Double M Herbals | Kratom Forum

5/27/23 UPDATE: SEE COMPRESENSIVE UPDATE HERE (PLEASE VISIT THE THREAD AND HELP OUT): https://www.reddit.com/r/kratom/comment ... n_pending/

TUESDAY IS KCPA HEARING, WEDNESDAY IS BAN BILL HEARING. LEGISLATURE IS SET FOR FINAL ADJOURNMENT ON JUNE 6.

5/25/23 UPDATE: THE KCPA BILL PASSED THE HOUSE FLOOR!! 80-15. READ COMMENTS BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS!

5/21/23 UPDATE: CHECK THE BOTTOM OF THE THREAD FOR AN UPDATE, THE KCPA PASSED THE HOUSE COMMITTEE, BUT STILL HAS TO PASS HOUSE FLOOR VOTE TOMORROW (5/22/23) AND THEN PASS THE SENATE COMMITTEE AND SENATE FINAL VOTE.

Hello fellow kratom consumers and advocates. Sorry this has to be my first post but it is that important. This post is long, but it covers everything, including many ways you can help.

There were ups and downs last week in the Louisiana legislature and a small group of advocates worked very hard (and still are) to turn the tides on things. We are deeply concerned, but hopeful. Because there are three (3) different kratom bills, as detailed below, the status has been difficult and confusing to track. Some of them have been rushed through committee, some postponed, resulting in further confusion as to where things stand and what to do. Next week is critical because all three bills are scheduled for action that will determine the fate of kratom in Louisiana. This post is an urgent final plea for your help whether you are in state, or out of state, there is something you can do to help--EVEN IF you've already sent emails. PLEASE take the time to read this post as it is comprehensive and contains everything you need to get caught up to date, and make a difference. Much heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone who has helped thus far and taken the time to support the fight to keep kratom legal. We need one last hard push. PLEASE read below and take action, and send a copy of this information (link to this post or copy and paste) to anyone you know who is willing to send some advocacy emails and/or show up on next Wednesday.

CURRENT STATUS:
Here are the THREE (3) pending bills and their current status:

1. House Bill HB14 - Makes kratom a Schedule 1 substance, with severe felony criminal penalties for distribution and possession (can be double-digit years in prison). HB14 narrowly passed the Criminal Justice committee by a vote of 8-7 (see link below), and is scheduled to be debated (and passed or failed) on this coming MONDAY, MAY 8th on the House Floor.

2. Senate Bill SB94 - (Duplicate of HB14) - Makes kratom a Schedule 1 substance, with severe felony criminal penalties for distribution and possession (double-digit years in prison). SB94 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously even though: the AKA's Mac Haddow presented, as did scientist Jack Henningfield, and also a Senator from Utah who supports the KCPA legislation and 3 excellent Louisiana kratom consumers gave testimony. The bill's author, Sen. Kleinpeter, himself a veteran, appeared very moved by the testimony of the consumers, and stated he was willing to work with the other side and compromise. SB94 is also scheduled for final passage and vote on the senate floor on this coming MONDAY MAY 8th on the Senate Floor.

3. House Bill HB572 - The Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) bill which would provide age restrictions, testing requirements, and other important matters, and would KEEP KRATOM LEGAL, but regulated. HB572 is scheduled for hearing by the House Health and Welfare committee on this coming WEDNESDAY MAY 10th.

BRIEF ANALYSIS:
If either or both of the ban bills passes, it will advance on to through the process for the Governor's signature. If the KCPA bill also passes, then it would effectively be overridden by the ban bills which would criminalize it. It is most likely that if all three bills were to pass, then the Governor would veto one side or the other. If the ban bills make it through the house and senate and are voted on favorably, then it will become an extremely uphill battle because logically, lawmakers would be much less likely to pass the KCPA bill on Wednesday. If the Senate and/or House ban bills (HB14 & SB94) fail to pass on Monday, then we still have a good chance of passing the KCPA bill. MONDAY WILL BE A CRITICAL DAY as both ban bills will be decided on the floors of the House and Senate. This weekend is our LAST OPPORTUNITY to send emails in opposition to the ban bills, and ALL OF THE EMAILS of the Louisiana House Representatives and Senators are included below for your convenience. While the AKA has an easy "form filled" emailer at protectkratom.org/louisiana, it is much more effective to write the lawmakers from your own email account, and tell your kratom story. The lawmakers don't seem to be tuned in as much to the science, but rather the real-life stories of actual people--particularly Louisiana residents--but all emails will help.

ACTION THIS WEEKEND:
Since the final votes on the ban bills are both scheduled for this coming MONDAY, MAY 8, this weekend is the time for a final push. Whether you live in Louisiana or out of state, it is a valuable contribution to support Louisiana by emailing the lawmakers and letting your voices be heard. Tell your stories of how kratom has helped you or a family member or friend. They don't have to be long, two or three paragraphs is fine. EVEN IF YOU'VE ALREADY EMAILED THEM, PLEASE EMAIL THEM AGAIN. You can easily copy and paste the email addresses listed in longform below, and send your emails to the entire House of Representatives and the Senate. You can also mention that there is a better alternative to the harsh ban bills, and ask them to support the KCPA bill (HB572) instead of a ban. Finally, you can also send an email to the Health and Welfare committee main email as instructed on the weekly schedule: "NOTE: Statements emailed to [email protected] and received prior to noon on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, will be distributed to the committee members prior to the meeting".

