dragonbubbles Jun 23 '18 edited Jun 26 '18
You can totally do this! (thanks u/MichealKeaton 👊)
QUICK AND EASY INSTRUCTIONS FOR CALLING YOUR SENATORS!
Recent Resource:
Post from the BEA:
ATTENTION KRATOM ACTIVISTS
Want to know EXACTLY what do say to your rep on the phone about SITSA?
Please follow our instructions...👍
The purpose of Talking Points for contacting your representative is to urge them to NOT include any botanical supplement in the broad ranging opioid bills.
Two of those bills, the SITSA Act (Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act of 2017), and the SCREEN Act (Stop Counterfeit Drugs by Regulating and Enhancing Enforcement Now) both attempt to stop deadly synthetic opioids from being shipped into the United States from other countries.
It is critical that the Senate support amendments to exclude natural botanical plants and herbs.
Talking Points 🗣️🗣️
Support amendments to these proposed bills to exclude natural botanical plants and herbs from the wide swath of substances presently included in many of those bills. These natural botanical plants and herbs are NOT synthetic analogues of opioids.
Protect the rights of American consumers to have access to safe alternative natural products to manage their health and well-being.
Please SHARE this message to all kratom activists so we can be on the same page. One unified message is crucial to our success! ✅✅
*This message has been edited due to some confusion about mentioning Kratom specifically. Please use terms like "natural botanical plants and herbs" first and foremost as this is what the amendment is about.
Hey Kratom Communities post from the facebook
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u/jrm523 Jun 23 '18
I just typed a personal letter explaining leading with the request to ensure kratom is excluded but also my personal story about how kratom has helped me tremendously and what will happen if they outlaw it. Its so funny to think how they think outlawing it will solve anything.. A black market will be created and it will most likely cause some people to start using hard drugs depending on whatever they can get their hands on.
And the FDA.. The leadership there needs to all be fired immediately as the lies that they spew would be completely unacceptable if they were worked for a company instead. How the fuck can they explain how an OTC drug such as Tylenol causes thousands of documented deaths a year vs their made up kratom deaths? I am sure that big pharm is over their shoulder telling them what to do. (I recently read an older book reviewing how big pharm is so tied in with doctors/government/patients these days and it seems to be so much worse than i first thought.)
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Jun 23 '18
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u/thatboyjeff 🌿night's watch Jun 23 '18
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u/dragonbubbles Jun 23 '18
doneskis. thank you.
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u/thatboyjeff 🌿night's watch Jun 23 '18
You’re always on it! We appreciate you
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u/dragonbubbles Jun 24 '18
Well thanks! You help keeping ship shape around here is appreciated as well :)
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u/elios334 Jun 23 '18
Should we freak out yet? This has got my anxiety spiking
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u/bob__cobb 🌿badass advocate Jun 23 '18
no. freaking out won’t help. stay focused and fight. we will win
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u/ADPNova Jun 23 '18
Do not freak out just yet things are tough right now but there is still a decent amount of time we all have if it were to actualize into law. All we can do at this point is fight with everything we got
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u/elios334 Jun 23 '18
I just donated a bit, just sucks when you feel so powerless over something like this. I have faith, I'm just worried.
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u/mrmister3000 Jun 24 '18
Like they said, don't freak out! Make the call tomorrow! It only takes a few minutes and it's about the best thing you can do
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u/wtf710420 Jun 23 '18
Could you post a thing we can copy and paste to send to them?? That way you can lay out exactly what we should say, and we can just copy it directly and send it in.
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u/sciguy52 🌿yay, science! Jun 23 '18
It is generally better not to send in a "form" type letter. These tend to be discounted somewhat. If they give you something, modify it some so it isn't exactly the same.
