Saturday, August 14, 2021

Kratom and Harm Reduction

Kratom and Harm Reduction

 

“More than a decade in the making, America's opioid crisis has morphed from being driven by prescription drugs to one fueled by heroin and, increasingly, fentanyl. Drawing on historical lessons of the era of National Alcohol Prohibition highlights the unintended, but the predictable impact of supply-side interventions on the dynamics of illicit drug markets. Under the Iron Law of Prohibition, efforts to interrupt and suppress the illicit drug supply produce economic and logistical pressures favoring ever-more compact substitutes. This iatrogenic progression towards increasingly potent illicit drugs can be curtailed only through evidence-based harm reduction and demand reduction policies that acknowledge the structural determinants of health.”  Leo Beletsky

“Regardless of the specific facts about particular drugs, however, for more than 100 years, the main strategy America has used to deal with drug problems is prohibition. With the exception of alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco, nearly every substance that has publicly been associated with recreational use has either been banned entirely or strictly confined to medical use. Prohibition policy—such as the war on drugs—assumes that restricting drug sales and possession will solve the problem, period.” – Maia Szalavitz

 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-fda-shouldn-rsquo-t-support-a-ban-on-kratom/?fbclid=IwAR3dJOKZpTIjj-bdJ9Yc82xs7x9X7Yg98T0zjXTiasaFecSD1mkbttwK2bg