ACTION ON WEDNESDAY 5/10 FOR RESIDENTS, CONSUMERS, ADVOCATES, FAMILIES, VENDORS:
We need as many Louisiana people to show up IN PERSON as possible in support of HB572 (KCPA), the protection bill. It is scheduled for WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, AT 9:00 AM, at the State Capitol, in house committee room HCR-5. Please make every effort to show up to this meeting. It is a lot to ask that people take off work for this, but imagine if the ban bills pass and the KCPA bill does not -- you get caught with over 28 grams you would be facing possession with intent to distribute schedule 1 which carries a mandatory minimum 4 years prison time and a maximum of 30 years. Imagine getting caught with a basic 250gm bag of kratom! Unfathomable. Again, if you are a Louisiana resident kratom user, or family member or advocate, please show up at the KCPA hearing on Wednesday at 9:00AM. Again, if you aren't able to attend, you may address the committee this way: "NOTE: Statements emailed to [email protected] and received prior to noon on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, will be distributed to the committee members prior to the meeting." If you can't attend, consider waiting until Tuesday morning (before noon) to send your email in support of the KCPA bill.

IMPORTANT LINKS:
1. Video Archive 4/25/23 - House Committee on Criminal Justice (HB14 ban bill starts at timestamp 2:57:40): https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/Vid ... 0425_23_CJ

2. Video Archive 5/2/23 - Senate Judiciary Committee (SB94 ban bill is first on agenda): https://senate.la.gov/s_video/VideoArch ... 050223JUDC

3. (Upcoming) House Committee on Health and Welfare Schedule: https://house.louisiana.gov/Agendas_202 ... _23_HW.pdf

4. (Upcoming) Live video link for Health and Welfare Committee (Wed. @ 9AM): https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/HD/HCR5.aspx

5. (Upcoming) Live video links (Check this on Monday): Senate Chamber Schedule: https://senate.la.gov/Sched/S_Sched

6. (Upcoming) Live video links (Check this on Monday): House Chamber Schedule: https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Sched/Hse_MeetingSchedule

7. Link to all Louisiana House of Representatives with email and phone numbers (Feel free to make calls this weekend and leave voicemails): https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Reps/H_Reps_FullInfo

8. Link to all Louisiana Senators with email and phone numbers (Feel free to make calls this weekend and leave voicemails): https://senate.la.gov/Senators_FullInfo

9. Bill tracker for HB14 (Ban Bill): https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=23RS&b=HB14

10. Bill tracker for SB94 (Ban Bill): https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?&i=244272

11. Bill tracker for HB572 (KCPA Protection Bill): https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=23RS&b=HB572

ALL LOUISIANA SENATOR'S EMAILS (Including ban bill author Sen. Kleinpeter):
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

ALL LOUISIANA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EMAILS (Including ban bill authors Rep. Firment & Edmonston):
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Thanks to everyone in advance for your patience with these posts and updates, and we hope that if you're not already moved to take action, that the video links above to the hearings will motivate you to send some emails, make some calls, and if you can--show up on Wednesday at 9am at the State Capitol. We need you.

If this were Florida I'd shut these bills down in one five minute talk. I'd lay out around 250 grams of kratom from 10 different vendors and invite any of the legislators to tell me how much to take to kill or even injure me and then I'd take it in front of them, come back the next day, and tell them they were full of shit.

End of bills.

(And I WILL do this if it ever comes to this in my state).

Yes, watch the videos of the hearings in both the senate and the house. It's ridiculous the misconceptualization. It's all happening very fast, and they really seem to have no concern for kratom users at all. There has been speculation of outside entities involved. At any rate, I hope you all will take the time to write some emails and maybe leave some voicemails. I wish I would have found the board sooner. I just don't think reddit and facebook at going to get the word out fast enough.

This is an important consideration going forward, you mentioning Florida and other states. It can happen quickly and before you know it, you're looking at criminalization. I would like to start an informal advocacy network with others so that when/if the time comes we've got 4-5k people ready to do a heavy campaign against the ban bills.

Please "chip in" here if you can, anyone who is willing to take some time tonight or tomorrow. I'm thinking Monday morning would be too late for the ban bills. Will email the Health and Welfare committee special email, and all the representatives on Tuesday before noon.

Thank you guys for letting me post all this, being new to the board. Much appreciation in advance for the help.

Kelleytoons wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2023 8:17 pm If this were Florida I'd shut these bills down in one five minute talk. I'd lay out around 250 grams of kratom from 10 different vendors and invite any of the legislators to tell me how much to take to kill or even injure me and then I'd take it in front of them, come back the next day, and tell them they were full of shit.

End of bills.

(And I WILL do this if it ever comes to this in my state).

Yeah same here. This is a great idea. I'll do this in VA if necessary, but I don't think my legislature has a hard-on for kratom criminalization though. Thank god. BUT...who knows. All it takes is the right elected stooge and some sweet pharma green and my safe state turns into a big bowl of wrong. Personally, I'm not concerned as I could fill a swimming pool with my stash probably, but what happens when this new fentanyl youth hits their thirties and wants to quit fucking around? A world of Suboxone addicts? Then what? As soon as everyone is hooked, they pull the rug out and cut most of them off? They love that game. Good to have an alternative, y"know?

