Regarding the Recent Florida "Kratom Death" Story

1st of all, my sincere & heartfelt condolences to all those who died directly or indirectly from kratom as well as their loved ones.  May their memory be a blessing.  In a humane & sane society with universal healthcare & science-based drug laws, these kinds of preventable tragedies would be much less common.  Supplements of ALL kinds would be FDA-regulated and not overseen by the same people who profit directly from their sale (thanks, DSHEA).  Mind-altering drugs like kratom & all opioids weaker than fentanyl would be regulated & available at designated locations for adult users to consume safely & privately.  No fentanyl or tranq dope in the drug supply, no doctor-shopping, no pill mills, no prison or job loss for private non-violent drug use.  No DC lobbyists needed to keep any drug legal.  Just addiction being treated like the disorder it is instead of a moral failing.

But we don't live in a sane or loving society, we live in America:  where both drugs and drug education are tainted thanks to the 80+ year Drug War.  Substances like kratom, Spice & bath salts--all powerful drugs with real health risks--are ironically the only "safe" option for consumers due to their legality, purity & affordability;  they're also dangerously over-available due to the refusal of health regulators to do the work of regulating recreational substances in any capacity on moral grounds.  Because in this prohibitionist society, drugs are either seen as a miracle or a threat, black-and-white.... Good or evil.  There is no middle ground between 100% illegal & legal but totally unregulated, and neither black market profiteers nor our gov't leaders give a damn about the human cost of their actions (or inaction).  It doesn't have to be this way.  

Let's take a quick trip down these two divergent yet equally dangerous paths, shall we?  

Path 1:  Prohibition (Schedule 1):  In this scenario, the drug in question is emergency scheduled for about 30-60 days & then chucked into CI permanently, where it's deemed to have no medicinal use and an unacceptable risk of addiction or death. All scientific research is halted & anyone caught in possession or with "distribution" amounts is fined or jailed, and anyone suspected of possession may have their home/property raided, their assets seized & their reputation destroyed.  Testing positive at work can get you fired on the spot.

Of course prohibition only addresses the supply, not the demand.  Legal vendors try to dump their supply ASAP & very quickly the black market (dealers, gangs, cartels, smugglers & other shady characters) pick up where they left off.  This is when things get hairy. Because unlike legal or even grey-market vendors, black market dealers have NO incentive to maintain honest practices--they just want $$$.  They're already breaking the law--what do they care if a customer dies, gets sick, a kid gets hold of their product, etc?  Violence, police & government corruption, drug adulteration & straight-up poison make its way into the scene & it suddenly doesn't resemble the substance you knew & trusted for years.  Prices are jacked up to triple/quadruple (or more) the old going rate to account for the risk inherent in handling illegal drugs and bingo-bango:  kratom's the new Paraquat pot or China white.

Path #2:  Unscheduled & unregulated.  Our current path with kratom, though it may not be for long.  And methinks that's part of the plan:  Let a critical mass of the public die until an outcry happens & the DEA/FDA have the public support to ban it.  In this scenario a total lack of gov't oversight allows anyone to manufacture & sell any form or strength of a drug in any public setting to ANYONE.  No federal age requirements, no standardized package warnings, no upper limits on dosage in products, no oversight at manufacturing facilities.  Nobody knows for certain what the LD-50 is.  This is just as insane as Path #1 and everyone knows it but we keep our mouths shut because, hey, at least it's legal! (for now).   Deaths are inevitable due to a lack of harm reduction education in the public sphere (television, schools, billboards, online, etc).  This path puts short-term kratom industry profits & convenience before public safety & fails to consider the big picture of keeping kratom legal in the long run, therefore it's just as bad as Path 1 because it ultimately leads to Path 1.  

(The 3rd path that the FDA's clamoring for is a CII or CIII designation so the whole plant is banned but its individual alkaloids can be studied & patented by pharma companies & sold back to us at ridiculous prices.  This path is borne of pure greed: history has shown repeatedly that single-ingredient & synthetic versions of plants like the opium poppy (morphine, codeine), cannabis (Marinol, Nabilone) & coca (cocaine) are almost always more addictive/toxic than the whole plant, not to mention nobody wants doctors & insurance companies deciding who's worthy of accessing this medicine.  They have no right to have that kind of monopoly on our health, especially when so many Americans can't even afford medical care or health insurance.  They tried to ban CBD supplements around the time Epidiolex, at a repulsive $32,500 per year, was approved & the public pushback was too overwhelming.  We can't let 'em do it with kratom.  If they want to be taken seriously about important things like vaccines, the FDA needs to get off Big Pharma's dick & be objective). 

The Florida Deaths

"Kratom injury lawyers."  This is bad, guys.

And this brings us to the Florida kratom deaths at the center of this controversy.  Twitter headlines loudly proclaim:  "533 kratom deaths in Florida!  Legal drug sold in gas stations touted as "safe" is killing our kids."  I must admit, this even alarmed me as that's a LOT of deaths.  Was there a tainted or ultra-potent batch going around?  What's going ON? 

Turns out, no.  There isn't.   It's just another case of overblown fear-mongering headlines telling half-truths to a public with the collective attention span of a gnat.  Most folks don't even digest a whole tweet before scrolling onto the next digital dopamine hit, let alone read & comprehend a 2,000+-word article.

To The Tampa Bay Times's credit, they did break down the death stats & include the info we all want to know:  that the vast, vast majority of these unfortunate souls were taking at least one other substance (96%  of the 533 total) or had other contributing health conditions (19 of 46 kratom-only deaths) at the time of death.  That's a lot more than the majority of kratom hitpieces disclose so hats off to the journalists on this story. It actually provides some useful data. 

 Here are the numbers, per the Tampa Bay Times:

White males w/ other opioids in their systems made up the vast majority of "kratom" deaths

At a glance, a couple things jump out at me:  as stated, the overwhelming majority had other drugs (83% had opioids like fentanyl, heroin or Rx pain pills that DO cause respiratory depression) in their system when they died, which makes it impossible to tell what role kratom may have played.  The huge preponderance of males raises questions:  are males just that much more likely to use kratom to begin with, or is it more dangerous in males for reasons we don't yet understand?  Or perhaps men are more likely to take risks like ingesting high doses or mixing kratom with other substances.  These questions & others need further clarification.  

Now, for the part that all kratom users are most concerned with:  the 46 "kratom-only" deaths.  While the article doesn't link to the autopsy or toxicology reports, they do state that 14 kratom-only OD victims had at least one other health condition listed on the autopsy as a contributing factor, which means kratom may have played a huge role or very little role--probably somewhere in between.  But we don't know.  And 5 of those 14 had heart disease--a serious condition on its own.  Regardless, ALL of their illnesses were severe enough to be considered a "contributing factor" in their deaths & not just a separate but unrelated condition. 

This leaves 32 Floridians in a decade who died exclusively of kratom toxicity/overdose with no other drugs in their system and no pre-existing health conditions listed as contributing factors.  Compare that to 380 deaths per DAY from excessive alcohol use nationwide totaling a staggering 140,000 alcohol-related deaths per year in the U.S.  (Source: CDC).

Still tragic but quite different from the headlines, yeah?  (Actually that's an impressively low number of fatalities in a decade for a totally unregulated drug sold OTC in extremely high doses to kids & anyone w/ $5 in their pocket).