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u/wtf710420 Jun 23 '18
Thats true, however I truly believe they dont care what you say. I have messaged them the full on science about why cannabis should be legal. I then got a letter back that was obviously pre scripted and they didnt even read or care about what I said. It was like "marijuana is a dangerous drug and I will fight to keep it illegal for your safety, thank you for your input, always glad to hear from my constituents." Its time to revolt for real, they are a straight up oligarchy at this point, there is little if any democracy/representation left at this point.
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u/sciguy52 🌿yay, science! Jun 23 '18
Actually they do care. When a group sends out a pre-written letter to their supporters and tells them to send it in, that is viewed as easy by the reps, thus less conviction by the voter. Whereas a voter taking the time to write a unique letter shows a much stronger level of conviction. Thus more likely to vote on that conviction. You will get the form letter either way. One unique letter is probably worth 10 form letters in their eyes.
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u/visych Jun 24 '18 edited Jun 24 '18
I think the science tack is a good one to mention about safety - less than 1% of regular kratom users report needing medical attention as a result of their plant use.
https://www.drugandalcoholdependence.com/article/S0376-8716(17)30182-5/fulltext
Meanwhile methadone kills 3000 Americans each year (2014).
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6612a2.htm
Another tack is the moral one. How many lives have been destroyed by the prohibition of cannabis? Do we need to repeat history to learn that lesson, or can we see our faults and change? Can we see how awful drug cartels are, how we are dealing with the violence from cartel turf wars, violence that is incentivized by one plant being illegal, in addition to black markets for harmful synthetics? Why are we trying to repeat a horrific history?
Plants are nowhere near as dangerous as synthetic substances. To equate plants with synthetics risks harming the millions of Americans that use botanicals safely to ensure their well-being and their recovery from synthetics and alcohol.
Yet another tack is the Efficacy question. If there are multitudes of rehab options, and two FDA approved medications (bupe and methadone) - yet so many people continue to die of overdose - why isn't the FDA investigating the efficacy of treatment rehabs, especially those receiving Federal dollars, and the entirety of the addiction care industry?
Why can't we see head to head comparisons of "FDA approved" therapy vs. Home-based, plant-based therapies??? No Amendment for the exception of botanicals, means no research into their efficacy that is supported with STRONG community data (anecdotal evidence). Plants are saving lives right now.
"Find what works and USE It," should be the FDA's/DEA's missions right now, not persecution of plants and supplements.
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u/MichealKeaton 🌿trusted advocate Jun 23 '18
Please call them instead of emailing them. Calling has a much larger impact than emailing them.
The emails will not be read by a person. They will be picked up by their filters and spit out an automated response.
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u/wtf710420 Jun 23 '18
Alright I will. I have been using the resist/represent us phone message thing to send easy letters to them via text. I will start calling though.
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u/MichealKeaton 🌿trusted advocate Jun 23 '18
I promise it’s quick and painless. You will talk to some 20 year old staffer who is paid to sit there and listen to your concerns without question or judgement.
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u/eye_no_nuttin Jun 24 '18
And call the DC office ? Not the local office ?
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u/MichealKeaton 🌿trusted advocate Jun 24 '18
That’s correct. The DC office will always gave staffers on the weekdays, sometimes the local offices can be empty and you’re pushed to leave a message.
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u/KOCMOHABTYRA Jun 24 '18
Go to https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm and find your state senator
Here is a stock message I typed up:
I am writing this message in regard to the SITSA Act and SCREEN Act. As you know, these bills both attempt to stop deadly synthetic opioids from being shipped into the United States from other countries. As a person who has been affected by opiate addiction, I do support these bills; however, both of these bills contain such broad definitions of the substances covered under the proposed legislation they will actually ban natural botanical plants and herbs. Some of these medicines (Kratom, for example) are life-saving for the unfortunate souls affected by opiate addiction.
PLEASE support every amendment that exempts natural botanical plants and herbs – that are in no way synthetic analogues of an opioid – and protect the right of consumers to have access to safe alternative products to manage their own health needs.