I'm nervous for the kids. Smells more and more dystopian every day.

As you say - I'm not at all worried about me (first of all, I'm WAY too old to give a shit what they make illegal or not, second I have enough kratom to last until I'm around 120, and third I never take it when I'm out and about anyway, so they'd have to raid my home and that is something I'm far more worried about for other political reasons than some harmless herb) but it would be a shame if it happened for younger folks here. So if they do try and introduce anything I will be taking a two hour drive to the state legislature and be sure to get on the docket (assuming they have hearings - if not, I know some media types that would love to film me making a demo of what I say I'd do in front of them).

However, ours has sine died for this year so not likely to happen until 2024 if then. Other folks need to keep an eye out and see. I do NOT want this thread to get political in any way - we can all agree there are bad operators on both sides of the aisle - but honestly I'm SURE there is Big Pharma money involved (again, in the pockets of both parties). No real reason otherwise to make these sorts of efforts - there aren't any old ladies clamoring for this to be taken out of circulation. No politico is going to get votes banning something the vast majority of people have never even heard of. So there HAS to be payola and Big Pharma are the only folks with skin in the game. It's a shame it has to come to that (but it also speaks for how effect kratom is at eliminating the need for their drugs - hell, I am no longer even going to get my family doc to give me some although he's been supplying the hard stuff now for going on a decade).

Do any of these politicians happen to be libertarians? I am not one, but if they are, they should be in invested in the issue of governmental overreach here. I thought I had an understanding once that there might be some libertarians in the fray and I think I can speak to them. Anyone up there spewing manure and lies is not someone I can change. They have an agenda.

Which video is the best to start with to see how things went down? I didn't hear wonderful things about what happened but I am assuming kratom advocates were not welcome and they'd rather pretend this is a narcotic, as opposed to the proliferation of horrific streetcocktails that include fentanyl and TRANQ. I guess it is easier to appear tough on drugs if you make drugs suddenly become drugs and you throw people in prison for it, while people are dying of fentynl/coke/TRANQ cocktails...I even heard heroin is hard to get, which is how this horrific TRANQ has been destroying communities for a decade and are only now getting a full scope of attention by the media. If you can't control drugs and violence, create a diversion you can control, right? Cops hang out at headshop in a legal state and follow a car straight into an illegal state like Arkansas and Alabama. Marshall Price is dead and the recently arrested woman had a million dollar bail on her head. She was driving home to Florida and didn't even know she crossed into Alabama for the slightest time but bam, charged with trafficking a schedule 1 narcotic.

Does any Louisiana lawmaker appear to actually support us?

Please folks, be careful when you travel. I will never, ever have the slightest bit of kratom on my person if I travel out of this state...but one state falls and the precedent has been set. If they touch my state, have fun with my tent outside of pain management. It would be nice if kratom could deter the use of fentanyl laden with TRANQ, honestly. But they'd rather punishing the innocent folks that are alive and make them pay for someone's overdose from a cocktail of 12 different substances? Restricting pain meds, according to Pain News Network, has shown since 2016 to not reduce the number of overdoses but in fact they have grown, if not tripled since those prescription guidelines were put into place. Even the FDA admits it didn't work. Now, this. Will it work? No. Will it get you reelected as sheriff or something? If you convince the public you are doing something when you are actually doing nothing, perhaps that's a career move...but the outcomes will stay the same or worsen. More will die, while they sit around imagining Red herrings and turning them into controlled substances.

You all bring up some great points. From watching the videos of the committee hearings in the senate and the house, it appears as if it's a partisan effort in the senate and house. The chairman of the house criminal justice committee, Rep. Marino, is an independent and he voted no and all the democrats voted no. Only one republican voted no. So, it was a close vote 8-7 for the ban.

One of the biggest problems is that all existing Louisiana kratom users will be cut off from supply, there will not likely be a black market for kratom. And if it's just a much of a penalty, particularly by weight, to buy other street drugs, who would risk buying kratom anyway? All mail ordering will shut down. This is so deeply serious. Someone mentioned above having a large stash -- what about those in louisiana who have a large stash? Who knows if law enforcement will opportunistically capitalize on this and do searches and raids? Probably not, but it is possible.

For all who support kratom staying legal in Louisiana: Today is the last day to email or leave voicemails for the Senators and Representatives before they vote tomorrow (Monday, May 8). If you haven't already done so, please considering taking a few minutes to email them at the email addresses listed above, or, click on the links to their individual information, and give them a call and leave a voicemail. Thank you again for your time and your help. This is such a travesty, and we are hoping for a miracle tomorrow.

