Articles

03/18/2025

03/14/2025

03/13/2025

Novel semi-synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine products pose public health risks due to the unknown chemical constituents and the known pharmacology of 7-hydroxymitragynine. Clinicians must screen patients for their use and policymakers must distinguish between kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

The policy implications of semi-synthetic 7-hydroxymitraynine products are unknown, but adverse events or fatalities resulting from 7-hydroxymitragynine products could pose complications to the regulation of a growing kratom industry. Kratom is now used by 10–15 million US adults. Decisions regarding kratom scheduling and regulation are liable to become confused if policymakers can or will not differentiate between kratom and high-potency 7-hydroxymitragynine products synthesized in unregulated or makeshift laboratories. To be clear: equating 7-hdyroxymitragynine products to kratom is analogous to equating synthetic cannabinoids to unaltered cannabis or hemp. Although not all organic kratom products are equal, they have not emerged as a net detriment to public health, and they remain unscheduled at the federal level. Novel semi-synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine products pose public health risks due to the unknown chemical constituents and the known pharmacology of 7-hydroxymitragynine. Clinicians must screen patients for their use and policymakers must distinguish between kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

03/06/2025

03/02/2025

Police say the teenager called 911 before the shooting and told dispatch he was going to kill himself or someone else, then hung up, the outlet reported. When the dispatcher called back, the teen’s mother answered and said there was nothing happening at the home, according to police.   

Police “found that the 15-year-old suspect had just eaten a bunch of edibles, and I guess had a bad reaction to them,” Horelica told the station.

02/17/2025

02/17/2025

01/30/2025

01/27/2025

Kratom has addictive properties and can be dangerous to use. The Poison Information Centre reports that several people in Sweden have sought medical attention after ingesting kratom. There are also several cases, according to the National Board of Forensic Medicine, where mitragynin has contributed to death or been the cause of death, writes FHM in a press release.

This Sweden Herald article strengthens the case for banning kratom by documenting its lethal risks (deaths, addiction), surging use (40 tons imported), and narcotic classification, mirroring your concerns about its untested dangers and the 5,800 U.S. deaths. It undermines regulation—such as the FKCPA or KCPA—by suggesting these measures can’t address kratom’s intrinsic hazards, enforcement challenges, or deceptive health claims, especially for self-medicating users (Scientific American, 2021). Sweden’s decisive action supports that a ban, not regulation, is the only way to halt this public health threat, given evidence regulation fails to prevent harm at scale.

01/24/2025

01/16/2025

The paper exposes the marijuana industry’s "dirty little secret": high-potency THC products can trigger psychosis, particularly in youth. Despite mounting evidence, the industry perpetuates a campaign of confusion to discredit studies linking THC to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia-like psychosis and delusional thinking.

12/01/2024

11/08/2024

10/02/2024

09/29/2024

09/28/2024

09/26/2024

Begins at 30 minutes!  For more information on SAM- Smart Approaches to Marijuana

09/16/2024

09/09/2024

This amendment does nothing for them and was written solely to pad the profits of the mega marijuana corporations by granting them a monopoly. It’s not about access to weed, it’s about corporate greed.”

09/06/2024

09/02/2024

09/02/2024

08/27/2024

08/24/2024

08/24/2024

08/24/2024

08/22/2024

Problems, Potencies, Products- Excellent Powerpoint with historial data on the impact of marijuana legalization in Colorado.

07/12/2024

This should not surprise anyone!  Beyond dissapointing the DeSantis put poltics before the health and safety of all Floridians & tourists visting Floirda. 

06/28/2024

When she picked her son up from school, she noticed something was wrong.
“He looked like he was really sick,” she said.
After questioning her son, he told her that after he ate the piece of candy, and said the other student revealed it was an edible.
The mother was concerned for her son’s health, so she rushed him to the hospital, where a urine test confirmed marijuana was in his system.
She immediately reported the incident to Kissimmee police and the school resource officers.
News 6 contacted school officials for comment regarding potential disciplinary action against the student who provided the edible.

05/25/2024

Researchers have raised particular concern about synthesized products that isolate chemicals like 7-hydroxymitragynine, saying they could carry risks that are different from the kratom leaf long used in Thailand or Malaysia. McCurdy said when that chemical is isolated, "it's no longer really a kratom product."

05/24/2024

If you can't open the article click here

05/02/2024

DELTA-8 THC

• One-page education information for legislators and the community
• Letter to legislators supporting, opposing, sponsors, article responses
• Articles - In schools, parents abusing, children overdosing, ...
• Powerpoint presentations
• Health & Mental Health issues

04/17/2024

Kratom is not regulated as a controlled substance, though the Drug Enforcement Administration lists it as a “drug of concern.” The FDA has not approved kratom for any purpose, but supplements do not require the agency’s sign-off to be sold.

Kratom was the cause of 91 overdose deaths from July 2016 to December 2017, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But some estimates put the toll far higher: An analysis by The Washington Post found kratom listed as the leading or partial cause of death in at least 4,100 deaths from 2020 to 2022, and an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times last year found that more than 580 people in Florida alone had died from kratom-related overdoses since 2013.

02/23/2024

Smoking marijuana impacts blood flow in the brain and body, decreases respiration and body temperature, contributes to airway blockages, raises blood pressure, increases heart rate, impacts heart rhythm, and more — all of which can make recovery from surgery more difficult, according to a November 2019 review of literature. Use of marijuana also increases post-op pain, according to an October 2020 study.

 
The new study’s finding is significant, the authors said, considering prior analyses have found nearly 3 of every 10 marijuana users develop a dependence on weed called cannabis use disorder.

