Supervisors, October 2: Sheriff asks board to declare herbal drug illegal
At the Board of Supervisors’ October 2 meeting, Sheriff Jimmy Edwards has asked the Union County Board to make a locally available “herbal” drug illegal.
“Kratom” is a naturally occurring substance made from the leaves of an evergreen tree in the coffee family, which is native to Southeast Asia. It’s scientific name is Mitragyna speciosa. It has been used in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mynamar and Papua New Guinea as a traditional medicine for well over 100 years.
Edwards told the board at its Monday, Oct. 2, meeting, that kratom, sometimes called “K Shots,” is available without prescription at convenience stores throughout the county. Kratom is said to have some opiod- and stimulant-like properties.
Edwards said that one Union Countian, a man without a prior criminal history, had started using kratom, purchased locally, for pain relief. The man developed a growing dependence on the K Shots, which grew into a $200 per day habit. The man said he started stealing to get the money to buy the herbal drug, was caught, and now has a criminal record.
Edwards said kratom is sold in Union County in single dose bottles containing 2 fluid ounces (60ml) for $18 – $20 each. The sheriff said one New Albany retailer is believed to have gross sales of more than $7,000 a month in the sale of kratom.
[Follow this link for more information about kratom.]
He said the Mississippi state legislature has been asked to outlaw kratom in the state, but has not done so.
Edwards asked the board to pass a county ordinance making the sale of Kratom a crime. Comments from board members seemed receptive to the sheriff’s suggestion. Board Attorney Chandler Rogers said he would look into what kind of ordinance the county could and should enact.
In other business Fred Ashwill of Mid-South Food Bank in Memphis told the board about the work his organization does in attempting to eliminate hunger. Ashwill said Mid-South Food Bank serves 18 counties in north Mississippi. He said his organization wants to set up a Mobile Pantry at the Union County Fairgrounds from 9 am until noon on Friday, Oct. 27. The board voted unanimously to approve the request.
In other business, the supervisors :
–Accepted a bid of $25,000 for the purchase of an asphalt pug mill. Cold Mix, Inc. submitted the only bid and was awarded the sale of the machine.
–Appointed Terry Johnson as its representative on the Three Rivers Solid Waste Authority.
The Union County board will meet again at 10 a.m., Monday, Oct. 16, 2017.
The sheriff calling for the ban is very disheartening to hear. I honestly think he does not know what he is trying to ban and the upside of this plant. Kratom has many benefits. I am a disabled veteran and use Kratom for pain management. Prior to finding kratom, my life was a lot less easier to live. I have a severely painful back condition due to an injury I suffered in the Navy. Before Kratom I was taking highly addictive opioid medication that caused me to have seizures. Since I have stopped taking them and now consume Kratom, my life is a lot better and I no longer have to worry about getting addicted or suffering a seizure. As you may of heard that a Florida Sheriff’s deputy recently died. Sadly, it is being reported that kratom is the cause of death. This is simply not true. I found the deputy’s autopsy and he also had a SSRI and muscle relaxers in this system during the autopsy. With that being said, there has never been a cause of death where some has only had kratom in their system. It is a harmless plant that helps relieve pain and assist opioid addicts off of prescription pills. Please let the sheriff and the pubic of your county know this
The place I use to purchase Kratom is very trusted. This supplement only contains leaves from a Kratom plant in powder form. I use Kratom powder, not the capsules. That’s all it is. So for as purchasing it in a gas station, I have had zero problems from those places regarding quality. If Kratom is made illegal that’s when you have to worry about quality. Look at alcohol poisoning during prohibition. Look at synthetic marijuana since actual marijuana is illegal. Making something illegal only causes more deaths and heartache. As I said before, there are ZERO deaths related to only Kratom being found in someone’s system. Tylenol kills over 150 people a year. Why not ban that? The war on drugs is a failure and locking someone in a cage for trying to get off addictive pain killers and treat their pain with a herb is extremely disheartening and immoral in my opinion. My VA doctor knows that I use Kratom for pain. He suggest I keep on using it and he advocates for its effectiveness due to the seizures that the addictive opioids were causing. Is there any local issues with Kratom up there? Has the local law enforcment actually reviewed the autopsy of the Florida cop that died? Do they know that he had pharmactical drugs in his system? He had a SSRI (causes 40,000 deaths a year) and a muscle relaxant in his system
Taking away a healthy and natural alternative is a huge mistake that would have dire consequence in the midst of an opioid epidemic. Kratom has an impeccable safety record and has been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It is somewhat new to the United States so there is some fear and misinformation surrounding it which is unfortunate, but also understandable. Please read the 8-factor analysis from Dr. John Henningfield, PhD and addictions specialist from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Henningfield worked in government service for 16 years for both NIH and NIDA. His conclusion is that kratom is safe, no more addictive than a cup of coffee and that banning it would cause more harm to society than leaving it alone. The conclusion is on page 65. http://216.30.191.148/HL-AKA-Eight_Factor_and_Recommendations_by_PinneyAssoc.pdf
Kratom is a terrible drug just like opiates. I have family and people close to me in treatment from this junk. There are tons of people in treatment centers everywhere that are addicted to this stuff. They are addicted to it and lie and do whatever it takes to get it. I think if kratom is so good for pain then make people have to go to a doctor and get a prescription. It is a part of the opioid epidemic. I lived with my husband who was addicted to this poison and it wasn’t a fun ride. This stuff is way to readily available and ridicoulos and it needs to be banned. So whay people get off prescription pills they are just substituting.