My open letter to reporters who don't research Kratom

My new email for every time I find a article filled with misinformation about Kratom.

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I recently read your article on Kratom and found it to be filled with misinformation.
You have to do better to inform the public instead of regurgitating the same rhetoric filled narrative put out by other media outlets.

Your article, like other reports, is meant to strike fear in the reader, like Reefer Madness was meant to do to the viewers in the 1930's. You article is biased and does not provide a platform for the legitimate researchers, scientists, growers or users. You said that Kratom mimics the high experience from opiates, this is not completely true. There more than ten kinds of legitimate Kratom products I know of, some for pain relief, some for focus, some for for endorphin rushes. There isn't just one product. Each product is picked at different stages of growth to provide different results.

https://pd.pharmacy.ufl.edu/research/kratom/

The most important questions in this discussion is, "What is an addiction?", "Why are so many people addicted [insert repetitive engagement]?"
Addictions are in layman terms, a desire to repeat an experience which substitutes your reality.

Then why are so many addictions?
The answer is because our mental state in America is unhealthy.
Too many people have had their minds corrupted and they seek to escape their reality.

The Big Pharma, like the Sackler family/Purdue Pharma, were nothing more than drug pushers and did so legally with our government's help.
They took advantage of this human trait and they are the primary cause of the current opioid crisis in America.

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/03/991648432/25-states-mount-legal-fight-to-block-sackler-bid-for-opioid-immunity

This narrative being pumped out by the media to increase viewership is just as bad as the system which continues to avoid addressing the real reasons for addictions. Our system fails these people by not giving them proper mental help for their addictions. Instead the system profits off addictions, like OxyContin and drug addiction centers using Methadone 

Why don't you talk about the 3500 deaths every year from Methadone? or 15,000 from Heroin? or 14,000 from OxyContin?
Why don't you talk about the 4 million people who die from sugar related deaths? Did you know that sugar is more addictive that cocaine or heroin?

Sugar addiction: pushing the drug-sugar analogy to the limit - PubMed

We don't see anyone jumping up and down and getting angry at the drug pumping sugar industry. No one is pulling Pepsi or Coke off the shelves.
The minor number of people dying with Kratom in their system is a tragic issue, but they aren't dying from Kratom.

Kratom is far less addictive than dozens of legally prescribed drugs and it is often joked about in the Kratom community that coffee is more addictive.
Should care be taken when using it? Yes, just like you shouldn't take 20 multi vitamins every day.
Should Kratom be labeled as a supplement, No. I don't believe it should be a supplement.
Should Kratom be banned? No. There are over 3 million legitimate users of Kratom in the USA and they don't abuse the drug.
Should Kratom be regulated more? YES! Get the Kratom off the shelves of 7-11. Kratom resellers need to be certified and regulated.

I Was 'Wrong' About Kratom and Here's Why

Did you know that the FDA's report on Kratom was rejected by the scientific community because it was fallible? It failed to mention that 7/10 deaths in the report had cocaine, heroin and or other prescription drugs in their system at the time of their deaths? And it also failed to mention the sources of the Kratom, which was often bought from 7/11's or other quick-mart convenience stores, which sell this stuff to kids? just like they did with bath salts a decade ago? is instead a mixture of unknown, unregulated herbs, and some times synthetic substances.

UF Study Suggests Kratom Could Treat Opioid Addictions

Did you know that the same people who wanted to have Kratom scheduled as a Schedule 1 substance, rejected the guidelines by the CDC for Opioid prescriptions?

https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2015/12/4/fed-panel-opposes-cdc-opioid-guidelines

You should really reach out to the Kratom community.

Legitimate people using Kratom. Growers who are certified by state and federal regulations. Seek out the researchers and scientists who are seeking the truth behind this plant which could solve the opioid addiction gripping the United States. And ask yourself, why would the big Pharma companies want people to not kick their opioid addictions? Instead, these companies have setup the revolving door of profit, to push their legal drugs on the public, like the Sackler Family and Purdue Pharma drug ring that harmed millions of Americans.

As a user of Kratom for seven months now, there has never been another solution to my pain. I've tried them all and they were all highly addictive, reality bending, brain fogging legalized drugs which didn't help me any with my pain. I only take Kratom (tea form) when I need it, because I'm one of those people who is a responsible user. I'm not looking for a high. I'm not trying to run away from reality.

