The Trump administration has reversed course on a planned ban of a potent opioid derived from the kratom leaf, now allowing some levels of the compound in products marketed as natural. Three months ago, federal health officials, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced plans to ban the substance, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), saying it "put American lives at risk." The kratom plant, from Southeast Asia, is sold in powders and tinctures as energy boosters and pain relievers across the United States.
On Oct. 9, Mr. Kennedy said his department had "followed the science" and would allow some levels of the compound. The change followed lobbying by kratom companies after the substance was found in products marketed as "natural." David Gabbay, manager of a large kratom distribution company facing wrongful death lawsuits tied to products containing the compound, and his wife, Maya, had been giving steadily to Republican candidates and campaign committees, reaching about $2.9 million by Oct. 12. Mac Haddow, leader of an advocacy group heavily funded by Mr. Gabbay's company, said he went to the White House to make his case.
The new policy still bans the most concentrated levels, but the allowable amounts are 25 to 500 times the levels currently found on the market, according to the senior author of a study cited by the administration. HHS spokeswoman Emily Hilliard said "neither litigation nor political contributions influenced" the recommendation. A Federal Register notice acknowledged that neither HHS nor the Drug Enforcement Administration has found these substances safe at the permitted levels. Data showed MGPI was identified in at least 56 overdose cases, 48 of them fatal, from February last year to May.
Dr. Andrew Kolodny of Brandeis University, who reviewed the justification, said, "They're doing this because the industry and the lobbyists are basically writing the policy." Many states are meanwhile debating bans on powdered kratom products and more potent derivatives.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing