Quick recap Christopher, Venus, and Paul discussed recent legislative developments around kratom regulation, particularly focusing on FDA actions and state-level bans. Christopher shared his experience attending multiple advocacy meetings in Washington D.C., including congressional hearings where he testified about the differences between natural kratom and synthetic 7-OH products. The group debated the safety and regulation of 7-OH metabolites, with Christopher expressing concerns about unregulated synthetic products being marketed as kratom alternatives. They discussed the challenges of educating policymakers and the public about kratom's benefits versus risks, with Venus sharing her positive meeting with Good Neighbors about potential assistance for home repairs. The conversation also covered industry quality standards, with Christopher explaining his company's strict testing protocols and GMP compliance, while expressing frustration about competitors selling untested products with misleading claims. Summary Meeting Registration and Animal Medication Christopher and Venus discussed the registration status for an upcoming meeting, with 65 people registered. They had a casual conversation about a koala branding element from 2016 advocacy work, noting that koalas eat eucalyptus, not kratom. The discussion then shifted to animal self-medication behavior, with Christopher explaining the concept of zoo pharmacognosy and comparing it to human use of plants for medicinal purposes. Kratom Legislation and Community Updates Venus reported a successful meeting with Good Neighbors regarding potential assistance for basement and roof repairs, including information about a local roof contest. Christopher and Venus discussed ongoing concerns about kratom legislation in Philadelphia, with Christopher noting uncertainty about the final language of the bill and its potential impact on natural kratom. They also discussed the challenges of constant education needed for new community members about kratom, with Christopher sharing his experience at a local substance abuse prevention meeting where National Guard representatives demonstrated good knowledge of kratom issues.

I just wanted to start a thread of pictures and images from our farmers and friends in Indonesia! These pictures are from 2016-2026

The Minister of Forestry for Indonesia was present and discussed the long-term goals of carbon reduction and how kratom trees could help with numerous issues beyond just the leaf we love. Kratom trees can be credibly framed as part of a tree-based, riverbank, wetland, and agroforestry conservation model. The strongest science-backed argument is not “kratom alone saves the planet.” The stronger, more defensible argument is: Kratom is a perennial tropical tree that grows naturally near river systems, wetlands, freshwater swamp forests, and saturated soils. When cultivated responsibly, especially along riverbanks and in degraded wetland areas, kratom trees can support carbon capture, soil stability, canopy cover, reduced erosion, increased water infiltration, and flood mitigation. 1. Kratom trees capture carbon dioxide like other woody trees Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. University of Florida IFAS describes kratom as a facultatively deciduous tropical tree that can reach up to 80 feet in its native environment, with a trunk, canopy, roots, branches, and recurring leaf growth. In Southeast Asia, farmers traditionally hand-harvest leaves repeatedly from living trees, rather than cutting down the tree each season. That matters because living perennial trees keep storing carbon in woody biomass, roots, and surrounding soil over time. (Ask IFAS - Powered by EDIS) The general agroforestry science supports this. USDA NRCS states that agroforestry, forestry, riparian buffers, tree and shrub establishment, forest farming, and related practices can improve carbon sequestration in perennial biomass, trees, and soils while also reducing erosion and improving water quality. (Natural Resources Conservation Service) Kratom trees are not an annual crop that gets replanted every season. They are living perennial trees. When managed responsibly, they can store carbon in trunks, branches, roots, leaf litter, and soil, while giving farmers a renewable leaf harvest.

Key mentions I found: 1. Page 9 lists “kratom with high 7-hydroxymitragynine / 7-OH content” as an example of domestically marketed dangerous products, alongside tianeptine, mushroom edibles, and psychoactive hemp products. The word “7-hydroxymitragynine” appears misspelled there as “7-hydroxymitragyine.” 2. https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/05/2026-national-drug-control-strategy-released/Page 14 includes kratom under “Domestic Production” concerns, grouped with high-potency marijuana, hemp-derived psychoactive products like delta-8 THC, and “legal psychedelics.” 3. Page 33 says enforcement will focus on substances outside regulatory frameworks or sold illegally, including “dangerous substances like 7-hydroxymitragynine,” described as “an active component and potent opioid found in the kratom plant,” when illegally marketed or adulterated. 4. Page 34 has a full text box titled “Kratom Victim: it’s neither organic nor safe” and discusses Jordan McKibban. It says kratom sold in the U.S. can include “highly enriched levels of laboratory-made 7-OH” and references FDA warning letters against companies marketing 7-OH products. 5. Page 51 says treatment/diagnosis should account for new drugs, including “kratom products with high 7-OH levels.” 6. Pages 62, 64, and 67 connect high-7-OH kratom products to overdose response, breathing suppression, overdose fatalities, and naloxone planning. Page 62 also says CDC SUDORS data identified 995 overdose deaths with kratom or mitragynine detected in toxicology reports, which is detection language, not necessarily causation language. 7. Page 98 and Page 124 include a performance measure to increase FDA warning letters to companies selling unauthorized products containing Delta-8 THC, Kratom/7-OH, and other opioids. The target is 13 warning letters in 2026 and 18 in 2029. 8. Page 173 says smoke shops may sell products derived from kratom that “may contain 7-OH,” and importantly admits: kratom is a plant, products can be supplemented with synthetic 7-OH, and 7-OH is naturally found in kratom only in a small percentage. It also says HHS recommended classifying 7-OH as Schedule I in July 2025. 9. Pages 179, 184, 190, and 194 are mostly acronym/reference pages, including “7-OH: 7-hydroxymitragynine” and citations to FDA/HHS/CDPH materials.

This was such a wonderful day, September 13, 2016 https://youtu.be/UiMdC9rzDIU?si=6e3KELgFRxFHrQ7G