Same questions apply in those kratom decedents who DID have contributing diseases:  what role specifically did kratom play in causing these deaths?  How extensive was the disease, how heavy was the dose & how exactly did they expire?  (The article states that kratom users who OD on the drug may die like stimulant users--from sudden cardiac death--or like opioid users, with swollen brains, fluid in the lungs & aspirated vomit.  This sort of makes sense when you consider the differing effects of white/green-vein vs. red-vein strains.  Also, plants harvested at different times of year can contain varying amounts of mitragynine, the active alkaloid in kratom.  7-hydroxymitragynine is the secondary alkaloid that binds to mu-receptors but strangely, neither it nor mitragynine content varied much between the 3 main vein colors in studies.  It was a 3rd, seemingly inactive compound called speciophylline that varied wildly between the stimulating and sedating subtypes, raising more questions than answers).  But it's impossible to tell if these variations in the kratom plant itself were responsible for the different ways these people expired or if it came down to personal physiology or other factors.  We desperately need more research on kratom's pharmacology, LD-50 & mechanisms of action to answer these questions.

It would be helpful if toxicology & autopsy reports were available to the public or, better yet, linked in the Times article. I empathize with the families' desire for privacy, but that horse left the barn when they filed lawsuits against kratom companies & other parties or gave autopsy access to reporters.  When in doubt, always cite & share your sources.  Aside from the sensational headlines, that's the only place the Tampa Bay Times article falls short.

Again, the authors of the Times article did a great job laying out the various ways the victims succumbed & doing actual investigative journalism instead of writing some 2-paragraph nothingburger that leaves 10,000 unanswered questions.  I also credit kratom advocates for holding irresponsible journalists/bloggers' feet to the fire over the years:  they probably know we're not the crowd to mess with.  Let this be proof that our voices DO matter & that coordinated, respectful pushback makes a difference. 

Kratom Myths That Kill

Since you're already here, let's bust some dangerous myths, shall we?  IT IS POSSIBLE TO DIE FROM KRATOM ALONE.  Or oxygen alone, or water, or salt.  Every substance no matter how "natural" or benign has a fatal overdose threshold/LD-50.  Even cannabis.  Just because kratom doesn't slow your breathing doesn't mean you can't overdose on it.  It raises heart rate & blood pressure & can cause seizures even in people who've never had them. Other mechanisms aren't as clear, but sudden cardiovascular events have been involved in some "kratom-only" deaths (see: Tampa Bay Times article).  

Understanding a drug's basic pharmacology is vital for safe use.  Kratom is something of a dirty drug akin to tramadol or clozapine in that it acts on multiple neurotransmitter systems including the mu-opioid & adrenergic receptors, the latter of which are also activated by caffeine & phentermine.  This makes it both an "upper" and a "downer" in a sense.  It's also thought to act on the serotonin & dopamine systems, though more research is needed in this area.  What IS mentioned in almost every kratom study is that it has a significant inhibitory effect on multiple enzymes that metabolize other drugs, which makes it potentially dangerous to combine with any substance that's also metabolized by these enzymes, as it can increase amounts of these drugs in the blood to dangerous levels.  

Additionally, a handful of cases of Serotonin Syndrome have occurred which can be fatal in severe instances.  See my recent article for a whole menagerie of kratom risks, myths & facts.  Common myths are that it's not addictive or the withdrawals are less severe than other opioids (they're about on par with hydro/oxycodone or high-dose codeine withdrawals); that it's "natural" & thus safer than synthetic or semi-synthetic opiates/oids (it's not necessarily "safer" than equipotent drugs, it just comes w/ unique risks that don't include respiratory depression) & that its legal status has anything whatsoever to do with its relative safety or risk--it doesn't, as the legal status of cancerous tobacco & the also-cancerous, toxic-at-any-dose booze should attest to.

Proposed Safety Regulations to #KeepKratomLegal

Example of potent kratom extract sold in stores & online

((The following are my opinions only so take them or leave them, just remember that failure of the industry & kratom advocates to act could very well result in a nationwide ban, if not now then sometime down the line.  We're on borrowed time IMHO.  The media + parents of deceased young people have historically been a very powerful combo, and the general public is always hungry for the next "demon drug" to project their anguish onto.  If you agree please share this article!)).

To begin with, kratom products MUST carry standardized warnings about dosage & drug interactions on the label (if sold in a container) or at the point of sale (in kratom/kava bars, etc).  Its effects on cytochrome enzymes that metabolize so many other substances makes it potentially deadly in this setting, as does its affinity for so many diverse neurotransmitter systems.  Kratom advocates should be leading the charge for these changes if we want to avoid a nationwide ban.

And in what universe are we banning the sale of booze/weed/vapes to kids while selling them an opioid agonist over the counter?  Kids too young to vote or buy explicit rap albums who could be prosecuted under "child porn" laws for sending racy selfies to each other in 3rd period can saunter into any truck stop or corner store & buy as much kratom as their hearts desire.  The way the drug is marketed as a natural benign supplement & its legality do give the false appearance of total safety, especially to kids with developing brains who already feel invincible.  In reality, many of these products are ultra-potent extracts or 'enhanced blends' with no health warnings on the package, plus teens are more likely to do risky things like combining kratom with other drugs, driving intoxicated, etc. Even in a best-case scenario, kratom is potentially addictive due to its opioid-binding effects & can cause nasty physical withdrawals.  No child can truly consent to that kind of life-ruining decision.  This can't be left up to states--children should not have legal access to recreational drugs, period.  Some things are for adults & kratom is one of them.  I'm all for parental responsibility but this one is on legislators.  We need federal age requirements yesterday.  Moving kratom products behind the counter like tobacco to prevent theft & send a message that these are actual drugs meant for adults wouldn't hurt either.

Finally, dosage clearly matters when it comes to kratom safety.  I know some may take issue with this but I would strongly suggest banning the commercial sale of kratom extracts & putting upper limits on alkaloid content in enhanced leaf products.  According to the Tampa Bay Times article, around half of the "kratom-only" decedents had upwards of 1,000 nanograms of mitragynine per ml of blood at autopsy, which is an absurd amount.  It would be very, very hard to ingest that much plain leaf fast enough to keel over.  These extracts have historically been responsible for many other kratom deaths due to adulteration & sheer potency as well.  If individuals want to make their own extracts at home, fine.  But no commercial extracts should be sold in businesses.  Americans turn everything into its most ridiculously potent form, from liquid fire kratom shots to crack-like cannabis "dabs" & shatter to actual crack cocaine.  We're never satisfied, always seeking stronger, harder, faster & bigger everything.  As we see here, that level of gluttony is not always good.  Our obesity epidemic, fentanyl crisis, housing crash & plenty of other societal plagues were caused by this same endless quest for MORE.  And it's killing us. 

So that's my recommendation as a lowly drug blogger and long-term kratom user:  1.)  standardized dosage/interaction warning labels on all packages, 2.)  federal minimum age requirements to purchase kratom (18 or 21), 2.5.)  move kratom products behind the counter like tobacco (optional), 3.)  ban the commercial sale of kratom extracts & 4.) enact (liberal/reasonable) upper limits for mitragynine on any enhanced leaf sold in public establishments. 