PS: I don't want to get political either, but I don't think it is big pharma but politicians. There are people who can't do cancer or end of life care on kratom alone. That is my partner, for example. There is no shortage of cancer and unbearable pain and big pharma has just as big investments in all their cash cow pills...it is not like people don't get ED pills/Viagra and have overdose, abuse or have a heart attack on it. There is a shortage of many pills on the market right now from Percocet to Adderall to antibiotics to Albuterol. Companies are making plenty of money since the pandemic though and the number of folks diagnosed with conditions via e-meds that require antibiotics or controlled substances. Since 2016, scripts are way down and bi pharma prefers formulas that lack a generic equivalent anyway. The hottest drug on the market is ozempic. Frankly, local law enforcement and politicians up to state and federal levels are getting more pressure to solve the overdose epidemic and it has become a total unruly mess. If someone overdoses on fentanyl and it is cut with TRANQ, the narcan doesn't work right. There is a furious and emotional destroyed population of survivors that want this to stop and they seem unable to stop it, so they are stopping what is the closest and easiest thing to reach. They can conflate it, exaggerate, lie, call it a legal high just dangling in headshops and luring innocent children inside to die...scare tactics are a diversion and work beautifully, though I think some places could make their stuff look a little less like gas station candy. Why can't they go after headshops? Spice? Synthetic Adderall? All sorts of toxins--remember bath salts--have come from these places and in no way do they represent our community.

Just a thought. Big pharm is one thing, but these others are elected every 2 years and need to masquerade action. They are taking action, but it is like you have a pair of siblings and one is poorly behaved and you can't find where they went off to so you spank the good kid instead. Somebody has to pay, right? I am so sick of paying and sucking up my pain and living with it because other people got high and no one in this country knows how to stop it--I wonder if they even care at all, or if it's just about optics.

You are correct, they are also -- get this -- making it a LIFE SENTENCE for distribution of fentanyl over 28grams "in the aggregate". Which means if you have some weed or kratom or whatever and it is spiked with fentanyl, and you give or sell it to someone -- whether you knew or not -- you get LIFE with no parole. Translation: if you had a 125 bag of kratom, and it had 100mg of fentanyl in it and you sell it or give it away, it's a mandatory life sentence, no parole. That bill (and another fentanyl bill were heard immediately preceding the HB14 kratom ban bill in the House Criminal Justice committee.

I agree if you had an ACTUAL 28gm+ of fentanyl and you're a dealer, but much debate was brought up because some peopel actually spray cannabis with trace amounts of fent. Unbelievable.

The reason I say Big Pharma is this - kratom is not otherwise any sort of problem. As we all know here, NO ONE has ever died using it. Oh, they've died using other drugs that, in addition, might have included kratom, but it isn't as if it's a huge issue in any respect whatsoever. EXCEPT it cuts into Big Pharma's pockets. Do NOT be fooled - they are the only ones with money, and the ONLY ones against kratom. (It's the only thing that's a potential problem for them - it isn't a HUGE problem or it would already be gone - trust me, they could shut it down in a heartbeat if they truly wanted to. But right now it just seems safer for them to work against it... a bit).

It only takes ONE lobbyist to speak into the ear of a politico and what the heck do those folks know anyway? (Politicos of both parties are the dumbest people on earth).

In any case, it doesn't do much good to worry about why - again, the biggest way to solve any of this is for the constituents of the folks involved to appear in person of via phone calls and make a fuss. I know the goodhearted person trying here says emails but I've worked a LOT of political stuff and they never help. They are the easiest thing to ignore. Actual bodies are the most troublesome, talking with someone over the phone is next. If organizers truly cared about the future they'd come down and picket the place today, as I would IF it ever comes to that here in Florida.

(But I'm truly not worried about my stash even then - hell, there was no tougher grass laws than in the 70's in Nevada and I was... well, let's just say I could still be in jail nowadays <g>. At my age them coming to raid my home would have SUCH bad optics even a Soros DA wouldn't want to do that).

When SB94 (the senate ban bill) came up for vote, it was "passed over". The house bill is scheduled for later this afternoon. This could be good news, that they are deferring the ban bills until they hear the KCPA bill in committee on Wednesday. I still encourage everone cares to help, please email and call. With respectable disagreement with prior comments, out of state emails and phone calls actually do make a difference. Because there are so many emails, it gives them pause for concern. Today is the age of emails. I respect and appreciate any efforts anyone cares to make (or not). See above for comprehensive information for advocacy.

Another update: so both House and Senate ban bills were "passed over" today or postponed until Wednesday. Wednesday, the KCPA bill will be heard in the Health and Welfare Committee. There is an excellent chance, if the KCPA bill passes that committee, there will be some kind of compromise, in other words, kratom won't be made a schedule 1 in Louisiana (for now). If all 3 bills pass, the governor would have to veto one side or the other.

If you have been watching this thread, or are just seeing it, and you are out of state...please do one thing for us:

Send your brief story to ONE EMAIL: [email protected]

Your email will be distributed to all the Health and Welfare committee members, and become part of the record. Honestly, they don't look to see if they are in-state or out-of-state. I hate to beg, but if you have a few minutes, that's the most powerful assistance you can give aside from showing up in person. At the last committee hearing, you can hear them read out how many emails they received (276 I think), and it shows there is public interest/opinion.

These folks don't seem to be interested in the science at all. They are very tuned in to the emotional/human component of this thing. The biggest hurdle is that the opposition will, as it did before, be bringing in a mother who has a large picture of her deceased son, and makes a speech about how kratom killed her son. That's awful for a parent, and who knows the real deal with the toxicology report. But if you do the research there are extremely few (if any at all) deaths that can be proven to be exclusively attributable to kratom alone.

