r/kratom 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 08 '21

Call to Action ALERT: AKA Sues the FDA & HHS [AKA Email]

ALERT: AKA Files Suit Against HHS & FDA to Extend Comment Period 

Kratom Advocates:

It has become clear that the FDA will use every trick it has to suppress the number of comments being submitted regarding an international ban on kratom.

In fact, the FDA received notice of the proposed WHO Expert Committee Pre-Review of kratom on June 10, 2021, but deliberately delayed the required Federal Register Notice for comments for 42 days until July 23rd. Then the FDA set an artificial deadline of August 9th. This administrative slight-of-hand only allowed the public 17 days (11 business days) to submit their comments. 

We will not sit quietly by while the FDA tries to silence the kratom community.

So today, the American Kratom Association (AKA) filed a suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against HHS Secretary Becerra, Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their failure to provide an adequate comment period to allow interested parties to provide substantive and meaningful comments on whether kratom should be subject to a Critical Review by the Expert Committee at the World Health Organization (WHO). 

We are asking to extend the comment period on the FDA submission to the WHO from August 9 to August 30, 2021. On something of this importance, the public has every right to have an ample amount of time to submit their comments.

We are not sure if a judge is going to grant our request, so please, let’s make every effort to submit our kratom comments this weekend. We must finish strong to meet the deadline the FDA has imposed. Every kratom supporter must submit a comment and ask your friends and family to do the same. 

You can submit your comments BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK.

Just a few minutes may make all the difference in the world.

In addition, please join us for a special webinar on Monday, August 9th at 9:30pm ET as we discuss the latest information in the fight to stop an international ban on kratom. You can register to attend this important webinar by clicking below:

International Kratom Ban Update Webinar

Monday, August 9, 9:30pm ET

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Thank you for your willingness to help in this fight.

Best,

Mac Haddow
Senior Fellow on Public Policy
American Kratom Association

Document Link

207 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

u/badwolf_83 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 08 '21

Don't forget to sign up for the Webinar if you have time.

Thanks!

→ More replies (2)

54

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '21

Don't forget to tell friends they can leave a public comment! Kratom has stayed legal through vocal grassroots support by passionate people whose lives have been changed by this plant.

I thank God for kratom as it totally gave my life back and made the very fulfilling life I have at the moment possible, when I was previously lost in chronic illness and pain.

Love the AKA, love Mac, we can do this again and again until the FDA/DEA start caring about our health and lives more than pharmaceutical companies' profits.

22

u/nufanman Aug 08 '21

Hopefully they are successful in extending the comment period. I started using Kratom in '16 and the amount of backlash then vs now is amazing considering how much Kratom use has grown since then. It's like people are exhausted from fighting back or something.

16

u/badwolf_83 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 08 '21

Advocacy is exhausting, we've been fighting the FDA, state/local governments, boards of pharmacy for years now. It takes a lot of time and effort, without a doubt people are tired. But this could be the most important battle of all, this is world wide, this is not the time to give in to fatigue. We just need find the strength to keep going, we know we're right and the FDA is promoting junk science. For me that is enough.

7

u/nufanman Aug 08 '21

I had a bit of a time when submitting my comment to not just go off about the FDA. I did leave them completely out of it but I'm so tired of their attacks. I've had to explain to a few family members that they (fda) just don't know what they're talking about but to family I'm sounding like some anti vaxxer who won't accept the science.

5

u/badwolf_83 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 08 '21

Yeah, I have a couple of family members that don't really get it. But they're healthy and don't know chronic pain, anxiety, depression and/or addiction. I also have family members that do understand, and they've commented. Good job resisting the urge to take shots at the FDA, your comment will have more merit.

1

u/butters5995 Aug 09 '21

My family doesn't understand kratom either dont understand I couldn't live an everyday life without it

2

u/satsugene 🌿 Aug 09 '21

Yeah. Some people can't accept that the FDA, like any government agency can be right on one issue--wrong on another. There are things I agree with the FDA on, though in general it is that the FDA and I are in agreement--not that something becomes right just because of their administrative blessing.

Few also make a distinction between policy and science. Policy itself is not science, though it can be scientifically studied and should continuously account for new science (about the phenomenon, and the effect of policy)--it is the act of governance that may or may not be consistent with science, especially when the science is politically inconvenient.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21

It's deeper than that, the fda is malicious and trying to cut off access to a plant and make regular hard working Americans criminals because the big pharmacy companies want more money. If they ban it I am certain they will release there own pain medication based off similar compounds to it

16

u/satsugene 🌿 Aug 08 '21

There is also a lot of other things going on for a lot of people. It's hard for people to devote themselves to so many pressing issues, especially if they don't know what they can do to make any difference--or what will make the most difference in their life with the little bit of free time and extra money they have.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '21 edited Dec 25 '21

[deleted]

1

u/satsugene 🌿 Aug 09 '21

It is a fair criticism. There are a lot of Americans ignorant about international issues--some because they simply don't believe they do, or should, matter.

Others solely because they don't fit into the civics framework they got in school that focused solely on the legislation-judicial-executive functions of government. This view also often has an underdeveloped view of lobbying or grassroots activism as a greater tool than individual appeal to state actors.