It's not perfect & will require cooperation between federal regulators, the AKA & kratom industry leaders but it will go a long way to put minds at ease & show that these entities care about consumers & not just kratom industry profits (or in the FDA's case, pharma profits).  More importantly, it will prevent or delay the dreaded scheduling/outright ban our gov't has been pushing for since damn near antiquity.  And MOST importantly, it will save lives--something we should all care about.  If they all can't be adopted right away, do what you can.  Something is better than nothing.  Change takes time but these seem like doable changes that don't place an unreasonable burden on vendors or growers like, say, testing every batch of leaf for alkaloid content or requiring expensive government licenses to grow/sell kratom. 

You can't very well claim that #kratomsaveslives when people are out here dying horrible deaths from it, and I say that as a long-term user & advocate who has watched many beloved legal substances get the banhammer in my lifetime.  Victim-blaming is easy but it helps nothing & is a bad look.  As stated in my previous article: common sense isn't so common.  Not everyone is informed about harm reduction due to the abstinence-only drug "education" (read: propaganda) of the Drug War, & many other factors like age, stress & trauma, income & general mental health/IQ can all influence a person's choices & lead to deadly outcomes.  It's on US to make kratom as safe as possible for everybody since our elected leaders refuse to lift a finger.  

The alternative is far worse.

Resources:  

The Tampa Bay Times -  Deadly Dose: Part 1

Centers for Disease Control: Deaths From Excessive Alcohol Use in the United States

So-Fucking-Long, 2023

Like this ornament?  Buy it here!

2023 has been a mixed bag of bad and worse:  Illness, death, abandonment, money issues, bizarre unnecessary hoops to jump through to obtain basic medical care (I mean, wt actual hell?!  Still wake up punching the air occasionally after that 2nd 'hoop' 🤢)  & the usual family bullshit with absolutely no outside help or support, emotional or otherwise. 

You really find out what you're made of when dealing with hard times alone.  So much phoniness, judgment & hate in the world, all because people choose to "kick the dog" & take their misery out on random subordinates instead of standing up to those actually making their lives suck:  slave-driving bosses, worthless abusive spouses, parents, politicians or others above them in the social hierarchy.  And here I am, just minding my business & trying to do right/be kind to people whenever possible.  Why does that always seem to blow up in my face?  🤔

So 2024 will be all about matching energy: no more naive, wide-eyed kindness unless that's the vibe you're coming with.  Call it my new year's resolution, whatevs.  Empathy & kindness are fine but they must be tempered with a realistic appraisal of situations & peoples' character or you're bound to get your heart stomped.  And stomped hearts are SO last season.

Here's hoping next year brings some relief & a change of fortunes for me & anyone else who struggled in 2023.  Of course "years" are a totally arbitrary, man-made measurement of time but still:  it's a good excuse to shake off this stale old energy & usher in some dope new vibes.   🥀 >>>🌹

🙏🏻☮✨💌💰🩷🔮🎎🫶🏼🫂⚖🧘🏻‍♀🌠🧞‍♀🌈🥠🥂🧚🎨🎱🎭

Ozempic For Weight Loss: Miracle Drug or Dangerous Fad?

With so much polarizing chatter about the new "miracle/demon" diabetes drugs being prescribed for rapid weight loss, it can be hard to know what--and who--to believe. 

From arsenic & tapeworms in the 1800s to the more refined slimming solutions of today, Americans have a love-hate relationship with weight loss medications.  We love the idea of a magic thinness potion but often end up hating the real-world results, which have included some of the most deadly products in our nation's history:  Meridia, Xenical, dinitrophenol (DNP), ephedra & Fen-Phen among them.  (Others, like Rimonabant, were so likely to cause suicide in trials that they never made it to market in the U.S.)  So why should the GLP-1 agonists be any different?  And in a rare move, pharma companies are actually discouraging their use by non-diabetics due to shortages.  And they do come with potentially serious and occasionally deadly side effects.  But so does untreated obesity which is at pandemic levels in the U.S..  What to do?

1st things 1st:  these medications are NOT for people wanting to lose 10-20 lbs of vanity weight or get back down to their "fighting weight" in time for bikini season.  There's not a single Kardashian or Real Housewife of anywhere who should be taking them, nor should 85% of Hollywood celebrities.  Their intended use is treating diabetes; if they're used for non-diabetic weight loss, they should be reserved for people with a BMI in the obese category (i.e. 30.0 or higher) who have not had sustained success losing weight with other methods. 

It is ALWAYS preferable to lose weight the "natural" way--i.e. with healthy lifestyle changes like diet (calorie restriction) and exercise (mostly cardio + some strength training) than by using medications or surgeries, as these interventions come with serious risks and still require said lifestyle changes to work in the long term.  But because we live in obesogenic environments, it can be very hard bordering on unrealistic for some people to maintain a healthy weight for the duration of their lives without help.  

Enter Ozempic & the other GLP-1 agonists:  Mounjaro, Saxenda, Byetta, Trulicity, Rybelsus, etc.  (I refer to Ozempic the most in this article because it's the most widely prescribed for weight loss currently but most of the advice applies to all of the meds since they belong to the same class). 

How & Why GLP-1 Agonists Work

Beneficial effects of GLP-1 meds on various body systems

Insulin resistance is one of the most common & insidious health problems in the Western world.  It is both a cause & a result of over-indulging in calorie-dense, nutrient-poor processed foods.  In this state, the pancreas has to pump out much more insulin because the body's cells are not registering normal amounts.  Eventually the pancreas tuckers out & you develop Type II diabetes, but insulin resistance wreaks havoc long before then (up to 10+ years before diabetes develops), causing impaired fullness signals & increased cravings for junk food like simple carbs, sweets, "comfort foods," & fried meats that drive people to eat both the wrong type & amount of food. 

Over time, nerve damage in the nose & taste buds caused by elevated blood sugar (pre-diabetes or full-blown Type II diabetes) can impair the ability to fully smell & taste the more subtle flavors of your food, rendering anything that's not completely overloaded with salt, sugar, saturated/trans fat & other unhealthy additives as flavorless as cardboard.  This vicious cycle makes weight loss very difficult in the long term. 

And diabetes notwithstanding, insulin resistance is a health risk unto itself, increasing the risk for a host of diseases ranging from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease to cancer to Alzheimer's disease.  One doctor (Mike Hansen, featured in the video below) went so far as to state that any disease that's not purely genetic (i.e. cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia) or contagious (influenza, COVID) can be caused or made worse by being insulin resistant. The dementia link is so strong some have suggested referring to Alzheimer's Disease as "Type III diabetes" as its pathology is so deeply intertwined with Type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome & related conditions.  🫥

Unlike stimulants & other weight loss drugs, GLP-1 agonists attack the problem at the source, delaying gastric emptying to reduce hunger & cravings that become disturbed due to insulin resistance in obese people.  They mimic a hormone called glucagon-like peptide, telling the pancreas to release more insulin after a meal which helps control blood sugar in diabetics.  Weight loss is merely a side effect of these drugs.  Not only does your appetite decrease dramatically, it becomes almost impossible to eat large & often even normal portions, at least for a time.  The result is fast & dramatic weight loss.  Sounds great, right?  

