KRATOM CULTURE
MAGAZINE
Leaf Us Alone! INSIDE:
The Over Medication of the American Nation JAN-MAR 2019
FREEDOM IS CALLING
Without question, our government is charged with the protection of its citizens, but exactly what that means and at what cost is debatable. It should be remembered that the constitution is equally targeted towards the threat government poses to our rights, hence, it has been stated that individual rights are inversely proportional to government power. In this case, the Kratom ban targets the choice made by millions of our citizens who have found relief from conditions including chronic pain, addiction, and refractory anxiety/depression. There seems to be little to support the case for significant recreational use or excessive risk. Those people who have found relief with Kratom are well informed and accepting of the risks, especially when compared to conventional alternatives. Expense unquestionably enters into the discussion when one considers the alternative of prescription medications (although arguably presenting increased risks), as many providers operate on a cash basis only and refuse insurance. The conditions of depression, substance abuse, addiction, and chronic pain are inexorably linked. It would seem that if Kratom can benefit those suffering from these afflictions, we should not only maintain its legal status, but find a way to increase its availability and expand research efforts. Neuropharmacology is extremely complex, but it seems that opioid balance is of equal importance to that of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Exercise, caffeine, and nicotine may exact their effects through a similar pathway. What defines the concept of “high” versus normal or mildly energized. That’s not entirely clear, but as a society, we’ve given people the choice to most often make these decisions for themselves barring undue risk to themselves or others. Lastly, we should not rest until the inequity in mental health funding and availability/access has been addressed. It is nothing but confounding given the prevalence in our society. Murray A. Holcomb, MD FACS Georgetown, TX
WELCOME TO THE FIRST ISSUE OF
KRATOM CULTURE Magazine
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Kratom advocacy is a difficult path. Though the concept for this magazine was born in the spring of 2017, it has taken us nearly two years to make this dream a reality. From pulled funding, setbacks from regulatory agencies, ban scares, and importing issues, it's been emotionally overwhelming and there have been times when we have had to take a step back in order to simply care for ourselves. Living with Chronic Pain requires tremendous self-care, the setting of boundaries to say no when we just can't go any further until we rest for awhile. Thank you to everyone for sticking with us!Â
Heather D. Hawkins Editor-in-Chief
"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is, in the eyes of others, only a green thing that stands in the way." William Blake
WE ARE CHANGE CODA TURTLE SNYDER
Hello to all my favorite little butterflies, ladybugs, dragonflies, rays of sweet delicious sunshine, rainbows, radiant magical dewdrops, absolutely positively strawberry strudel cupcakes, tasty morsels of blueberry nuggets of love, take my breath away slices of heavenly pie, take my hand and fly away to that precious blue sky, you wonderful "I don't care who's looking, I'm gonna dance anyway," singing in the shower, happily walking in the rain, sensationally unique individuals! You make me laugh so hard right knock me outta my chair, magnificent souls, beautiful spirits, cutie patooties, radiant love muffins, passionate overcomers, pure kindness, I can do anything, fish catching, best bbq'ing, brave toss and wash, tea sipping, "K" tree growing, greatest herb and natural remedy providing, FB felons, soulmate friends! LOL! Did I miss anyone? I truly love thinking about what is yet to come for us all. I think we are just now scratching the surface and headed for our truest potential. My biggest love of all is that we are all in this loving and compassionate garden, growing together, every single day!
We are flowering beings whose eternal bloom is called JOY.
We are change. We are one!
Kratom Rally Washington DC Sept. 2016
How Kratom Helped Save One Law Enforcement Officer's Life by Marisa Anne
“If it wasn’t for kratom I would have eaten my gun by now,” Mike C. said over a cup of coffee. Mike, a Police Officer in Eastern Pennsylvania, has been consuming kratom since 2017 for orthopedic issues stemming from an on the job injury. Mike explained how intense the pain can get and how it has negatively impacted his quality of life. “I’m not ready to retire, I’m only 39, but the medications they had me on for pain were not a good fit for the type of job I have. I basically was told that I would have to go out on disability if the pain meds were going to be a long-term thing. I can’t afford to retire right now. I’d lose everything I’ve worked so hard for. I was in a really dark place – treat my pain and lose my career that I love and 60% of my income or live in excruciating pain. It seemed like it was a hopeless decision.” Thankfully, Mike was introduced to kratom by a friend who was injured in Afghanistan. “I was amazed at how well he was managing his injuries, and I knew he wasn’t in any sort of pain management, so I asked him what he was doing. I was fully prepared for him to try and sell me some direct sales powders or supplements or something. When he told me he was taking kratom, I immediately looked it up.” At first Mike was concerned about some of the links he found online. Being in law enforcement, Mike was intimately familiar with the wart on drugs, and was in constant contact with drug addicts and dealers, so he was afraid of some of the information he read online. It wasn’t until his friend put him in touch with the American Kratom Association website, and he was able to read some of the information they had available on their website that he felt comfortable trying kratom. The difference was immediate.