But imagine being a clueless Senator or representative and having to see that, and be asked to vote in favor of the KCPA bill. We need more people to show up to show the other side. Lot of people working or can't attend.

That's why I ask, one more time, please send your story to: [email protected] and use a subject like, "PLEASE SUPPORT HB572, KRATOM SAVES LIVES". Something like that. Because it absolutely does.

Thank you for those who take the time. Peace.

Against my better judgement I did send off an impassioned plea via email to that address.

Let's hope you are successful there - while I have almost no faith in politcos doing the right thing (haven't seen it in my lifetime) perhaps this time I'll be wrong.

Thank you Kellytoons. It will all play out tomorrow, so we will see. Anyone else who would email: [email protected] would be appreciated as well. The deadline is noon CST today.

Any updates please? I emailed them all.

Lokey wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 8:28 pm Any updates please? I emailed them all.

KCPA passed today in LA.

I’m sure the fact it passed in Texas helped sway them, but all the hard work everyone did was amazing.

I know there were multiple vendors that live there working on this nonstop, along with countless, countless people. A true grassroots effort with the AKA.

Great, thank you! Was worried about the domino effect and other states following suit.

I thought the KCPA just passed in committee? The last 5 minutes or so, one of the reps tried to table / kill the bill. They did a quick vote, and that got shot down. It then got voted on immediately after to approve it, and it passed 12-4 I believe. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it still has to go to the house for final reading and vote. It's also been amended and is now HB 655.

https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.asp ... B655&sbi=y

It should be read in the House on Monday 5/15:

https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Agenda.aspx?c=H&g=BODY

What's the latest?

Yes, the KCPA bill passed the House committee on Health and Welfare with a 12 - 4 vote. It was brutal, though. So much misinformation being circulated by the opposition. As someone mentioned, it's been reformatted into HB655, with some amendments, some of them pretty strict. I believe it may be the toughest KCPA out there.

Meanwhile, everything pretty much sat for a couple weeks without much movement.

Now we are at another critical juncture: The HB655 KCPA bill is up for House floor discussion and final vote tomorrow, Monday, May 22, at 1:00PM CST. This is critical because if it does pass, it will head to the senate and then the senate will likely refer it to their judiciary committee before final vote. This would likely have the effect of stalling out the two pending ban bills HB14 and SB94, though it's possible all 3 could pass, or all 3 could fail. Not confusing at all, right?

Anyone can watch live tomorrow by clicking on the house floor video link (will appear tomorrow): https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Sched/Hse_MeetingSchedule

I suppose it is late in the process, but anyone who cares to email the House Representatives requesting them to please "VOTE YES" to HB655, you could do so tonight or before 1pm tomorrow. There are some who think that emails don't count, but they actually do. We managed to get a substantial amount of them in. I believe their mail server is now rejecting bulk mailing to all the representatives by just pasting in all 100 or so emails into the "BCC:" field. You would need to email them individually.

At any rate we are very hopeful that the KCPA bill will pass the House floor tomorrow. If it does, it's still not over, though. We have the ban bills to watch and see how they deal with, and also the KCPA bill would need to pass through the senate committee before it went before the senate on a final vote. Assuming it passes the House tomorrow, there would be an opportunity for the public (Louisiana residents / kratom consumers in particular) to show up yet again to support the KCPA bill at it's final public hearing in committee.

Finally, we are in a time crunch because the State legislature is set for FINAL ADJOURNMENT on June 8, 2023 which is less than 3 weeks away. If you haven't already, please support us in any way you can. Stay tuned here for further news, I will post the results of tomorrow's vote.

elbandito88 wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 9:50 pm

Lokey wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 8:28 pm Any updates please? I emailed them all.

KCPA passed today in LA.

I’m sure the fact it passed in Texas helped sway them, but all the hard work everyone did was amazing.

I know there were multiple vendors that live there working on this nonstop, along with countless, countless people. A true grassroots effort with the AKA.

It did pass the House committee on Health and Welfare, but it's far from final passage. See my previous post today for details.

UPDATE 5/22/23: The KCPA bill was read by title, returned to the calendar (by the bill's author, Rep Goudeau) and scheduled for floor debate on 05/23/2023 (tomorrow). See: https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=245069

Not frustrating at all.

SB94 Senate Ban bill PASSED the Senate: Read by title, passed by a vote of 38 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled. See: https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=244272

And look how shameful our leaf is being portrayed: "gas station heroin" to "get off opium":

May 22, 2023 - Senate Floor final vote on SB94 by Sen. Kleinpeter:
Presentation of bill SB94 starts at video timestamp: 1:31:09

https://senate.la.gov/s_video/VideoArch ... 2223SCHAMB

On the same day and time as Rep. Goudeau's HB655 KCPA (kratom protection/regulation) bill was scheduled in the House for debate and final final passage on May 22, 2023, out of the blue, over in the Senate, Sen. Kleinpeter called SB94 from the calendar and gave an extremely brief presentation where he stated:

"Kratom is being sold in gas stations, they call it the 'gas station heroin' is what it's being called. This is a bad drug that I do believe that some people are being..they're using it in a healthy way but there is no regulation on this bill. There, um, I want to move it to the controlled substance to where the FDA, once the FDA approves it, then we can approve it for use, for medical usage. People are using it to get off opium, but there are 3 approved medications [referring to the dangerous drugs Suboxone, and Subutex] currently that people can use, so I ask for your favor, I see no questions."

