A top federal health official and a former White House drug czar were among the featured speakers at a recent kratom-focused congressional briefing, laying out research priorities for the plant and broadly promoting alternative approaches to drug criminalization.
Last week’s event, organized by the American Kratom Association (AKA), was meant to give a science-based overview of kratom issues for congressional staff and stakeholders as bipartisan lawmakers work to advance a bill to federally regulate the substance, which is currently unscheduled and anecdotally used for pain relief, curbing withdrawal symptoms and other purposes.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow started by saying that while she always wants policy to be grounded in science, she’s come to understand that data is “not necessarily sufficient or enough.”
In the case of kratom, she said, “unfortunately, we don’t know much,” which is why NIDA is committed to expanding research into its potential risks and benefits. For example, she said health agencies have “invested significant resources” to synthesize the main compound of kratom so that researchers can conduct clinical trials investigating how it can be used for pain management and also “for the treatment of drug addiction.”
“We actually are very much
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