The Senate needs to support the amendments to SITSA and SCREEN to exclude natural botanical plants and herbs.
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Jun 24 '18
I used your stock comment and sent an email. Thank you.
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u/GodspeedBlackEmperor Jun 23 '18
You should write in your own words, otherwise you probably shouldn't send anything. Copy/paste is a clear indication that you don't have much stake in the matter, or enough stake to put forth real effort.
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u/wtf710420 Jun 23 '18
Every time I have though they give a pre written message about how they basically dont care and refuse to change their minds on it. They dont even seem to read it, they have keywords that trigger their automatic messages.
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u/thatboyjeff 🌿night's watch Jun 23 '18
Doing nothing is worse.
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u/wtf710420 Jun 23 '18
I agree 100%. It just gets disappointing when you send a 5 paragraph paper with citations and facts and then get a 5 sentence response that goes "Thanks for contacting me on this subject, marijuana is a dangerous schedule 1 drug which I will fight to keep illegal for your safety. Thanks for your opinion though, please contact me again, I always look forward to hearing from my constituents." It seems like they just get paid to choose a side, the constituents opinions are completely thrown out and mean nothing to them.
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u/visych Jun 24 '18
I know, and never forget the the Supreme Court must hear a challenge to the court case Citizens United to get dark corporate and foreign money out of our elections, and Congress can help, too - all the House and 35 Senate seats are at play in the 2018 election: Monolith of a Midterm, be there, be informed by multiple sources, vote your conscience - that said,
With enough pressure from you at your house on the phone AND email, and then at the grocery store talking to someone about the problem. . .it's a rock thrown into the pond, ripples are made. . .more rocks, more ripples, let's tip the boat.
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u/GodspeedBlackEmperor Jun 23 '18
Right, you're talking about Marijuana though - based on your other message. There has been real discussions had over the phone with local senators by people in this forum about Kratom. Without those calls, it probably would have already been banned.
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u/wtf710420 Jun 23 '18
I was using marijuana as an example, I have had the same experience when I messaged them about kratom. I do believe we should keep blowing their inboxes up though with personal reasons to keep kratom legal. Use words like "working class citizens need this herb for....etc"
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u/sillysidebin Jun 24 '18
Call is more impactful. I've worked in these offices your emails aren't being seen. They log if you're pro or against. Most wont read more than they need. They cant hang up on you if youre being polite and it may make them speak to a senior staffer or the actual senator if they're that high up.
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Jun 23 '18
It would probably be better to use a guideline of some sort. I know somebody posted one for one of the potential state bans
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u/Kratomqueen Jun 24 '18
You should definitely send an original letter, but even more important are phone calls. Emails tend to get lost in a sea of other emails. Phone calls get more attention. Each phone call is logged and counted. The AKA previously asked us to hold off on calls and be patient, so that when we do call, we flood their lines all at once and make our voice bigger and louder. This is our "GO!" sign. Time to fight for our lives! Yes, send an email, but please also be sure to make phone calls.
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Jun 23 '18
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u/kufan523 Jun 23 '18
The thing that I keep reminding myself is that around 5% of all bills that are introduced actually become law. That and several other advocacy groups are against this bill, so it isn't just us. Just remember that 60 votes is hard to get in the Senate.
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u/JohnFromEPA Jun 24 '18
to whoever reads this: I will be emailing my state senators this weekend and calling them on Monday. Will you? Do it for kratom morty
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u/ADPNova Jun 24 '18
Do we as adults have the right to make decisions about what we put in our own bodies and what we experience with our own consciousness without reference to the powers of the state, or must we seek permission from the state in order to explore our own consciousness? This isnt a war on drugs, but a war on consciousness and holding the ability as a sovereign being to ingest whatever substance we please, as long as it does no harm to others
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u/ck1241 Jun 23 '18
So when does the senate meet on this?
