Letter to Senator Orrin Hatch (Thank You Letter) - 11/30/2016

I sent this letter to Senator Orrin Hatch, thanking him for taking a position in favor of Kratom legality.



Dear Senator Hatch,

I wanted to take some of my time to commend you on your stance with the natural remedy Kratom and the Dear Colleague letter you are circulating throughout the U.S. Senate. This herbal remedy has benefited millions of Americans and the DEA is threatening to take away a natural supplement so many praise as being highly effective. The DEA is misleading Americans by suggesting that Kratom is an opiate-based substance, which is simply untrue. Kratom is in fact a member of the caffeine family. Studies have suggested that Kratom binds with certain opiate receptors in the brain, but most do not realize that dark chocolate also binds with opiate receptors. Just because something binds with opiate receptors in the brain does not make it an opioid. The vast majority of Kratom users who have spoken about their experiences state that Kratom does not produce a "high", rather Kratom produces a sense of well-being, mood enhancement, and pain relief. Thousands have stated they take Kratom as a means to successfully quit an opioid habit. The DEA says their primary challenge today is the nationwide opioid epidemic. Given the testimonials regarding Kratom, it stands to reason that the DEA should stand behind Kratom, not ban it. The American people deserve the freedom to substitute a synthetic medication for a natural supplement if it works for them. The DEA has no right to claim that Kratom is an "imminent threat to public safety" because they have not supported this statement with any facts. They state that Kratom "has been linked to 15 deaths," but they cannot prove that these people died as a direct result of Kratom. Furthermore, the DEA cannot claim that Kratom is "highly addictive" because there have been no clinical studies supporting this claim. Unlike prescribed and illegal narcotics today, Kratom does not lead people to steal from their friends and families. Kratom does not cause people to resort to crime, prostitution, homelessness, and suicide. Kratom is simply an herbal supplement that millions use to successfully combat a wide variety of ailments they experience. In conclusion, I wanted to once again thank you very much for taking time from your busy schedule to support the potential benefits of Kratom. We deserve to use Kratom because it dramatically improves our daily lives. We deserve to see Kratom undergo clinical studies and we deserve to learn the truth behind the DEA's hasty decision to suddenly ban Kratom. Thank you very much for your time and for your wonderful service to the American people.

Most respectfully,
-[Spaethon]