 

Side Effects & Risks

Example of deadly counterfeit "Ozempic" pens (right)

As with everything in the medical world, there are no free lunches.  If you fail to actually change your eating habits while enjoying this vacation from overeating, you're likely to gain all the weight back (and then some) when you quit the medication.  More on this later.  Non-diabetics are advised against taking GLP-1 agonists indefinitely due to the side effects & health risks, which can include pancreatitis, kidney injury, ileus resulting in death, gallstones & even serious diseases like thyroid cancer & pancreatic cancer.  More common are hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), nausea, vomiting & diarrhea.

And back to that "you'll gain the weight back when you stop thing": unfortunately that's not just some loony blogger's opinion--it's been shown in study after study that weight loss patients who stopped Ozempic, Mounjaro & similar drugs gained all or most of the weight back a vast majority of the time.  Some gained even more weight, putting them at a higher weight than their baseline.  This is a typical effect of all weight loss drugs, and it makes it harder to lose weight in the future due to the Set Point Theory.  Basically this theory states that the body fights to hold onto its all-time highest weight, hence why it's so important to avoid yo-yo dieting & trendy weight loss "hacks" that result in rapid weight loss in the first place.  The rule of thumb with dieting is:  the faster you lose it, the faster and more viciously it tends to come back.

And THEN there are the counterfeit versions of these medications floating around that are not FDA approved.  Not only have these formulations NOT been proven safe or effective in humans, they're often mixed in compounding pharmacies, which have been shown time and again to operate in absolutely filthy conditions.  Some contain ingredients apparently sourced from Alibaba & made in Chinese research chemical labs (!) where bath salts & Spice are produced.  As a final wtf, because these meds are injected rather than swallowed, any impurities go directly into the bloodstream with no first-pass metabolism to filter them out, increasing their overall toxicity. 

Dr. Mike Hansen lays down the scary facts about "off-brand" GLP-1 meds

Translation:  This is bad, real bad.  Injectable meds from compounding pharmacies were responsible for the biggest fungal meningitis outbreak in U.S. history in 2012, resulting in over 100 deaths across multiple states & sickening over 700. 

Why on Earth would anyone knowingly put this toxic sludge in their bodies under the guise of improving their health?  Because it's affordable & produces results:  name-brand versions are around 400% more expensive & not covered by most insurance carriers for weight loss in the absence of diabetes.  But the "results" may not be what you bargained for:  Americans have already dropped dead from counterfeit Ozempic pens thought to contain INSULIN instead of semaglutide.   #Murica

Maintaining Your Progress After Ozempic

Wise words.

What can you do to avoid this depressing fate?  #1:  Do NOT use the cheaper "peptides" or compounding pharmacy off-brand concoctions fraudulently labeling themselves as "Ozempic" "Mounjaro" or any other branded GLP-1 agonist no matter what your doctor, alternative medicine guru or Herbalife-slinging bestie down the street tells you.  Semaglutide SODIUM or ACETATE, or semaglutide combined with B12 have NEVER been proven safe/effective in humans, which means what you're buying is a dirty knockoff from unknown sources that lacks FDA approval.  It might contain the stated ingredients; it might contain cyanide & piss.  Even if the ingredients are correct, it could be contaminated with dangerous bacteria, fungi, heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic)  or other killers if it was produced anywhere other than an FDA regulated drug manufacturing facility.   This does NOT include compounding pharmacies which have no real government oversight.  They may be fine for buying cough syrups & the like but not costly injectables for which there's a massive demand & customer desire for cost-cutting options.  There's no antidote to the ways these contaminated drugs kill you.  It's a slow & painful death.  Just don't.  

Using the time you're on the (FDA-approved) medication to change the eating habits that caused you to gain weight in the 1st place is a great way to ensure that your progress sticks in the long run.  If you merely eat LESS of the same crap (fast food, fried food, sweet drinks & other high-calorie/low-nutrient junk) while on the meds, you're guaranteed to gain it all back post-treatment when your appetite returns, maybe a little extra due to rebound hunger.  You've got to use the medication to break your addiction to the processed foods that cause insulin resistance in the first place!  And make no mistake:  it IS an addiction.  Viewing it any other way is denial.  You've been warned.

We all know you can't just get rid of bad habits without replacing them with better ones, so here are some things to work on while taking the meds.  I advise not waiting until your last few months on the medication to try and cram all this hard work in or you're destined to fail:

1.)  Reacclimate your taste buds to an unprocessed, balanced diet packed with healthy foods. Complex carbs (whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds), lean protein sources, healthy fats (mono- and poly-unsaturated) & high-fiber foods (fruits/veggies) plus plenty of ice cold water.  The rule of thumb is, if it has a commercial it's not real food.  Flaming Hot Cheetos & Oreos, I'm looking at you. 

2.)  Pay attention to how your food is prepared: avoid frying & stick to sauteeing, boiling, broiling, baking & other low-grease methods, as oils contribute massive amounts of hidden calories & unhealthy fats to your meals--the kind of fat that clogs arteries & causes heart attack & stroke over time.  Add lots of yummy herbs/spices to make it tasty.  Dried herb mixes = generally okay; rich sauces & dressings = use in extreme moderation.  

3.)  Get used to counting calories (not carbs, fat or anything else unless you're diabetic) & knowing how many you should be eating per day.  A TDEE calculator can figure that out for you.  And count ALL your calories--don't overlook things like sweet drinks, cooking oils, sauces/dressings & other sneaky sources.  

4.)  ALWAYS be sipping water.  This both reduces cravings & keeps you hydrated, which prevents UTI & improves mood/cognition among other vital functions.  Add some ice + a twist of lemon, lime or orange if it's too "plain" by itself. 

5.)  Learn to identify your "triggers" & avoid them when possible:  If binge-watching your fave Netflix series or hanging out in certain places (the state fair, the mall, etc) makes you crave Auntie Anne's pretzels or funnel cake, AVOID THOSE PLACES.  When triggering situations are unavoidable, fill up on healthier options before attending.  And get real comfortable saying 'no' to people who pressure you to "just try" a bite of this or that at get-togethers.  It's not rude to turn down food, alcohol or anything else, but it IS rude to not take no for an answer.  

A healthy relationship with food is about eating to live, not living to eat.  Eating should not be an orgasmic experience that you plan your life around nor the centerpiece of social gatherings, and you should never feel tired or uncomfortably full after a meal.  If you do, you're eating too much & likely the wrong things.  Food is merely fuel that gives you energy to do the activities you want to do in life.  If it's stealing your energy & joy, it's time to put it back in its place.   💚

Remember: Weight loss is 85% diet and 15% exercise, if that.  You can't outrun the giant portions & ridiculously gluttonous junk in the typical American diet, so don't delude yourself into thinking that a gym membership will sustain your progress or allow you to eat more.  Cardio exercise is vital for heart & lung fitness but it's unlikely to cause you to drop weight.  Strength training can help build muscle which increases your metabolism so you burn fat at rest, but unless you do it at bodybuilder levels it's unlikely to have noticeable effects on your physique.  Sorry.

Sleep is as important as exercise, if not more so.  Poor sleep can cause impaired satiety (fullness) signals by reducing leptin & increasing ghrelin--2 chemicals vital for appetite regulation.  If you suspect insomnia or another sleep disorder, have a sleep study done and get it treated as you'll never get a handle on your weight until it's managed (and obesity dramatically worsens sleep apnea, often to dangerous levels & causing another one of those "vicious cycles").  Aim for 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night and remember: you can't "catch up" on lost sleep the next day or on weekends.  It has to be consecutive uninterrupted sleep to achieve the deep NREM state that restores brain & immune function.  Again, sorry.  I don't make the rules.  