UF Research Could Help Settle Kratom Controversy - WUFT News

https://pharmacy.ufl.edu/2020/10/20/kratom-tea-study-stirs-up-new-support-for-relieving-opioid-dependence/

There is research being done by legitimate scientists/researchers who are discovering the value of such compounds found in kratom which can help people kick the opioid addictions or provide pain relief with out the addictive side effects of prescription drugs. Here are some links for you to use in future articles.

https://pharmacy.ufl.edu/profile/mclaughlin-jay/#publications

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10571-020-01034-7

https://pharmacy.ufl.edu/profile/mccurdy-christopher/#publications

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.0c01055

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6612999/

https://kratomguides.com/type-kratom-like-opiates/

Kratom: Fear-worthy foliage or beneficial botanical? - Harvard Health Blog

Kratom tea study stirs up new support for relieving opioid dependence

last edited by patrickc

Just read your thoughts on the drug companies and you are so right on no one wants you to help yourself it's always the doctors way I do have a question if someone can tell me why don't sellers come up with a sample kit you can purchase so you can see what works for different people

Just read your thoughts on the drug companies and you are so right on no one wants you to help yourself it's always the doctors way I do have a question if someone can tell me why don't sellers come up with a sample kit you can purchase so you can see what works for different people


Another thing is doctors who are complacent. They go through the routine of listening to the drug reps who push the drugs on their office, who in turn push the drugs on their patients. One of the articles I talked about in my post noted that the committee formed by the drug manufactures REJECTED the CDC recommendations for controlling prescription opioids. They rejected NON-PRESCRIBE solutions! Like meditation, yoga, exercise, mental help therapy and diet changes. They didn't want doctors to stop pushing their drugs.

Doctors also start treating the symptoms rather than the source of the symptom. This is part of the problem with fibromyalgia because fibromyalgia isn't the cause of the problem. fibromyalgia is the symptom of a greater problem! So if you are complaining of pain, the solution for them is to prescribe you opioids. So you are getting rid of the pain, but not correcting the reason why you are in pain.

I also found that doctors who want you to lose weight, for example, would rather put you on their special diet pills rather than to run tests on you, to see what is happening in your body. This happened to me. I had been going to this one doctor for almost 20 years. As I slowly gained weight and became less active, the pain increased, to the point where I could barely move. Getting up from a chair took me minutes to complete and the pain was unbearable.

I now have a new doctor who diagnosed me with several problems and I've had to change my diet. I also had to take special medication to flush my system, which was only temporary.

I still have pain, but now it is more manageable. I only use Kratom when I do long walks and I know it will end up being a painful day. I also don't need as much Kratom.

I know there are others out there who are suffering and either can't get help or don't know there is a inexpensive solution to their problems. Some people can change their whole lives just by eliminating one or two things from their diet. Doctors can't make money off this so they take the route which gives them the greater profit.

last edited by patrickc
Great post!

Thanks. I put a lot of time and research in to this info. When I was doing it, I kept thinking "These reporters are supposed to be doing this research!" but today, news is corrupted. They don't do research anymore like they are supposed to do. Instead they have a deadline to meet and they want to pump out the easiest way to do it. So they copy each other. The three that I've responded to in the last couple of months used the same formulaic style of articles. They had a single source, a person who by the way is not qualified to speak on the subject, and then provide no voice for the other parties involved. They just want to get a fear reaction from the viewer. Then there is also the "behind the scenes" shit going on. A narrative which was started from a single source who is seeking to rid the country of Kratom. It goes from one reporter to the next, across the country, until everyone is talking about Kratom like it was heroin. "oh no! Kratom! What will we do!?" "Let's burn it all down!" then you get a mob mentality.

@patrickc I have to be careful how I talk but yah man it really blows how they writers of these articles do not read into the shit they are reporting. something to consider is some of this stuff is written by bots. Also keep in mind a lot of them just don't know. Most don't get called out for the BS they write. Just be civil and give them facts. But give them hell man. I'm glad to see your so passionate about kratom. Feels like you just got started and now all in. I love seeing that.

**** THEIR REPLY

We get hundreds of complaints a day about this from angry/hostile/threatening Kratom users around the country - the vast majority of which are vulgar and woefully unformed.
As you seem smart and are at least polite – I’ll answer this email

First of all Patrick – what in the world could possibly serve as my motivation for attempting to “strike fear in the reader” as you say?
There is none. TV ratings are practically non-existent as a revenue tool with the advent of streaming

At least you understand how Kratom works – most others liken it to a herbal remedy with absolutely no risk – this is false.
You say the article is full of “misinformation” – everything in the web story is true.

What you object to, it seems, is that the information you would have wanted to be in the story – wasn’t there – namely the perceived benefits of the non-medical professionals who take Kratom and are afraid it will be banned in more states that it already is.

This story was suggested to me by a local Drug Treatment center and the focus of the story was a sharp increase in Kratom use in Western Michigan. We delineated quite clearly the reasons people take the drug and the risk associated with it. Period.

A good follow up story was going to be testimonials from current Kratom users – although I’m no longer doing any such thing.