KCPA bill HB655 is still alive and scheduled to be heard today (5/24/23) on the House floor.

Here is the link for 1:00PM CST: https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/HD/HCHAM

And here is the agenda: https://legis.la.gov/legis/Agenda.aspx?c=H&g=BODY

downsouth wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 4:46 pm "Kratom is being sold in gas stations, they call it the 'gas station heroin' is what it's being called. This is a bad drug that I do believe that some people are being..they're using it in a healthy way but there is no regulation on this bill. There, um, I want to move it to the controlled substance to where the FDA, once the FDA approves it, then we can approve it for use, for medical usage. People are using it to get off opium, but there are 3 approved medications [referring to the dangerous drugs Suboxone, and Subutex] currently that people can use, so I ask for your favor, I see no questions."

Of course the same thing could be said about a thousand other things the FDA has not approved either - there should have been ONE question from SOME thinking person saying "So do we move EVERYTHING to a schedule one substance and then let the FDA either approve it or not?"

You don't move something to that schedule unless there is evidence it is harmful, which there obviously is NOT (even the UN couldn't find any). Clearly all those politicos are either idiots or being paid off by Big Pharma (or both, of course). Too bad there weren't public hearings because, as I said, if there were any here in Florida I'd have shut it down in a New York minute by simply asking them to ask me how much to take to hurt me and then doing it in front of them.

Kelleytoons wrote: ↑Wed May 24, 2023 3:00 pm

downsouth wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 4:46 pm "Kratom is being sold in gas stations, they call it the 'gas station heroin' is what it's being called. This is a bad drug that I do believe that some people are being..they're using it in a healthy way but there is no regulation on this bill. There, um, I want to move it to the controlled substance to where the FDA, once the FDA approves it, then we can approve it for use, for medical usage. People are using it to get off opium, but there are 3 approved medications [referring to the dangerous drugs Suboxone, and Subutex] currently that people can use, so I ask for your favor, I see no questions."

Of course the same thing could be said about a thousand other things the FDA has not approved either - there should have been ONE question from SOME thinking person saying "So do we move EVERYTHING to a schedule one substance and then let the FDA either approve it or not?"

You don't move something to that schedule unless there is evidence it is harmful, which there obviously is NOT (even the UN couldn't find any). Clearly all those politicos are either idiots or being paid off by Big Pharma (or both, of course). Too bad there weren't public hearings because, as I said, if there were any here in Florida I'd have shut it down in a New York minute by simply asking them to ask me how much to take to hurt me and then doing it in front of them.

You are absolutely correct on this, but it took place on the Senate floor (not committee), and there was no one to speak up against the ban on the senate floor - the general public cannot speak to a bill on the Senate floor. This guy (Sen. Kleinpeter) had a hand-shake deal with AKA that he would work to negotiate a KCPA type compromise after Senate committee (where the science was presented) on his ban bill on May 2, but then he pulled this stunt out of the blue on May 22, which is the same day the KCPA was going to be heard in the House and pushed his ban bill through the Senate floor in less that 2 minutes. Strong appearance of coordinated sabotage.

KCPA was delayed again yesterday in the House, rescheduled for today (5/25) so we will see if it passes.

I know there are some that hate to hear this but... Big Pharma.

When politicos act like this, when their constituents have not shown up in any great numbers on one side of an issue or another but there are still these kinds of shenanigans... follow the money. There is ALWAYS money behind this and Big Pharma are the only folks who can even slightly stand to profit by a kratom ban. It is naive in the extreme to believe there are some kind of moral issues or just deep following of any political ideology (IOW, this isn't just a "left wants freedom, right wants no one to have fun"). This is why people making 40K a year end up worth millions and millions of dollars.

Unfortunately, it's hard to fight against money - light tends to defeat dark, but dark can and does win a lot.

GOOD NEWS!!



THE KCPA BILL HB655 PASSED THE HOUSE FLOOR JUST NOW!!

CHECK THE BILL TRACKER HERE: https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=245069

Today's entry reads:

05/25 H Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 80, nays 15. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

We are not out of the woods yet. It still has to pass the Senate Committee, and then the Senate floor. Advocacy will be needed!

Also we are still fighting a Senate bill SB94 by Sen Kleinpeter (you know, the one who calls kratom "gas station heroin") - his bill will be heard in the House Committee on Criminal Justice next week, and we will need advocacy there as well.

Will post updates.

Kelleytoons wrote: ↑Thu May 25, 2023 1:15 pm I know there are some that hate to hear this but... Big Pharma.

When politicos act like this, when their constituents have not shown up in any great numbers on one side of an issue or another but there are still these kinds of shenanigans... follow the money. There is ALWAYS money behind this and Big Pharma are the only folks who can even slightly stand to profit by a kratom ban. It is naive in the extreme to believe there are some kind of moral issues or just deep following of any political ideology (IOW, this isn't just a "left wants freedom, right wants no one to have fun"). This is why people making 40K a year end up worth millions and millions of dollars.

