[jfk13]

I'm not familiar with that "awesome herb", so I wondered what other sources might have to say.

While the numbers are small (unsurprisingly, if it's not nearly as widely known and used as some other substances), it may not be quite as innocuous as you seem to imply:

> "A 2019 paper analyzing data from the National Poison Data System found that between 2011-2017 there were 11 deaths associated with kratom exposure. Nine of the 11 deaths reported in this study involved kratom plus other drugs and medicines, such as diphenhydramine (an antihistamine), alcohol, caffeine, benzodiazepines, fentanyl, and cocaine. Two deaths were reported following exposure from kratom alone with no other reported substances."

> "In 2017, the FDA identified at least 44 deaths related to kratom, with at least one case investigated as possible use of pure kratom."

(https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/kratom)

Actually, even the study you linked has some disturbing statements:

> Deaths attributed to the use of Kratom have been reported in Europe and the United States but not in Southeast Asia.

> The increasing trend in Kratom consumption in the West has corresponded with an increase in reports of Kratom-related exposures to Poison Control Centers in the United States, care received at a health care facility due to Kratom consumption, and association with overdose fatalities.

> Kratom was identified as the cause of death by a medical examiner in 91 of the 152 Kratom-positive deaths, but was the only identified substance in just seven of these cases.

[ctoth]

This is the most reefer madness comment I have ever seen on Hacker News. Seven possible deaths with just Kratom and this justifies banning it?

How many deaths and ruined lives will those enforcing a Kratom ban be responsible for? Perhaps we should consult the history of bans of other drugs to get some idea.

Anyone claiming that their reason for adding yet another substance to The Forever War on Drugs is harm reduction should be laughed out of the room at this point. I reckon that, because the Covid vaccine has been responsible for at least ten blood clots we should also set up a global ban to ensure nobody ever gets to take it.

[technothrasher]

The person you were replying to said nothing about banning it. They simply said that a little poking around showed the previous poster's description of it as completely harmless was possibly contested. Your knee jerk reaction that asking questions about a drug is the same as demanding a ban on it reveals a pretty strong bias on your end.

[pas]

It seems to support the harmless claim. Basically water, coffee, red meat, sunlight and so on are more dangerous than kratom if you look at similar numbers.

[jfk13]

If you're going to label scientific papers you don't like as a "wall of FUD" [edit: I see you've decided to remove this remark], I'm not sure there's much we can discuss further.

I didn't say it should be banned. Or that it shouldn't. I don't know enough to form an opinion on the question.

I just wondered how balanced and objective the post from irthomasthomas was, did a quick search for other points of view, and felt it was worth offering some additional comments for consideration.

[ryanlol]

You didn’t link a scientific paper. You linked a government drug propaganda website.