DEA says Kratom as dangerous as heroin, places it on Schedule I

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Drug Enforcement Administration is displaying a notice of intent in the Federal Register to emergency place Kratom into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

In the notice, the DEA says mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, the main active constituents of Kratom, are an "imminent hazard to the public safety."

Channel 9 has investigated Kratom for months. In February, Channel 9 reported a local woman was selling Kratom out of her home and advertising for it on the highways.

Lauren Eden told Channel 9 her son killed himself because he was addicted to Kratom. She has fought to make Kratom illegal and said she is overjoyed at the DEA's decision.

"I am so surprised that all of this is happening because I didn't even know this was in the works," Eden said. "Maybe our son didn't die in vain. Maybe our son sacrificed his life for another life."

In the notice, the DEA said Kratom is an "increasingly popular drug of abuse." The DEA also said the opioids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine have a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the U.S. and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.

Channel 9 reported in May that lawmakers considered taking action on Kratom after our report. Efforts to add Kratom to North Carolina's controlled substances list failed. A bill to ban children under 18 from using Kratom passed in the North Carolina House, but failed to become law.

Currently five states ban Kratom and its native country of Thailand.

Mitragyna speciosa, the plant commonly known as Kratom, can be consumed in different forms including powder, capsule, tablets and liquids.

The DEA said Kratom can be easily obtained in smoke shops and over the internet. A Channel 9 investigation found several websites and stores selling the plant.

Several websites and a local dealer praise Kratom as a natural herb that can help with things like addiction, pain and diabetes.

U.S. poison centers received 660 calls related to Kratom exposure from 2010-2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The consumption of Kratom individually, or in conjunction with alcohol or other drugs, is of serious concern as it can lead to severe adverse effects and death," the DEA's notice of intent said.

By placing Kratom in Schedule I, it is now in the same category as heroin, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, methaqualone and peyote.

The temporary placement will begin Sept. 30. Any final order according to the DEA "will impose the administrative, civil and criminal sanctions and regulatory controls applicable to schedule I controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act on the manufacture, distribution, possession, importation, and exportation of, and research and conduct of instructional activities of these opioids."

Drug experts with Blanchard Addiction Resources teold Channel 9 it is irresponsible for Kratom to be advertised as a way of treating addiction.

"The people that are giving this out are not medical professionals. They are giving it to people vulnerable to addiction," Robert Martin, of Blanchard Addiction Resources, said.

"It's very common for patients to have a multitude of medicators and to drug shift," Ward Blanchard of Blanchard Addiction Resources, said. “We help them understand and treat the underlying causes that are driving the need for that medicator and help them understand the length of treatment needed to fully recover."

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