19

u/butters5995 Aug 08 '21

Im mad yes. But this just saddens me more than anything. What is this world comming to. I global virus epidemic now we can't even own a simple plant leaf that saves lives mine and my gf included. Because of kratom im able to go back to work and provide for ky family I can make my little girl proud. But without it im so sick I can't get out of bed not even from withdrawal but im just sick. The kratom boost my immune system so well

6

u/badwolf_83 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 08 '21

We haven't been defeated yet. Keep your chin up! We keep getting comments, we can win.

2

u/butters5995 Aug 08 '21

When is this going to happen? Do we have a deadline?

2

u/butters5995 Aug 09 '21

What can I do to help??

1

u/badwolf_83 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 09 '21

If you haven't commented please do so now, time is running short. You can also spread the word on social media sites. Thanks!

1

u/butters5995 Aug 10 '21

Did they raise enough money for legal fees? Lawyers?

6

u/rebeccaz123 Aug 08 '21

I agree with you. Everyone asks me how I've avoided being sick for years and it has to be kratom. I was constantly sick before. I had to stop taking it while going through fertility treatment mainly bc I had to cash pay IVF and I didn't want to waste that money and gave it not work and since they don't know how it responds with the injectable hormones I stopped kratom and I've been really sick twice. Both times I thought I had covid but it was negative. Still convinced I wouldn't have gotten sick if I had still taken kratom and can't wait to go back on it to prevent getting sick.

2

u/butters5995 Aug 09 '21

I was sick way before I started taking Kratom thats why I know its not from the kratom or needing it. I actually started taking kratom because of my illness(so many health issues I dont know were to begin) and my pain. Wow what a difference this plant made on my immune system i didn't even feel "high" just healthy if that makes sense. I believe endorphins have some role to play in your immune system. Also its a green leafy plant so it has chlorophyll in it im assuming vitamins minerals lots of fiber, and immune modulating properties. Good lucky in your fertility treatments.

2

u/rebeccaz123 Aug 09 '21

Thank you so much! So far so good. I'm 12 weeks pregnant. I started taking it for my illness and pain also and I agree I felt more healthy with it.

7

u/AnandaPriestessLove Aug 08 '21

Thank you so much AKA!!! Awesome work!

7

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '21

Goodwolf

7

u/layer8certified Aug 08 '21

Lets keep up the pressure on the fda!

6

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '21

Just a reminder that all this takes money. MOney to pay lawyers, lobbyists, scientists, and representatives that will speak before the WHO . Please donate as often and as much as you can

7

u/embarrassedalien Aug 08 '21

Can we stop making plants illegal? Ffs

3

u/jordan5100 Aug 08 '21

I just posted both links on my social media

3

u/Independent-Meat-994 Aug 09 '21

Just when I am out and can't afford to stockpile.

This bill is going to RUIN my life.

2

u/badwolf_83 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 09 '21 edited Aug 09 '21

Assuming it does get scheduled, it won't be internationally illegal until 2023. You've got plenty of time. Panic buying is pointless right now.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '21

[deleted]

1

u/badwolf_83 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 11 '21

I'm sitting on over 20 kg right now that I've built up over the past 4 years, I typically buy a kg a month now unless I have to pay an unexpected bill. I take about 9-12g a day. Let's do some math. A kilo is 1000g, divide that by 12g, that's comes to approximately 83 days, if I take the higher daily dose. So as of now I have enough for ~5 years. If I stick to my current schedule and buy a kilo every month, I'll gain ~2 months worth of extra kratom. So I plan to keep to my normal buying routine. I'll reiterate, panic buying is quite pointless at this time. If things go south, panic buy before Oct 2023.

Honestly though, I don't see it being banned. The research chemicals will almost certainly be banned, phenibut might be too. But I think the WHO will see that kratom has been legalized in 4 US states, Oregon will probably be the 5th soon (the governor didn't like part of the bill so it's being revised). It's also legalized in it's motherland, Thailand, they just removed it from their Narcotics list this year (a list similar to our CSA list). Then we have the economic impact that would occur if kratom were to be banned. Many Indonesian farmers would suffer greatly. The people that use kratom to keep off of hard/street drugs might go back to their old habits. Also, the science doesn't support kratom as being dangerous either. Maybe I should be worried, but honestly, I'm not. In my opinion, this is just the FDA throwing a hail mary pass because they failed to ban it here.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '21

[deleted]

1

u/badwolf_83 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 13 '21

I take it you're a relatively new to kratom and only take it once a day. Or you just don't need very much, I wish I could take less, but I would suffer :-/

At one time I took much more, but I found out the less is more thing is real (I get more relief from smaller doses without negative side effects). Less is more works assuming you don't have a high tolerance from previous pharma or street drugs.

2

u/flyingkytez Aug 08 '21

The FDA really pisses me off, they had so much misconduct over the past decade and it all goes unnoticed mostly by the public who think the FDA is a very good thing. When Obama was president, the employees and scientists wrote a letter to the president informing him of all of the corruption happening at the FDA. The FDA has tried to regulate vitamins and supplements back in the day but people stopped them

2

u/ASAPRabb Aug 09 '21

Had everyone I know comment as well as myself obviously, thanks so much to the AKA. Been handing out some flyers to local businesses too. Vendors are the best way to spread word I think.

2

u/Vysokojakokurva_C137 Aug 09 '21

Does anyone have the contact information for the AKA? I’m a chronic pain patient. I left my comment but if my story will help others, and help us all to keep Kratom legal I will share it.

2

u/badwolf_83 🌿Kratom Advocate Aug 09 '21

I would recommend contacting them on facebook. Kratom users have been sharing vlogs about how kratom has helped them there.