We’ve been harassed about this enough.
I’m thrilled Kratom works for so many people – truly I am


**** MY REPLY

I won’t take much of your time because I sense your position on the subject, but I do thank you for responding.

On behalf of the Kratom community which is seeking to inform the public that Kratom is not the villain, I send an apology. Those people who reacted in a rude and vulgar manner do not represent us. I imagine many of those people feel threatened by these articles because they only present one side of the story. They might be in pain and are suffering and Kratom is the only solution for their recovery. Losing it could be an end to functioning with some normalcy.

Our community is a collective of researchers, growers and users who are trying to find solutions. We do not like that convenience stores are allowed to sell Kratom or non-Kratom that is harming others. We do not want Kratom sold as a dietary supplement either. It can be a dangerous product if used incorrectly. Guidelines and regulations for growing, distribution and use should be used to protect the public. Banning it is not the solution to stop people from abusing it. That would be a mental health issue, which also needs attention.

My final thoughts are, no one has done a follow up piece to show the other side of it. There are some off beat articles on the Internet which try to present the other side, but not a single news outlet has presented a follow up piece to their original article and I suspect because it doesn’t fit the narrative.

I had a long reply countering some of his statements, but I found it to be worthless to go in to detail. I could tell he had enough of the subject and since it didn't have an effect on his life he wanted to move on to other things. However, he is the only person that replied.

I wanted to tell him that his original article, even though it was truthful, was still misinformative because it was biased. He said he was asked to do the piece because a local rehab center said there had been an increase in the Kratom cases, but I find that meh, curious. If I was running a drug rehab center I would be more concerned about the opioid problem going on in the country. The number of Kratom users who have problems or die from it are extremely low. In that one report from the FDA, I believe 93 people were listed as dying with Kratom in their system. However, 70% of them had other drugs in their system and one of them shot themselves. Leaving the other ones up in the air as to why they really died.

Think about it. If 95 people died in one year (doesn't matter if it was Kratom or not), that's less than 2 per state. In the same year over 3500 people died from Methadone. That's 70 people dying. Then 300 per state for Heroin and 280 for OxyContin.

Personally, I don't think any one has died from Kratom. People who abuse Kratom has some serious mental health issues. They are addicted because their mind is corrupted. They need to get their mind straight so that they can stop being addicted to (what ever).


@patrickc
Certainly an interesting discussion. I’m curious about a couple things you mentioned.

“There more than ten kinds of legitimate Kratom products I know of, some for pain relief, some for focus, some for for endorphin rushes.“

Does this refer to vein color/drying techniques or actual Kratom products?

There isn't just one product. Each product is picked at different stages of growth to provide different results.

I wasn’t aware of this. Is it mentioned in one of the links?

Wow @patrickc! 🤩

Excellent reply to media misinformation and how it spreads like wildfire with nobody bothering to investigate the actual substance they are reporting on.

THANKS for your excellent advocacy voice for the (unadulterated) kratom community!

@comma Many sellers absolutely do have sample kits ! The sellers know how important that is! Here are some suggestions for you:

https://herbarosakratom.com/product/kratom-variety-pack/. <—- I haven’t tried them yet, but I hope to

https://insensebotanicals.com/?s=Samples <— This one is a friend and colleague and I do web influencing and marketing for them. I absolutely recommend their sample packs. This page has more explanation about the products. There is this one as well as a wider variety pack here: They are both shown here : https://insensebotanicals.com/product-category/sample-packs/

Here’s another one I am actually shopping with NOW and I will be getting the sampler as well. You get 3 strains and by using the arrows/drop-down list, there is an impressive selection of choices. I’m getting the red Bali (I always get that - for my particular pain), the green Malay, and the maeng da mix. Vendors blend their strains better than I do). I only just learned of this vendor today by reading a review from a trusted source : https://socraticsolutions.us/product/kratom-powder-sampler-pack/

The key is, after you bring up a vendor website, seek the magnifying glass looking SEARCH feature on that front page. Type in sample and hit enter. If they have one, you’ll find it that way. A good many vendors put it right up front of entry.

Lots of vendors prefer to keep things less complicated with their staffing and time, so some vendors are better suited for shoppers with more experience under their belt. It’s just EXPENSIVE to buy those smaller bags, measure and fill them, many are discounted shipping charges. All of that takes time and skilled employees (handling powder in a sanitary way is not inexpensive or quick.

Here’s another one to consider: https://laughinglionherbs.com/kratom-samples/. <—-friend and trusted vendor

One more from a popular vendor: https://www.teatimebotanical.com/product/5-pack-1-ounce-sampler/


@comma Tommy I posted a reply about samples and how many vendors DO offer sample kits. Hope you find my reply and/or found some on your own 👍