Is Kratom The Solution To The Opioid Epidemic?
“Consumer protection” is not a phrase you would expect to find in the name of a Florida law. In Florida, predatory lending reigns supreme, insurance companies twiddling their thumbs for years before addressing claims related to hurricane damage, and business to consumer lawsuits are a frequent occurrence. Meanwhile, Florida’s lawmakers have completed most of the steps necessary to enact a law that would regulate the production and sale of kratom, a plant-based substance that, much like cannabis, has the reputation of being either a lifesaver, a bogeyman, or both. The new law would regulate the production of kratom products and clarify the rules about the contexts in which you can and cannot sell them. There are many opportunities to buy kratom legally in Florida, but wherever potent plant substances are involved, legal ambiguities remain. If you are being accused of illegal possession or sale of kratom, contact a Florida drug offenses attorney.
About the Florida Kratom Consumer Protection Act
Kratom is the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa plant, which is native to Thailand and insular Southeast Asia and belongs to the same family of plants as coffee. In its native region, people have used it for centuries for pain relief and as a stimulant, much like khat in Yemen and East Africa and coca in South America. The traditional way of consuming kratom is to drink an infusion of the leaves or to make topical preparations.
In recent years, kratom has gained a following in the United States for several reasons, not least of which is its ability to relieve the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Of course, kratom is not without its dangers. Regular use of kratom can lead to physical dependence, and discontinuing it can cause withdrawal symptoms. Kratom overdose is possible, and fatal overdoses have been documented.
Legal responses to kratom have been contradictory, to say the least. For years, it slid through the cracks as an unregulated dietary supplement. Most kratom capsules sold as supplements contain between two and six leaves per capsule, whereas eight leaves are enough to cause overdose symptoms, but until recently, doses were not regulated. For a while, federal law considered kratom a Schedule I controlled substance, and six states still classify it as such.
The Florida Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which could go into effect as soon as next year, outlines a formal legal definition for “kratom products.” It also criminalizes the sale of kratom products to people under the age of 21. In practice, most sales of kratom in Florida are already compliant with the new law. A major change is that the new law will override the current local law that makes the sale of kratom illegal in Sarasota County.
Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Drug Possession Cases
A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are being accused of violating federal or state laws relating to kratom. Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.
Sources:
floridapolitics.com/archives/607731-legislature-passes-kratom-consumer-protection-act-banning-tainted-products-under-21-sales/
degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7556/jaoa.2016.156/html
eurekaselect.com/article/83024