02/22/2024

02/18/2024

We were told those seven students had to be rushed to the hospital after ingesting the gummies that officials said were brought to school by a student.
The sirens of first responders were heard loud and clear outside of the school Tuesday afternoon.
The seven students were taken to Texas Children’s and Kingwood hospitals after ingesting the gummies.
It’s unclear who originally gave one of the students those gummies, but if you’re 21 and up and live in Texas you can buy multiple forms of THC in most gas stations.

02/08/2024

Summary: Significant psychiatric risks associated with high-THC cannabis concentrates, demonstrating that even in healthy adults, THC can induce a range of psychiatric symptoms, including psychosis. Given these findings, there's a strong argument for legislative action to limit THC potency in marijuana products to a maximum of 15% to safeguard public health. This precautionary measure is particularly crucial as the legal status of cannabis may lead individuals to perceive it as safe. Legislators have a responsibility to protect the public by implementing regulations that address the potency of cannabis products, prioritizing the well-being of those who may not be aware of the risks associated with high-THC consumption.

02/05/2024

THC exposure during adolescence may cause microglial cell death and brain changes, increasing schizophrenia risks in genetically susceptible individuals.
 
Earlier, a 2023 study found heavy marijuana use may trigger schizophrenia, particularly in young men. This study examined the health records of nearly 7 million Danish citizens and determined that up to 30% of schizophrenia diagnoses — around 3,000 in total — could have been prevented if young men hadn’t abused marijuana.

02/04/2024

Marijuana and hemp are made up of hundreds of cannabinoids, including Delta-9 THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana that makes people feel “high” and CBD. Delta-8 THC is a cannabinoid found in the hemp plant and is structurally similar to Delta-9 THC. Because Delta-8 THC is virtually identical to Delta-9 THC, it carries similar risks including risks of addiction and psychosis. In the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress legalized hemp and any hemp-derived products, including Delta-8 THC. As a result, Delta-8 products have popped up in virtually every state and are available at convenience stores and gas stations. 

02/04/2024

To enforce the changes, FDACS conducted “the largest ever inspection sweep of businesses selling products that contain hemp extracts in July and August,” a Department press note said. That included examinations of more than 700 businesses across all 67 Florida counties and resulted in the discovery of 83,000 packages of hemp-extract products that wouldn’t look out of place in a candy aisle.

02/02/2024

Cannabis legalization efforts are a boon to big business, but many Americans are paying with their health.

The hazy narrative of harmless recreation masks darker truths now coming to light. Evidence is mounting that the push for recreational drug use has led to increases in cannabis-related hospitalizations and links to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, cannabis use disorder, and more.

01/25/2024

Researchers detail how lawmakers and regulators could establish key guardrails for selling and using the herb.

The kratom association says it has reported dozens of kratom companies to the FDA for making medical claims. When asked for these reports, the association declined to share them.
Haddow, the association lobbyist, recently told CBS News that the industry has about 8,000 players. When asked how many are legitimate, he responded: “I would say three dozen, maybe a few more than that.”

Haddow- is a highly paid national lobbyist for the Kratom industry.  

01/23/2024

Excellent, comprehensive research on Kratom.  Printalbe format. 

12/20/2023

Surge of THC products, vapes has states struggling to regulate the booming market

12/17/2023

Some of the tactics in the kratom business may sound familiar. They mirror the strategies that were used for another controversial product — synthetic cannabis compounds, or “Spice.”

More than a decade ago, U.S. officials spotted a trend. Importers, court records show, were slipping Spice into the country from China by calling the white chemicals “cosmetics” or “sodium.” Products found at gas stations promised Spice was “herbal incense” or “not for human consumption.”

12/10/2023

The development of the unregulated market for THCA cannabis. THCA is a naturally occurring cannabinoid that converts to THC when heated. It is legal in all 50 states. So, even Texas and Florida you can walk into a smoke shop and legally purchase cannabis—that in many cases is high quality—at reasonable prices. It's a brilliant example of the unstoppable energy and ingenuity of the community. We will get cannabis to the people no matter what obstacle is put in our way.

12/09/2023

The Times bought the products from online vendors, gas stations, smoke shops and other businesses around the region. Below are the key testing results for each product.
They are ordered most potent to least, by product type, based on mitragynine levels. The Times also tested one product containing a large amount of 7-hydroxymitragynine, another kratom alkaloid that is more potent than mitragynine.
READ ARTICLE FOR SUMMARY OF EACH PRODUCT.
Sample of product summary

• The package the product was sent in came with a printed-out sheet showing testing results for mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, heavy metals and bacteria. A section of the report showing who ordered the results was blacked out.
• The product’s label advertised “pain relief + mood enhancement.” Federal law prohibits kratom companies from making medical claims on packaging or in advertising because the substance is not an approved drug.
• This product had nine times as much mitragynine as Sharma believes is safe to consume over an entire day.
• This product type was found at the scenes of two kratom-only overdoses in Florida.
• This product type was found at the scene of a kratom-only overdose in Florida.
• This product type was found at the scenes of two kratom-only overdoses in Florida.

12/03/2023

Spejcher told police who responded at the time that she had smoked marijuana before the alleged incident, the VC Star reported. That marijuana was so strong that it caused her to feel like she had died and had to fight her way out of it. 

11/30/2023

To report concerns about a retailer who sells snacks containing hemp-derived products, contact:

• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• Hillsborough County Code Enforcement, Regulatory Compliance
• - Report online or email RegComp@HCFLGov.net

  Photo Information: A properly labeled hemp-derived food product that complies with tightened regulations on snacks that contain THC, such as delta 8.