And I can't write an article about weight management without mentioning mental illness.  People with untreated depression, anxiety disorders, personality disorders & other mental health conditions are generally much more likely to be obese than mentally well people, so strive to make mental health a top priority.  And the relationship is bi-directional:  obesity also appears to CAUSE or worsen mental health conditions like depression, eating disorders, anxiety & substance abuse.  This association is stronger in females for unknown reasons.  To further complicate the issue, some psychiatric medications can cause weight gain such as anti-psychotics & some older mood stabilizers.  Talk to your prescriber if this is a concern for you.  Dose adjustments or med changes can help greatly but never attempt this on your own.

ADHD is often overlooked when discussing mental illnesses but its connection to addiction & obesity is particularly strong.  Patients with untreated ADHD have a tendency to see things as all-or-nothing ventures, getting extremely motivated in the beginning and then losing interest after a single slip-up or when dramatic results are not forthcoming.  Working for delayed rewards is extremely hard for these folks (of which I am one) due to low dopamine--the brain's reward chemical.  We need gratification NOW and that's not how weight management works--it's a lifelong marathon, not a 50 yard dash.  Gradual, sometimes painfully slow but sustainable changes win the weight loss race.  Read that again, ADHD'ers.  And then read this. Got it?  And when you're ready, this.

While it may seem unrelated, stress is directly linked to weight gain--particularly in women.  If you notice yourself eating mindlessly when worried or under acute stress, you can thank cortisol--the body's stress hormone (one of several).  If this is you, swap your stress snacks with something low- or no-calorie like baby carrots or celery sticks (mmm, cronchy!) but more importantly: make an effort to reduce your daily stress levels.  Self-care is not just bubble baths & spa days, it's creating a life you don't need to escape from.  Practice saying 'no' to over-committing to non-essential (i.e. unpaid) tasks; cut toxic people out of your life & put yourself first.  Look around:  are you pulling more weight than your peers, partner, family members or co-workers?  If you are, it's time to ask yourself why you expect more from yourself than others, whether you're being taken advantage of and how you can lighten your load. Busy-ness is not a virtue & it could be sabotaging your weight loss efforts or even shortening your life.  

On a final note:  a lot of people use the "I don't have time to meal prep or buy groceries" excuse but when you examine their daily lives, it's ALWAYS a choice.  Life is about priorities.  You do have the time but you're not currently devoting it to your diet.  The good news is that can change.  (See above: "drop unpaid/unnecessary tasks & make time for you" section).  It's not so much a "time" problem as a motivation/focus/time management problem.  Fast food & other highly processed convenience eats might be fast & available on every corner, but they're both expensive in the moment & the long term.  Good health is priceless & worth the effort.  💚

Conclusion

None of this is EASY, mind you, but nothing worth doing ever is.  We don't become clinically obese overnight or for no reason--there are are many pathologies and maladaptive behaviors that go into it.  And there will be just as many positive life changes required to dig ourselves out.  If you're waiting on a magic pill or potion to do the heavy lifting for you, here's your sign to stop--it's not coming.  It's on you to educate yourself about good nutrition (which I've made easy by linking to examples of "good" foods in each of the major food groups above), to slow down & give your health the same attention you give everything else in your life.  GLP-1 agonists are merely a tool that hits 'pause' on the clock while you recalibrate your lifestyle in a healthy way... or not.  Your long-term outlook is entirely dependent on what you do with that time & whether you remain dedicated to avoiding the highly addictive foods that made you sick to begin with. 

Whew.

So to answer the question of whether Ozempic & other GLP-1 agonists are miracle or demon drugs for weight loss in non-diabetics, I'd say they're neither.  They are probably the best weight loss aids that have ever existed due to their specificity in treating insulin resistance & lack of addictive potential like stimulants.  That said, they can be misused and already are being overprescribed to non-obese patients & even people with eating disorders like bulimia who know how to manipulate doctors & drug-seek.  And as with all medications, they have side effects that can be serious for some people.  All patients should educate themselves on what those are and stop them at the 1st signs of possible complications.  Managing your expectations & using them properly--in the lowest effective dose for the shortest time possible while you make healthy dietary changes--will result in the best outcomes.  They're safer than invasive bariatric surgery for sure but doctors must do a better job of saying NO to non-obese patients & not prescribing the counterfeit knockoffs. 

There's no such thing as a miracle drug OR a demon drug, by the way--it's all in the dose & how it's used.  That goes for everything from baby aspirin to Ozempic to fentanyl. They all have their place.  It's pharma/doctor greed & patient ignorance that is the problem.  These are my opinions and you can do with them as you please. 🛐 🧻

Like all my other articles, I wrote this one on my own time with lots of love & research poured into it. Please consider donating to one of the accounts below to keep this blog running.  Every dollar helps. I don't want to have to go private on Substack or another subscription platform (boo!) but I'm hurting for donations this year. Thank you!

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[Review] - Star Stvff: Cannabis & Tylenol #3

Vendor:  Star Stvff
Location:  Tyler, TX
Items:  Diazepam, kratom, cannabis, misc. Rx meds.
Rating:  4.95 of 5 stars
Website:  shternshtopn.blogspot.com

This vendor is a personal friend I met nearly a decade ago who lives only a few hundred miles away so ordering was a no-brainer.  We used to do "trades" via email but now they've got a small email business going due to changes in eBay's tax rules.  If you follow me on Twitter you've probably seen me plugging them (get it?  "Plug?").  🤭

I took advantage of their Halloween sale and purchased some Tylenol #3's since I hadn't had any painkillers in months.  While checking out I came across a small half-gram order of cannabis I couldn't resist (strain: Blue Diesel).  We'll start with the pills since there's not much to report other than "they are what they say they are."  

And they are:  this is on par with any codeine I've gotten from a doctor & is taking me back to my syrup-sippin' days in college. The pills are blank & unscored which gave me a little pause, but I was reassured that's normal in their country of origin.  (I suspect they're Tatanol or Tydol brand... something like that.  There are many OTC brands available in Asian countries).  The blister packs give them credibility & test strips confirmed it:  no fetty here.  30 mg codeine and 500 mg APAP hits the spot when your tolerance is in the dirt like mine, plus they came in very handy for the surprise migraine I got at Thanksgiving dinner.  Could only be better if larger amounts were available.  

I give the pills 5 of 5 stars for quality, discreet packaging & shipping time, which was lightning-fast:  (Star Stvff has a 12-hour turnaround time after you complete payment which is much appreciated).  This order of 15 pills cost $55 w/ the Halloween discount, which is not exactly cheap but worth it due to the fast, discreet shipping and lack of worry about getting seized in customs.  

Oh, and they threw in a couple "extras"--a Vistaril & an alprazolam--for no extra charge.  Score!

