We, the medicinal users of Kratom, are the new silent majority. I actually don't know that we're the majority, but we certainly have the potential to be. There are millions of people in pain who could benefit from a healthier pain reliever, if they only knew about it.
I should include the many recreational users, such as kava bar patrons, who know how to be reasonable with their consumption, in this silent majority, too.
After the poor treatment kratom's devoted fans received in the Georgia & Florida legislatures, we need to reach out to users who are falling into bad habits with this plant. Since parents know little about kratom or how to wisely use it, it is up to us to educate our fellow consumers. That is one thing we can do to save our access to this beneficial plant.
It only takes a few people like the boy in Georgia or Ian Mautner in Florida for our lawmakers and the media to turn them into prime examples of why nobody should ever try kratom. Could some good advice from friends have prevented the tragedy of Ian Mautner's sad end? Maybe -- or maybe not. We know that their mothers weren't able to help them, for lack of knowledge about how to manage the use of this beneficial herb.
People who knew Ian Mautner also know there was a lot of twisting the truth of his story as told by his mother in the hearing yesterday.
Lawmakers, too, need to realize that -- despite whatever laws they pass -- some people have issues that drive them to abuse any substance. We need to remind legislators that, when the vast majority of people are helped by an herb, they should not be denied because of the few who abuse it.
Alcohol abuse is rampant and causes an estimated 88,000 deaths a year, but we have come to accept it. And yet, our society doesn't deny the majority the pleasure of having an occasional, even nightly, drink. So, why are lawmakers trying to pass laws to prevent the few who are compelled (for their own personal reasons) to over-use kratom?
We don't criminalize drinking to prevent drunk driving. We enforce laws against drunk driving.
People need to learn to use kratom and other herbs wisely. We learn by making small, survivable mistakes. We can also learn from the experiences shared by others. This is a new herb, but lawmakers need to understand that the same principles of human nature in a democracy apply: It doesn't make sense to punish the majority who are using this botanical without trouble, in the vain hope of saving the few that inevitably will misuse it.