Unfortunately, it's hard to fight against money - light tends to defeat dark, but dark can and does win a lot.

I do not disagree with anything you say here. However, we did have a victory today in the house. It was brilliant, an 80-15 vote FOR the KCPA bill. It's not a perfect bill, and leaves open some things, but it's better than a Schedule 1 ban, which would severely criminalize it.

I applaud your victory (which IS good for all of us) and it does point out that most politicos - who have no axe to grind in this process - are pretty "meh" on the subject (nowadays you can't get 80+% of ANY political body to agree upon ANYTHING, so getting that percentage here pretty well means, for the most part, that they don't see any major issues). It also shows just how silly one or two folks really are (and with deeper pockets someone could probably find the graft involved in getting that other bill to be heard).

What's really funny to me is that it's hard to even make an argument that kratom is some kind of gateway drug - while I don't think grass should be restricted in any way whatsoever (on the subject of substances I'm pretty much a complete libertarian) you *could* make that case that it could leave to heavier stuff. Kratom is about the most benign thing there could be and yet it threatens some particular money interests.

Anyway, good luck to you and keep us all posted if nothing more in that it's good to know whether I can actually visit the Big Easy or not (I will NOT go to LA if they restrict my herb).

UPDATE AND FINAL REQUEST FOR ACTION. HELP OUT YOUR LOUISIANA FAMILY!

It's all broken down in detail in this reddit thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/kratom/comment ... n_pending/

Please visit the thread and do one more push with us to get this thing through, and prevent the ban.

Any and all help is appreciated. Please share the link.

Much appreciated.

KCPA bill (HB655) passed the Senate Judiciary Committee today, with amendments. Now it's on to the Senate floor for final vote (not scheduled yet).

Meanwhile tomorrow, the BAN bill (SB94) is being heard in the House Criminal Justice Committee at 9:00AM CST. It will likely be a tight vote. (15 members) If the ban passes the committee, it would then go to the House floor for final vote.

Confusing, nerve racking, very stressful.

And yes, it's actually possible that both the KCPA bill and the Ban bill could both move to final passage. In this case, the Governor would have to veto one or the other.

May you never experience this in your state.

If it comes to that in Florida I'm going to have some fun (as I said, I'll make sure I attend the hearings for the public to speak, and then I'll shut them down with the "tell me how much to take and I'll do it in front of you and live").

But I feel for you guys - if it does pass that's one state I'll cross off my "visit" list (and it was a very real possibility - my wife has relatives there).

More GOOD NEWS!!

The Senate bill SB94 ban bill, which would have made kratom Schedule 1 in Louisiana, has been amended by the Author to get rid of the Schedule 1, and replaced with age restrictions, etc. Massive victory. The author also agreed to work with the KCPA author to "marry" or merge the bills. Next step is to pass the final version(s) on the House/Senate floor. We are almost home free. There is only a week left in session. This was a HUGE CLOSE CALL, yall. There is nothing to describe the feeling when you've been relying on kratom for years, and bans come and go, but then one comes along that has serious backing (in our case, there were DOUBLE ban bills: one in the house, one in the senate). Your heart just sinks. Fear and anger set in, and you can't sleep at night. You run through all kinds of scenarios in your head--what will you do. Then it's a mess trying to figure out and sort through the state legislative process to understand what's going on at each step. Then, watching the video and cringing at the shit the legislators say, like "I never even heard of kratom, what is it?" and then you see them "google it" and a few minutes later, they're like, "Well, the Mayo clinic has an article saying it's dangerous and ineffective" and spouting off other propaganda like "GAS STATION HEROIN". Good lord.

It looks like we are on our way to being the next KCPA state. Thank you to anyone who sent emails.

downsouth wrote: ↑Wed May 31, 2023 4:26 pm More GOOD NEWS!!

The Senate bill SB94 ban bill, which would have made kratom Schedule 1 in Louisiana, has been amended by the Author to get rid of the Schedule 1, and replaced with age restrictions, etc. Massive victory. The author also agreed to work with the KCPA author to "marry" or merge the bills. Next step is to pass the final version(s) on the House/Senate floor. We are almost home free. There is only a week left in session. This was a HUGE CLOSE CALL, yall. There is nothing to describe the feeling when you've been relying on kratom for years, and bans come and go, but then one comes along that has serious backing (in our case, there were DOUBLE ban bills: one in the house, one in the senate). Your heart just sinks. Fear and anger set in, and you can't sleep at night. You run through all kinds of scenarios in your head--what will you do. Then it's a mess trying to figure out and sort through the state legislative process to understand what's going on at each step. Then, watching the video and cringing at the shit the legislators say, like "I never even heard of kratom, what is it?" and then you see them "google it" and a few minutes later, they're like, "Well, the Mayo clinic has an article saying it's dangerous and ineffective" and spouting off other propaganda like "GAS STATION HEROIN". Good lord.

It looks like we are on our way to being the next KCPA state. Thank you to anyone who sent emails.

Thank you for keeping us updated. That is fantastic news!

