Kratom activism

[wachumacallit]

Topic is broad, from growing, importing, distributing, to lobbying, campaigning, anything short of kidnapping and torture. The parlous state of affairs in Oz is beyond woeful -- and beggars belief. I have gardening-related nerve pain, no income, no income support, no access to GP or their Big Pharma opiod prescription racket. One can petition the TGA for changes to kratom's legal status, but the gatekeeping is all done with toxicology and other requirements. I can make a credible humanistic and even medical argument in favour of de-scheduling, but the laboratory/scientific stuff is well beyond me. Who else feels the need to take formal action to make kratom freely available to Australian sufferers of chronic and acute pain? Please PM or post below if you're interested in taking action. 

[Ishmael Fleishman]

...

Edited August 16, 2024 by Ishmael Fleishman

[ZooL]

I'm in favor of pretty much all things people may wanna put in themselves(or consenting others) being legal and accepted, but i would be hesitant getting on board with any and all activism in favor of it as some kinds or activism and approaches can be counter productive and just push what should be mainstream issues more to the fringes.

[wachumacallit]

I have mixed feelings about activism too (from experience). What I meant, primarily, in this context, is mounting an application to the TGA for re-scheduling. But that involves SWIM with technical expertise, as regards toxicity. This is an application process that occurs very much "behind the scenes." I think in the US it was a case of kratom users successfully petitioning government, but I doubt that the TGA would be open to that kind of influence. They have a very particular application form for re-scheduling poisons, most of which I could probably complete myself. But there's a section that needs some hard data on toxicity. I guess the form is usually completed by someone wanting to bring kratom products to the therapeutic goods market. Someone at the TGA recommended this pathway to me. I had tried for a FOI request of TGA correspondence on the kratom scheduling, but they put a hefty price tag on that request. If they're totally captive to Big Pharma and synthetic opioids, there's not much point completing the application for re-scheduling. But, you never know. Might be worth a shot. 

 

Wikipedia entry on kratom is hilarious, by the way. Outdated information to suggest it really is the scourge of human society. But neither WHO or DEA views kratom as a drug of concern, these days.