Congress unites over kratom regulation

• Bipartisan lawmakers introduced bills S.3039 and H.R. 5905, also known as the Federal “Kratom Consumer Protection Act”. These bills oppose current efforts by the FDA to ban kratom. 
• The proposal mimics a similar regulation attempt made late last session, with the exception of a new title. Proponents of the bill expect more support and more sponsors on this year’s kratom regulation efforts.
• Mac Haddow, a senior fellow at the American Kratom Association, states “A properly regulated kratom marketplace will ensure consumer access to safe kratom products that are properly manufactured and labeled to inform consumers on how kratom can be safely used”. 
• If passed into law, the bill would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to further assess the health and safety of kratom, and prevent the agency from imposing regulations that are more restrictive than regulations for any other food or dietary supplements. 
• According to Courthouse News Service, a “Kratom Research Task Force” would be created through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to report kratom’s benefits and pitfalls within 90 days of the law’s adoption.

Photo credit: ThorPorre, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported