On banning ‘gas station heroin,’ Newsom gloats prematurely |
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On banning ‘gas station heroin,’ Newsom gloats prematurely
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared war on kratom, an unregulated herbal medicine that comes from the leaves of the mitragyna plant in Southeast Asia.
In a Facebook post last week, the governor boasted that state agents have removed over 3,300 kratom and related 7-OH products from the shelves of licensed businesses in California in just three weeks.
This is in response to growing numbers of kratom-related deaths.
Newsom points out that from 2020-22, 242 deaths in the state have been linked to kratom, with 27 due to kratom alone.
Now that many kratom products have been stripped from the shelves of California gas stations and convenience stores, problem solved, right? WRONG.
Unfortunately, Newsom’s response only scratches the surface of the problem.
Since October, the California Department of Public Health has considered kratom products illegal for sale in California. This is a small step in the right direction, but it hardly solves the problem.
Consider: Kratom is highly addictive; physicians and hospitals don’t routinely test for it as part of our toxicology panels;........