In OG packaging

Dumped into a pile

Vistaril (white) & Xanax

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Now for the fun review:  the weed.  I grabbed a half gram of Blue Diesel, aka "Blue City Diesel" to round out my order.  It's a strain I always wanted to try, both due to the cool-sounding name & its effects, which are happy, uplifting & euphoric according to sites like Leafly & Wikileaf.  It came in a sealed/taped Mylar baggie that had absolutely zero smell, which was impressive as the stank was STRONG upon opening the package.  Bag appeal was 'meh' due to compression that happened in transit, but it's clear no potency was lost as the only reason it's smooshed is due to travelling in an envelope + the stickiness, not being pressed into a brick like that horrific Mexican brickweed we all know & hate.  

Blueberry muffin is apparent upon first sniff along with some citrusy/skunky background smells. I rolled it into a joint with the complementary blueberry-flavored papers and lit up around midnight.  (I was surprised to get as much mileage as I did out of a half-gram but it definitely went a long way, filling one medium-sized joint & leaving enough for a couple one-hitter tokes).  The effects were absolutely in line with the description, taking me to a supremely happy place when I've been bummed all week for a variety of reasons.  The high melted into a tranquil, calm comedown with medium-strength munchies.  Also: I've never laughed so hard at such dumb shit in my LIFE.

I'd give this sample of Blue Diesel a 4.9 of 5 stars for aroma/flavor, effects & packaging.  The price was quite a bit higher than at the dispensaries ($27 for a half-gram 😬) and the bag appeal kinda sucked due to the compression of the bud, but beyond that it was one of the best strains I've tried in ages, & the description on the Star Stvff website was spot on.  I actually wish larger amounts were available because I'd sooo stock up on it.  It's up there with Golden Goat & Zkittlez in terms of being the ideal mix of uplift + chill with a healthy dash of 'laugh your ass of for no reason'.  I look forward to trying more of Star Stvff's ganj when finances allow.  They only have (super) small amounts but the strains look VERY promising indeed... lots of landraces & hype strains.  Ditto the kratom, which is named after mythical goddesses (Hecate, Kali, etc).  🖤

w/ Flash off...

...w/ Flash on.

If you're looking for a reliable domestic boutique vendor of very small amounts of various substances, you can't lose with Star Stvff.  They take Paypal & CashApp and respond very promptly to emails.  Sucks that eBay and the IRS are screwing vendors so badly but it's a win for shoppers who are willing to put their trust in those who decide to go "rogue" and take their business off the grid like this.  It's not bad enough American workers HAVE to have a "side hustle," now they're getting ass-raped on their profits from it.  Another rant for another day.

🇵🇸 A Quick Word on the Middle East Situation 🇮🇱

Actually this is a piece on extremism, nationalism & the inability of humans to see the nuance in complex situations.  It'll probably piss of some die-hard Israel/Palestine stans but fuck it--it needs to be said.  

Whether Israel "deserves to exist" in its current iteration is an intellectual exercise best reserved for dinner table discussions & college lectures/TED Talks.  They've been there since the 1940s and are not going anywhere so it would behoove Palestinians to learn to coexist with them peacefully.  The people from whom they originally took the land are mostly long dead.  That said, they have no right to keep land-grabbing and kicking people who live there NOW out of their homes or treating them as second-class citizens.  No right whatsoever.  What the Netanyahu government is doing is a crime against humanity & they're doing it with our help while the world looks on in apathy.  

In reality, there are many Israeli Jews & Palestinian Muslims & Christians who are not feeling this war and would stand with the "other side" against their own militant leaders if it was safe to do so.  But that story is not being told.  The media on both sides are painting a disgustingly biased picture that conveniently downplays or omits the evil deeds of both Hamas & the IDF.  Al-Jazeera English recently ran a story about the Israeli captives claiming that they were treated "well" in the headline.  This, after reports of rape, torture & murder came out days earlier.  Even if that hadn't been the case, in what universe does one include such a nonsensical qualifier about a violent terrorist group that kidnaps an 85-year-old civilian at gunpoint?  

A bit contradictory, dontchathink?  😒

Meanwhile the Western media has engaged in a total blackout on the hospital, refugee camp & school bombings that have killed & maimed hundreds of innocent Palestinians in favor of bogus "terror alerts" a la the post-9/11 color-coded warnings that never materialized.  Way to make it about us, ya narcissistic pricks.  

Predictably, the internet is full of shills screaming "Free Palestine! 🇵🇸" and "I Stand With Israel 🇮🇱 " as if these were 2 football teams about to kick off at the Superbowl... neither "side" seeing the humanity in the other's innocent civilian population or considering what it's like to live in a warzone.  I question whether media fairness would even change anything, as most of these hardheaded zealots have their minds made up beforehand like they did with COVID & other previous wars--facts be damned.  Still, what these rags are doing is unconscionable & they should be held both civilly & criminally liable when this is all over, as this is as close to yelling 'fire!' in a crowded theater as I've seen in my lifetime. 

Western media tropes hide Israel's war crimes (courtesy FAIR)

The unsexy reality is that women & children overwhelmingly shoulder the burden of wars started by extremist men.  Wars over land, religion, resources like oil/diamonds/opium, tribal conflicts & political disputes that could be settled in sane, rational ways if only leaders had the patience & political will to talk it out.  None of these issues is worth losing a single human life over.  We (women & children) disproportionately get no say in the matter as we're not represented at the highest levels of military/government yet we pay with our lives, being viewed as cannon fodder or unfortunate but necessary casualties in these dickswinging nationalist pissing contests.  And we're fucking sick of it.  

If you support the killing of innocent civilians in 2023 & beyond, you need to take a long hard look in the mirror because you're exhibiting sociopathic traits.  We should've evolved past this as a species long ago.  Committing murder & torture to solve disputes is as irrational as beating your child to "teach them not to hit their sister".  You're not doing it for the stated reason; you're doing it out of an uncontrollable rage to alleviate your own desire to let off steam & attain vengeance.  And this idea that "it's sad when innocents die but that's just an unavoidable part of war" IS supporting murder.  If you don't live in this region or have loved ones there, what you're doing (picking sides) is even more pathetic & shameful.

Anything less than loudly denouncing the killing of innocent men, women & children regardless of nationality is endorsing state-sponsored terrorism.  If these cowards in the IDF & Hamas can't do better at hitting their targets, i.e. the opposing extremist men in power, while leaving innocent bystanders unharmed, they should turn the guns on themselves because both sides are just ensuring never-ending blowback on their own people when they attack random innocents.  The reality is THEY DON'T CARE.  

Thousands of Palestinian & Israeli women march for peace (2017)

Picking a side in this conflict in the current year is like choosing between the Bloods & the Crips:  there's too much water under the bridge, too much blood on everyone's hands to deem either side morally superior.  While it's true Israel may have originally been founded on shady pretenses, strong-arming their way (back) into the Middle East in a brutal manner, the likelihood that they'll magically "go away" today is nonexistent.  But that doesn't mean they have the right to keep expanding Manifest Destiny-style while the world is silent.  Their ongoing occupation of Gaza & the West Bank since 1967 creates a constant tension that needn't exist, and it's ILLEGAL.  Their military's methods of warfare are too (starvation of civilians, "domicide," denial of humanitarian access & targeting medical centers among other horrors).  