“I could not believe what a difference it made, and what a positive impact that it has had on my health. I cannot say that about anything my surgeon had to prescribe me.” When asked about his thoughts on the DEA attempted scheduling in the fall of 2016 and the recent on-going campaign to discredit kratom by the FDA, Mike’s response was immediate. “Over the course of my career, I have seen what dangerous, deadly drugs can do first hand. I have seen lives lost, people and families destroyed. How anyone in law enforcement can look at plain leaf, natural kratom with it’s history of safe consumption in Southeast Asia and more recently here in the US, and read story after story of everyday people who have nothing but inspiring stories to share about how kratom has improved their lives, and it makes me so angry that the government is doing this! In my opinion a can of beer is more dangerous than kratom is.” As we get ready to part ways, Mike smiles. “I’m getting ready to take my wife on a cruise for her birthday. We have a very full itinerary planned doing all kinds of excursions. Without kratom, none of it would be possible; not my ability to feel well enough to do all the things on our bucket list, not even the job that is helping me pay for it. Kratom saved my life literally and figuratively. We have to fight the misinformation and protect our right to choose our own path to wellness.”
meet the artist
Meet kratom advocate and artist Rebecca Blacksher
Rebecca Blacksher "As an artist with fibromyalgia, it's a struggle to get out of bed most days. Kratom helps me to get through the every day struggle of living with fibro with less pain and more energy, which in turn helps be to be able to create more art. Kratom allows there to be some good in every bad day. Any day I can paint and create is a good day, thanks in a big part to kratom."
September 2016 Keep Kratom Legal Rally
Laura Jones, American Kratom Association volunteer, mother and kratom advocate.Â
I GET SO IRRITATED WITH PEOPLE WHO DON’T BELIEVE FIBROMYALGIA IS REAL. FOR ME, AND I THINK FOR MANY OTHERS, IT’S A CYCLONE OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PTSD, TRAUMA, AND PANIC DISORDER, ALL OF WHICH SENDS THE NERVOUS SYSTEM INTO OVERDRIVE, AND THEN YOU HAVE NERVE PAIN AS A RESULT. PEOPLE NEED TO BE MORE COMPASSIONATE. CHRONIC PAIN IS NO JOKE.
Lady Gaga NBC NEWS
(Washington, DC) American Kratom Association (AKA) chairman Dave Herman announced in November 2018 the official launch of the AKA GMP Standards Program that looks to enhance the safety of kratom products offered to consumers, including a confirmed and current list of kratom manufacturers who have committed to follow strict manufacturing and processing standards, as verified by a third-party auditor. This move, according to Herman, will allow consumers to make informed choices on kratom products they purchase. "We are undertaking this effort with the intention of making a safe industry even safer," Herman said. "We want kratom consumers to feel comfortable and assured in purchasing from qualified vendors who agree to participate in the AKA GMP Standards Program." According to Herman, the process will provide kratom consumers with the confidence they need that they are purchasing kratom that has been processed safely and according to enhanced guidelines. "The AKA GMP Standards Program will help reassure the public and demonstrate to the FDA, DEA, lawmakers, and others that the kratom industry is acting responsibly," Herman said. "Those who pass muster will be acknowledged as being 'AKA GMP Qualified'." Herman stressed that "the AKA GMP Standards Program will also protect kratom consumers from unscrupulous vendors who produce kratom products using sloppy manufacturing procedures that allow for contamination, and equally important the standards program will exclude vendors who deliberately adulterate kratom products to boost their effect by adding dangerous and sometimes deadly substances like fentanyl."
AKA Announces launch of official GMP program Once a company has affirmed it will follow these manufacturing standards and commits to the independent audit schedules to verify that it has adopted the AKA GMP Standards, the American Kratom Association will add that vendor to its list of qualified vendors on its website. Herman said: "Vendors will also agree to annual independent audits of their facility and manufacturing processes to ensure that they remain compliant with these standards." Kratom leaves have been used safely for centuries by people throughout Asia. Over the past four decades, US kratom suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors have turned those ingredients into teas, powders and capsules, helping Americans throughout the country enjoy the natural benefits kratom provides. The AKA GMP Standards Program is the next step in a maturing industry that looks to protect the kratom consumer and provide enhanced industry standards. Vendors that would like to participate in the AKA GMP Certification Program should visit the dedicated webpage. For more information about the American Kratom Association and its mission, visit www.americankratom.org.