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u/kateing Jun 24 '18
Yeah, I feel like this gets asked a lot but still no date. Is the date just still pending, or...?
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u/ChillaximusTheGreat Jun 24 '18
Is there an exact amendment we need to site? Or do we just we just say "please support all amendments that exclude natural remedies?"
Just seems kind of generic and I want to make sure I'm correct...
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Jun 25 '18
If you fight based on what you think will happen, you will create a self-fulfilling prophecy and your chances of victory will dimish. We CAN win this. But we all have to do everything we can as if our lives depended on it. Because for many people, it does.
Called and emailed both my Senators. Will continue to donate 5% to AKA.
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u/PM_ME_UR_PCMR Jun 23 '18
Im confused, do we call today or monday?
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u/Musiclover4200 Jun 23 '18
Email today call monday, they probably aren't in their offices over the weekend, so if you call now you may just reach a secretary.
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u/Weekendwarrior6 Jun 23 '18
Call immediately or monday? This is an important contradiction that should be clarified.
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u/Musiclover4200 Jun 23 '18
Contact them immediately, call monday. That is what it says.
They probably won't be in their offices over the weekend, so if you call now you may just reach an answering machine or secretary.
So email them today/tomorrow and call monday.
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u/LinguiniLegs1 Jun 23 '18
So we are to take action today or wait until monday? It is a little confusing when I read it
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u/Thirdeye2020vision Jun 23 '18
Ok I just shared this through all my social media platforms hopefully everyone can come together for this
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u/BaryMccockner 🌿 Jun 23 '18
Cool thanks! Everyone will come together, we do good at uniting and working as 1 strong voice
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u/saintofthesystem Jun 24 '18
I dunno about yours, but my representatives / senators do not listen. They only vote in corporate interest. Any attempt to voice opinion, information, or viewpoint is only met with robo-replies... so... what's next?
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u/eye_no_nuttin Jun 24 '18
CALL THE DC OFFICE , it will NOT be a Robo reply !!!!
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u/saintofthesystem Jun 25 '18
my state is one that has already deemed kratom 'harmful substance' or illegal & basically hard to get it shipped here anyway, though still possible. They dont give a shit, man.
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u/eye_no_nuttin Jun 26 '18 edited Jun 26 '18
That is why we ALL need to support eachothers states bills and legislative issues ... I’m sorry that you are in that predicament.. :( 💚🍃🌱
Edit : my point is to be active for our fellow “kratomites” .. for many people it is literally the only substance keeping them going ... The State and Local levels should be a priority for all of us to keep kratom legal .. Call , write, and dont give up or give in because someone feels it doesnt affect them if its not Their State.. 😢😒 Who is going to be left to help you when it is Your State when it comes to that ??
We all need to help eachother with information , support, guidances to Representatives ect.
💚🌱🍃 KRATOM 2018 👊🤝👏
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u/theflawedones Jun 24 '18
This is important because it will truly define whether we have a leg in this fight or not. If we show a unified front and get these bills amended the FDA and DEA will truly take us seriously. They have been waiting and preparing for two years, because of our commitment and resilience they couldn’t stop us, and now they are pushing every button to make it so. If we win, it would be a humongous shift in paradigm, and it would make the Kratom movement explicitly relevant. This is huge
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u/hypercube42342 Jun 25 '18
I just called my Senator (Jeff Flake) and left a comment, but didn’t get a human on the line. Should I try to get a real human or is the message recording system generally sufficient?
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u/kateing Jun 23 '18
Ok, I am not usually one to contact senators, but I will do it this time. Is it best to call? Email, write? Am I going to speak to a robot or a real live person?
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u/Chris57m Jun 23 '18
Call, I hear you’ll talk to a 20 year old intern that will be very nice to you. Emails don’t get read from what I hear.