And Hamas are no boyscouts either:  They're an offshoot of the Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood that uses human shields & child combatants while spouting anti-Semitic rhetoric & committing human rights abuses left & right.  If they had the firepower of Israel they'd likely wipe every Western nation off the map in a heartbeat to install Sharia Law or similar.  Forming a 2-state solution is likely the best outcome, yet this has failed to materialize in all these years due to the stubbornness of leaders from both sides who would rather sacrifice the lives of their own people than compromise with "the enemy" in the name of peace.  

...and so the senseless killing rages on with no end in sight.   Nothing patriotic or valiant about that.  

An Open Letter to All Kratom Warriors:

While there are no shortage of "vicious lies" in law enforcement and media circles about Mitragyna speciosa, better known as kratom, unfortunately the header is referring to "dangerous rumors" within the kratom community itself.  There's a glaring tendency in the online kratom world to focus exclusively on the plant's benefits while downplaying or even lying about its downsides as if it has none.  Remind you of anyone?  Potheads, perhaps?  Lushes?  Proponents of vaping, anabolic steroid use... veganism?  {Shudders}

I'd like to address why this is a bad--and potentially deadly--idea, both for the well-being of potential new users as well as the continued legality of kratom itself.  Gather 'round & lend me your ears, cherubs.  It's time to spill the tea on everyone's fave, uhh, tea.  🍵

First, The Good

Yes, kratom is technically related to coffee (both are members of the Rubiaceae family) & has been "used for hundreds of years"--since at least the 1929 and 1934 reports of Marcan to the government of Siam that opined that the kratom habit "did not have the bad reputation associated with opium smoking."  It was traditionally used in its native Indonesia & Thailand to increase stamina & relieve pain in exhausted farm workers & also grows naturally in Papua New Guinea, Malaysia & the Philippines where it's never been known to cause outbreaks of addiction or illness.  More on this later.  

And true, kratom does NOT cause respiratory depression even at high doses, which makes it far safer than any other synthetic opioid or naturally-occurring opiate in terms of overdose risk.  Because it's cheap, legal & abundant and for the other reasons listed above, it can be a great option for tapering down from harder drugs or staving off severe withdrawals in addicts waiting for their next fix.  Many pain patients & people with mental illnesses like PTSD & depression have found it helpful for managing those conditions as well.  Unlike methadone or Suboxone, kratom withdrawals do not generally last months and you do not have to attend a clinic to obtain it which can make it highly convenient in a pinch.  Kratom is perhaps the only naturally-occurring opioid agonist/antagonist that both stimulates opioid receptors AND blocks them, making it uniquely useful in treating addiction to more potent, dangerous opioids.  

But when it comes to addiction & withdrawal?  It's time to get real & stop lying to unwitting users:  Kratom is every bit as hard to quit as equipotent opioids for most people.

The Bad:  Kratom Addiction & Withdrawal

Not pot: Withdrawal symptoms of kratom

Kratom is believed to be both an opioid agonist & antagonist comparable to to Suboxone (buprenorphine + naloxone).  This gives it both desirable painkilling/euphoric effects as well as some opioid-blocking effects, plus a ceiling on the desirable effects.  This "ceiling" means that increasing the dose beyond a certain point does not result in increasingly pleasant effects as it would with morphine, oxycodone or Dilaudid (for instance). It also precludes respiratory depression: something chemists have been searching for since time immemorial.  An opioid painkiller that doesn't stop your breathing?  Sign us up! 

Indeed, kratom is something of a holy grail in the pharmaceutical world for this reason which explains the rush to ban the whole plant & patent its active alkaloids.  (I was not aware just how far back in time the patents went or how extensive they were, covering everything from kratom alkaloids to extraction methods & combination products).  The financial potential of mitragynine & other kratom alkaloids is as limitless as its possible medical applications, which may include treating alcoholism, opioid addiction, pain, depression & other mental/physical ailments.  

Despite this, kratom has no such ceiling in terms of withdrawal potential.  Most habitual kratom users find that symptoms are of the same severity & duration as a heavy codeine habit or a moderate hydro- or oxycodone addiction.  I can attest to this:  in a blind test I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between codeine, kratom or hydro/oxycodone withdrawal.  Thankfully I've never been one to vomit or have severe  physical withdrawal symptoms regardless of dose or drug, but I'm the exception rather than the rule.  Typical kratom withdrawal symptoms include:  cold sweats, nausea, diarrhea, joint/muscle pain, nightmares, anxiety/depression, restless legs & runny nose/eyes.  These acute symptoms typically last about a week but post-acute withdrawal symptoms like low mood, fatigue, cravings & apathy can drag on for a month or longer in a minority of users. 

Tolerance to kratom's positive effects also builds over time, requiring the user to increase the dose to achieve the same effects (and due to the aforementioned "ceiling," higher doses don't necessarily = stronger or better effects even in the short-term).  This can get expensive & may cause painful issues like gastritis or ulcers in unlucky users due to the sheer amount of powder ingested.

Which brings me to my next point:  It's rarely mentioned that Indonesians did not traditionally use kratom the way we do in the West, grinding it into a fine powder and swallowing large quantities in capsules or along with the "tea".  This concept is as foreign to them as eating coffee grounds in our morning cup of Joe would be to us.  They merely chewed the whole leaves to achieve their buzz.  And they CERTAINLY didn't ingest kratom "extracts" or "enhanced blends" like the kind that have been linked to a handful of kratom fatalities in the West.  Clearly the way we do it is more extreme & prone to negative outcomes. 



The Ugly:  Additional Health Risks

Severe cholestatic liver injury caused by kratom

Lying to people about the downsides of any substance can only lead to trouble... and ALL substances from water & chocolate to crack & fentanyl have downsides.  It makes no difference that kratom is "natural" or not technically an opiate derived from the poppy--it attaches to mu-opioid receptors throughout the body which means it causes many of the same effects including withdrawal symptoms upon cessation.  And because of its unique pharmacology, it comes with some additional risks not seen with classic opiates/opioids.  This section will explore some of those.

While not quite as risky as tramadol or Demerol, kratom does have minor serotonergic activity and thus comes with a small risk of Serotonin Syndrome.  There have been cases reported in some users of other serotonergic drugs like SNRIs and 5-HTP.  Thus, combining it with multiple serotonergic substances like psychedelics, MDMA and other opioids could tip the scales into seizure or Serotonin Syndrome territory in those prone to it.  How do you know if you're "prone to it"?  You often don't until it happens & by then it's too late.  Serotonin Syndrome can range in severity from "uncomfortable/barely perceptible" to "deadly."  And it's a terrible way to go.

And then there's Drug-Induced Liver Damage (DILI for short), which has happened seemingly at random to otherwise young, healthy kratom consumers.  If you're a heavy alcohol drinker, have liver disease or take Tylenol/other hepatotoxic drugs regularly, your risk is probably higher than average, though we don't know that for sure.  In the rare kratom liver damage cases that exist, it wasn't known exactly WHAT triggered the damage, which is a lot like those kava-induced liver failure cases.  (Mostly) healthy young people, most of whom had no prior liver issues just developed stabbing abdominal pains & abnormal enzyme levels or other signs of liver trouble that faded upon cessation of kratom.  Nobody really knows why.  