The Over Medication of the American Nation Story by Heather Culpepper
As I browsed the magazines in my local library, one in particular caught my eye. The June 15, 2015 issue of Time magazine stared back at me as tears rushed down my face. My best friend had just died one week before and I hadn’t had time to process anything. She allegedly died of an overdose by shooting up a drug called Fentanyl. ADDICTION CRISIS IN AMERICA I am not the only mom in America who found herself hooked on opiates. In 2012 I found myself in the ER three times in less than two weeks. The last ER doctor finally had the sense to do an MRI after I explained that my left thumb had gone numb and I dropped my morning coffee because my arm just gave out from numbness and tingling. They gave me a shot of dilaudid and sent me home with a recommendation to see a family physician for long term care. I did and was placed on Tramadol and I loved it. It gave me so much energy (and also insomnia, for which they prescribed yet another drug to counter the side effects of the first drug.) A couple of years later I found myself being suddenly taken off Tramadol by my primary care doctor because the DEA on August 18, 2014 classified it as a schedule IV controlled substance. DEATH COMES KNOCKING The morning of my best friend’s death, I spoke with her briefly just to catch up and see how things were going. I had noticed a lot of activity in her FB feed and was curious as to why she was planning on moving from Mississippi to Minnesota. So I gave her a call. She was cheerful as usual, always upbeat, always funny. But something wasn’t right. I could detect it in her voice. I couldn’t put my finger on it but it made me uncomfortable and I wanted to hang up the phone so I made an excuse and got off. It was three days later when I got the message that she had died of a fentanyl overdose late Monday night. When I began posting how angry I was about the fact that she had gotten her hands on some fentanyl, I got a couple of emails from family members saying they didn’t want her being remembered that way. But this needs to be talked about, and it needs to be talked about openly. WHO OPENED THE DOOR TO OPIOID ADDICTION? “It took a tragic combination of good intentions, criminal deception and feckless oversight to turn America’s desire to relieve its pain into such widespread suffering. Weak research opened the door to overuse of opioids (while) the FDA approved ever more powerful drugs for long-term use based only on evidence of their shortterm safety.
Two pharmaceutical companies pleaded guilty to criminal charges that they misleadingly marketed the drugs as safe. Too many doctors embraced the easy solution of treating pain by writing a prescription,” writes Massimo Calabresi in the June 15, 2015 issue of Time. The story reported in Time certainly opens the door for an important and long overdue dialogue about prescription painkiller addiction. But it’s not just opiates that American doctors are guilty of over prescribing. Got a kid who is hyperactive? Don’t discipline, drug him. That’s the mindset of parents these days who find themselves at a loss when they don’t know what to do. I speak from personal experience. My mother worked two jobs and I never saw her. I acted out. I drank when I was a teenager. I ran with the wrong crowd. So what did she do? She told me there was “something wrong with me” and sent me to a three month psychiatric in patient hospital in the city of Chicago. I refused drugs, because, at the tender age of 14, I knew I didn’t need drugs- I needed a mother. My relationship with my mother only grew worse as time passed and I self medicated with alcohol for years until I found harder drugs. I have done countless stints in rehab and in the rooms of A.A. and to be honest, I did not find what I needed in the rooms of AA either. Addiction is a tricky subject. Some say a spiritual solution is needed. Addiction specialists like Dr. Carl Hart say: “Most heroin users go to work, pay their taxes,” Hart tells The Huffington Post. “They don’t need help.” But the truth is, most people outgrow their addictions. At least I did. Once I took a look at why I was using drugs to fill the void in my life, I realized I wasn’t happy and I needed something to fulfill me that wasn’t self destructive. But my brain was also jacked up from years of drug abuse. So, I began taking kratom and that’s when my life started to turn around. That is, until the government overreach that it still happening today began. We have come so far now, let’s not give up hope. Let’s continue to work together to right the wrongs, reverse the bans and show up every day to our lives knowing we are doing the best work we can!
Mitragyna speciosa is a tropical evergreen tree in the coffee family native to Southeast Asia. M. speciosa is indigenous to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea, where it has been used in traditional medicines since at least the nineteenth century.
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