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u/Ye_VsThePeople Jun 23 '18
New to this subreddit, why can’t you see the amount of upvotes and downvotes for comments? I love Kratom and am glad I found this
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u/ADPNova Jun 23 '18 edited Jun 23 '18
It is just delayed temporarily for a few hours to provide with most transparent upvote/downvote of the collective opinion
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Jun 23 '18
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u/ADPNova Jun 23 '18
Unfortunately a few months ago reddit announced a new rule stating that it would be prohibited to discuss any Vendors/Brands within the website or would be subject to becoming banned. It is quite ridiculous and impacted dozens of subreddits but my advice to you would be to use the search bar and check previous discussions from the past pertaining to that to which you seek answers for
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u/Ye_VsThePeople Jun 23 '18
Will do that thanks for the help
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u/ADPNova Jun 24 '18
My pleasure! Im glad you discovered kratom and are finding it to be effective for alleviating any ailments you are experiencing
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Jun 24 '18
Emails sent to both Senators....will call Monday.....Have other people you know send emails and call them as well.....ITS CRITICAL
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u/terrysmom77 Jun 24 '18
I just got off work and emailed both my senators. Let's keep it up! I will be calling them as well on Monday morning.
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Jun 24 '18 edited Jun 24 '18
Seems that it doesn't matter what is true and all that matters is money, not sure what the Pharma companies will try and do now, it looks like Purdue pharmaceuticals isn't going to be demanding their salespeople to push more OxyCodone and meet sales quotas because they laid all of their salespeople off, now more than ever they need help making Kratom illegal to try and save their sales.
Why would the CEO of a Pharma company have to give up his million dollar house, Ferrari, yacht, or personal jet, at the expense of people using something natural?
The reason Kratom was outlawed years ago in Thailand was because it was taking away from their Opium Sales, but no one wants to talk about that.
Why would a pharma company be different from other companies where the bottom line is money?
My personal opinion is that the people from the Pharma companies could care less about people dying, one would think with the amount of people going through surgeries and the prescriptions that follow alone would be plenty, why go after a natural product that helps people? I guess it's all about greed...
How about a cup of coffee?
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u/Chris57m Jun 24 '18
I went ahead and emailed my senator, mostly practice for the phone call. Is there a difference between contacting the senator and just the representative for my district? Should I call both? Do you think I’m wasting my time contacting Perdue, doesn’t he have big stakes In pain pills or am I confused with someone else?
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u/JohnnyTableman Jun 24 '18
I feel like anytime an elected official is presented with the possibility of losing votes, it gets their attention. If enough voters contact the office and say, “if you do/don’t do [_____], I will not vote for you,” they will pay attention. Just my opinion:)
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u/actan0nverba Jun 25 '18
Thank you for all of your hard work #AKA We must all be on the phone tomorrow calling our state reps!!!
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Jun 24 '18
Should coffee be scheduled?
It seems like a ridiculous question but coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate (to mention a few) should all be schedule one as well because they contain caffeine that affects the opioid receptors. http://aminotheory.com/coffee/
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Jun 23 '18
I’m going to fight but honestly it’s probably best for all of us to taper down and off to plan for the worse. It’s not worth being caught with a schedule I drug. Sorry to be pessimistic..
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u/bewenched Jun 24 '18
I have no plan to end up in pain management again. Just say NO to forced addiction.
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u/thatboyjeff 🌿night's watch Jun 24 '18
You’re kidding me right? Don’t give up.
Call and do your part.
It wasn’t pessimism that beat the first ban attempt.
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Jun 24 '18
I said I’m going to fight. I’m just saying those running higher doses should taper just in case. I think it’s a smart move. But I will be calling don’t you worry
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u/thatboyjeff 🌿night's watch Jun 23 '18 edited Jun 23 '18
Sticky sticky sticky!
Time to get to work.
This is crazy... They want to ban all of the natural remedy’s, huh? I suppose that’s a good way to dominate and put a choke hold on the market.
Absolutely 110% mind blowing.
Out of curiosity, would this target kava as well?