PETITION TO US SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

We the undersigned express our strong opposition to S.1327 and HR 2851, the "Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act of 2017 (SITSA Act)".  As written, this legislation poses a significant threat to the freedom of millions of American consumers who choose to use a safe, natural botanical plant (known as kratom) as a part of managing their personal health and well-being.

In August 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), at the request of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), proposed to schedule two alkaloids of the kratom plant as controlled subtances.  That emergency scheduling notice was withdrawn in October 2016 based on the disclosure of evidence that demonstrated that the statutorily mandated 3-Factor analysis of the safety and addiction potential in the use of kratom materially misrepresented and grossly overstated the safety profile of a natural botanical plant that has been used safely for centuries by consumers.

A subsequent 8-Factor Analysis, conducted by a highly respected independent scientist, concluded that kratom should not be scheduled as a controlled substance, that it is safe for human consumption, and that it is appropriate for kratom to be administered as a dietary supplement by the FDA.

The provisions of the proposed SITSA Act will grant extremely broad powers to the DEA to ban so-called "analogues of controlled substances."  These broad powers should not apply to natural botanical plants like kratom.

We urge the US Senate Judiciary Committee to protect the freedoms of millions of Americans to make their own health choices in responsibly using kratom. 

The proposed SITSA Act, as currently written, poses a real threat to those freedoms.