The lack of quality control & hygiene at the point of harvest/packaging is a concern that can't be overlooked when it comes to liver damage or other general health risks.  Salmonella & other pathogens could easily make their way into the final product which is true with any dietary supplement that's not FDA regulated.  In fact, a multi-state salmonella outbreak (2018) has been linked to kratom, though it's generally believed the FDA caused undue panic about the risk to justify a pending ban at the time.  Still, that doesn't mean such a thing couldn't happen again for REAL & have deadly consequences.  If conditions at kratom farms are even 1/10th as bad as they've been described, it's a miracle there hasn't been a massive outbreak of food-borne illness in kratom users.  I'll go on record & say I predict that eventually we'll see deadly E. coli or something even worse turn up in commercial kratom products if something drastic doesn't change.  We've been very fortunate so far.  That's to say nothing of possible cumulative exposures to toxic heavy metals, endocrine disruptors like dioxins & PCBs, pesticides or other dangerous residues in the soil/air where the trees are grown.  

The Importance of "Keeping It Real"

Does this mean I support banning kratom or allowing the prohibitionist government to "regulate" (read: schedule) it so pharma companies, doctors & private insurers can get rich prescribing its active components to us?  Quite the opposite.  I just think KNOW it's harmful to downplay the risks to young people & others seeking honest info about the drug.  I know because I've seen it play out so many damn times in my life & we never seem to learn.  

What happens when unsuspecting people start using a substance thinking it's no more harmful than pot or wine coolers and get stuck between a rock and a hard place, requiring massive amounts to avoid agonizing withdrawal symptoms?  They blame the drug, loudly denounce it and throw the baby out with the bathwater, rallying for its scheduling or prohibition.  In worst case scenarios, they combine it with other (much more dangerous) substances, get behind the wheel of a car & crash, leaving only their loved ones behind to go on this crusade.  Or they overdose due to the same deadly mix of substances.  Or commit suicide.  

And sadly, the facts about how they died often follow them to the grave: it doesn't matter that kratom didn't directly or solely cause the death--it's the exotic, legal and "scary" drug in the mix, so the media and parents focus on it to the exclusion of the booze, Rx pills and other drugs present in their system at autopsy.  (Not to mention any mental or physical health conditions that might've contributed).  Now all parents & concerned citizens are on high alert & have their pitchforks out.  This is how unconstitutional bans happen.  

The more that people know about the positive AND negative aspects of a drug before trying it, the better equipped they'll be to make an informed decision about whether and how to use it.  As kratom advocates & proponents of sane drug policy, it's our responsibility to be honest about all sides of the plant because we could well be providing the only practical drug education people get.  Obviously this is unacceptable in a so-called "free," allegedly "developed" nation, but so it goes with prohibition.  Facts are the 1st casualty in any war and the drug war is no exception.

From a ridiculous article entitled "My Gas Station, My Drug Dealer"

The fact that kratom is being sold in weed dispensaries, corner stores & supplement shops gives it an air of harmlessness, and ANYONE regardless of age can buy it due to its current legal status in most states.  Even as a kratom advocate & long-term user I cannot condone this.  Kratom is not pot--it's a partial opioid agonist with very real addictive potential.  Playing up its "herbal" or "natural" qualities & "traditional" use to paint it as a benign medicinal supplement on par with ginseng or Echinacea is incredibly misleading bordering on negligent.  Plenty of "natural" plants/herbs will kill your ass or make you wish you were dead, some of which include death cap mushrooms, scopolamine, oleander, opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), black henbane & castor bean, aka the plant that produces ricin.  Natural ≠ safe.

While it can be GREAT for addicts and people with severe chronic pain or certain mental illnesses, kratom is not great as a recreational drug for kids or healthy people just looking to unwind or party on a Friday night.  Those who use it for that purpose are as likely to end up addicted as if they'd chosen codeine cough syrup, Xanax, Soma or tramadol.  Again, we can thank drug prohibition & our bizarre DSHEA supplement laws for this backward policy of allowing drugs like kratom, Spice & bath salts to be openly peddled to kids & others while locking those same users up for attempting to access less risky ones. 

And that's why it's so vital that accurate info about drugs is accessible to everyone:  nobody's got our back but us.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when discussing drugs like kratom:

- Remember that everyone is not you.  Drugs affect people wildly differently--some folks have severe mental/neurological illnesses, some are underage and reckless, some take multiple medications that will interact with recreational drugs poorly.  Others simply do not react to substances the way we do or have paradoxical reactions.  Universalizing your experience is the biggest rookie mistake you can make in the drug discussion/harm reduction arena, particularly when attempting to downplay the risks of a substance.  There are certain drugs I love and have never had a single negative experience with but I always include disclaimers & warnings because it's the responsible thing to do. 

- It's ALWAYS better to be cautious than cavalier & to consider worst-case scenarios.  If everything goes fine, nothing is lost.  But if they have a bad trip and end up dead or addicted, a life has been ruined/lost and your favorite substance is that much closer to being banned.   Your little online blurb might be the only piece of advice a kid gets about a drug before trying it, and it'd be a tragedy if they were misled into a long-term addiction or even death by an overly positive report... even if that IS your honest experience.  (See previous bulletpoint for why your subjective experience is not necessarily relevant).

- Too many unknown variables.  Side effects, interactions & complications are all too real.  Factors like dosage, body weight and set/setting all influence the outcome and you have no way of predicting how a drug experience will go based on the tiny amount of info they've posted on an online forum or chat.  Also:  people LIE and miscalculate things all the time.  Assume you don't have all the info & act accordingly.

- Common sense isn't all that common.  Humans have a tendency to seek out information that affirms our biases & ignore that which goes against our beliefs, so it becomes extra important to pipe up about any negatives or downsides of drugs when a new user is seeking firsthand advice from veteran psychonauts.  This is where you come in, oh wise one.  

- Provide credible sources for your claims.  While it's ultimately up to the individual to make good choices, harm reduction education is always needed to steer people in the right direction and our government is asleep at the switch.  Therefore the more credible links & sources you can provide to back up your claims, the better.  What counts as "credible" in this instance?  Just as you wouldn't cite a drug rehab center with tons of pharmaceutical ads on their site because they have a vested interest in vilifying kratom, you should be VERY wary of citing the AKA, BEA or other pro-kratom groups for the same reason.  Rely instead on sources with no political or financial agenda that focus on the pharmacological effects of the drug.  These tend to be dry, boring & use big clinical-sounding words rather than sensational headlines & dramatic photos of addicts screaming into the void with pills scattered all over the floor.  Or whatever.  

Bottom line:  If you care about your fellow human and the future of kratom & other currently legal drugs, you'll be mindful to include both the good and bad when answering questions and discussing these substances.  That doesn't mean you should downplay the positives or spread fear-based propaganda, it just means you should strive to be as unbiased as possible so as not to mislead anyone.  Consider your audience & save the kratom advocacy for the political arena where it is MUCH needed!  ✊🏼🍃



--- Signed,

Responsible Kratom User/Advocate Since 2016 

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Guess Who's Back

🎼  ...back again... 🎶

Sorry for the long, lame absence.  Long story but it was a privacy/security issue.  If I still have any loyal readers, thank you for sticking around.  This venture is mostly for my own enjoyment:  to vent, save information, organize my thoughts & share things I find interesting:  if anyone enjoys reading it that's a bonus.  Writing is pretty much my only stress-relief outlet & I refuse to let anyone take that from me.  ✊🏼 ❤‍🩹

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With that, let the good times roll (again!)