6/6/23 UPDATE: The HB655 KCPA bill was supposed to be incorporated into the SB94 ban bill, but this did not happen on the house floor. The house rejected the KCPA as "not germane" to the original ban bill. Then today, the SB94 was "concurred on" on the Senate floor. So what we end up with is: No KCPA, No Schedule 1 ban, just a provision that makes it a misdemeanor crime to sell kratom to anyone under age 21, and that each Parish (county) is free to ban it for their particular Parish. 6 Parishes have banned it so far. The Parish "bans" are ordinances that can: make it a misdemeanor to possess, sell, or distribute kratom which carries a maximum of $500 fine and/or 6 months in the Parish jail.

Louisiana politics are nasty. If interested, look at the video from 6/5/2023 on the House floor. Disgusting how they handled it, killed the KCPA amendment, and one representative tried to add on a big ban list of delta cannabinoids.

Here is a link to the video, advance to TIMESTAMP 56:17: https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/Vid ... _p2_2023RS

AND AFTER SENATE CONCURRENCE WITH HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS, HERE IS THE FINAL DRAFT OF SB94 LEGISLATION: https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocu ... ?d=1330932

No ban this year, but from the sound of it, they are not finished with Louisiana.

They always make it seem like they are regrouping, but I think they are done. What more can they do besides poisoning batches at customs and as everyone is dying, say "SEE! WE TOLD YOU!" and if you think that's too conspiratorial, check out my favorite government fuckery Paraquat. Apparently they were trying to save hippies from the harm of pot....by KILLING THEM

It's not funny but sometimes you just have to laugh when you realize that WE ALLOW THIS BULLSHIT!

mivanqua wrote: ↑Fri Jun 09, 2023 6:02 am They always make it seem like they are regrouping, but I think they are done. What more can they do besides poisoning batches at customs and as everyone is dying, say "SEE! WE TOLD YOU!" and if you think that's too conspiratorial, check out my favorite government fuckery Paraquat. Apparently they were trying to save hippies from the harm of pot....by KILLING THEM

It's not funny but sometimes you just have to laugh when you realize that WE ALLOW THIS BULLSHIT!

Yah, dude, it's a sad situation. The FDA will stop at nothing to finish off kratom. After their unsuccessful attempts in 2016, and again in 2018, then the delays over the last few years with covid...it's got them raring to go again. There was some federal legislation ramped up last year, Senate bill S. 4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements (FDASLA) Act. Summary: Gives FDA more resources, and more authority, expands FDA reach on dietary supplements. But I don't believe it passed.

Make no mistake, the FDA has a hardon on kratom, and always will. They can't regulate it, they can't ban it, and their buddies at big pharma can't make money on it. They HATE being powerless--just as in the case of cannabis you mentioned. So, they created a propapganda campaign at the state level, fund state level ban attempts, rile up local law enforcement, rehab centers, and doctors, and demonize the shit out of it.

So, how many states in all got hit this year? A bunch. Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, Georgia, Montana, (Texas, Florida, West Virginia, and Georgia got KCPA), but even the KCPA doesn't guarantee they won't come back around next year and hit it again. They gotta keep pushing their SUBS man, the BUPE, the "kratom deaths," the moms that show up to legislative committee hearings with pictures of their deceased sons, crying, and claiming "kratom killed my son!". They also march in these "rehab robots" that are all at the same rehab facility, shilling for the owners and talking about how bad kratom is and they had to GET ON SUBS to get off kratom (no kidding, they claim kratom withdrawals are worse than heroin), and they need SUBS to get off.

But you're right. We "allow it" in a certain way by voting these legislators in the office. Of all people I was watching Sen. Bernie Sanders testify in a committee on that FDA bill, and he got all pissy in that way that he does and said, "It's not congress that regulates the pharmaceutical industry, it is the pharmaceutical industry that regulates the United States Congress". Their money tips the scales again. Pharma lobbyists 15,000 deep are scattered around with millions and millions of dollars tryna keep the FDA/pharma chain rocking and rolling--an endless sea of green--and NOT the kind of green we like, a fresh bright green nano-grind. Green backs! Hundreds. Benjamins. High stakes. Hi FDA--when are you going to stop??

You know, I like you. Thanks for this thoughtful post.

They had better not come around my way again or they may leave in more than one piece. I'm fed up with "bureaucracy" and the like being "deeply concerned," which I learned personally through "Judicial Process" means "you're affecting my money."

They will stop at nothing, you are correct, but they will never win this one. Even THEIR OWN STUDIES show it's not harmful and doesn't even affect the receptor that's responsible for addiction. It's simply NOT FUCKING DANGEROUS.

And all of the poor mothers, the ones that were TOLD that kratom killed their sons disengenuously and now they are on a crusade, I can understand that for sure even though it's not true.

However, there are also parents who KNOW exactly what killed their kid (that they likely didn't give a shit about anyway) and are PAID to parade around misinforming everyone and manipulating.

That's where MY parent would be. "See all of this kratom? It's all he gave a shit about."

On a couple occasions I sent multiple emails to Louisiana and apparently West Virginia (?) legislators pleading with them not to ban kratom. Out of nowhere today I got a response from Donna Boley at wvsenate.gov! She simply said "I believe we only voted to regulate - not ban." Sure was surprised! It showed at least someone read my email.