Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 6, 2017

Florida State Rep. Kristin Jacobs, a Coconut Creek Democrat, filed legislation on Friday to add Kratom to the controlled substance list. House Bill 183 would add Mitragynine and Hydroxymitragynine, constituents of Kratom, to the schedule of controlled substances, offering an exception for any FDA approved substance containing these chemicals. Selling, delivering, manufacturing, or importing these Kratom chemical constituents […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 5, 2016

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is vowing to continue the fight to stop the use of the botanical kratom, a plant-based product used as a homeopathic treatment that is beginning to concern authorities and healthcare professionals in Florida. PainMedicineNews.com reports that FDA officials recently seized 90,000 bottles of the dietary supplement manufactured under the […]

Peter SchorschMarch 23, 2015

Sometimes, the little bills are the good ones. Sometimes, the bills that don’t involve eye-catching headlines or involve hot-button issues like guns on campus, how to use Amendment 1 money, or who should check the genitalia of folks using the bathroom, often get little notice. It’s that way with the effort to ban Palcohol. On one hand, […]

Christine Jordan SextonMarch 9, 2015

The war on designer drugs no longer is limited to synthetic substances. Kratom — an herb derived from the leaf of a tropical tree indigenous to areas of Southeast Asia — has been gaining popularity in kava bars and smoke shops as the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency labeled it as substance of growing concern. It […]

Peter SchorschMarch 8, 2015

Somebody has to be first, right? Last month, Florida Politics reported on the surge of Kratom, a plant-based product used as a homeopathic medicine that has begun to concern Florida authorities. Traditionally, Kratom leaves — indigenous to Thailand and Malaysia — are chewed to treat a variety of ailments: reducing pain, an anti-diarrheal, and to reduce […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 23, 2015

Is Kratom next up in the controlled substance cavalcade? The battle usually begins with an outrageous anecdote. A shady doctor prescribing pain pills from a golf course; a deranged man spiked up on some “bath salt” derivative and chewing off someone’s face; or a shocking suicide by a young man with a bright future. First, […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 23, 2015

Is Kratom next up in the controlled substance cavalcade? The battle usually begins with an outrageous anecdote. A shady doctor prescribing pain pills from a golf course; a deranged man spiked up on some “bath salt” derivative and chewing off someone’s face; or a shocking suicide by a young man with a bright future. First, […]

Jac VerSteegJanuary 7, 2015

The West Palm Beach City Commission has provided a perfect example of how government turns into The Nanny State. At its first meeting of 2015, The Palm Beach Post reports, the Commission voted 4-0 to require bars to post signs reminding customers that it is illegal for people under 21 to buy alcohol and illegal […]

Jac VerSteegJanuary 7, 2015

The West Palm Beach City Commission has provided a perfect example of how government turns into The Nanny State. At its first meeting of 2015, The Palm Beach Post reports, the Commission voted 4-0 to require bars to post signs reminding customers that it is illegal for people under 21 to buy alcohol and illegal […]

Tag: kratom

Bill filed in Florida House to make Kratom a controlled substance

FDA vows to crack down on kratom, seizes $400K shipment

Powdered alcohol … the next date rape drug?

Senate committee schedules kratom legislation

Tampa Bay Times finally arrives at the Kratom party

First it was pill mills, then it was bath salts; now it’s Kratom

First it was pill mills, then it was bath salts; now it's Kratom

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: West Palm plants seeds of the Nanny State

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: West Palm plants seeds of the Nanny State