Nick Pell

And even then, the burden of proof is on the government, not on the manufacturer, which isn't terribly surprising as this is the bedrock of Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence since forever.

You know, you have to prove your accusation against somebody rather than them proving their innocence.

There's not really any kind of potency, purity, or consistency standards with supplements, which is why you shouldn't just buy any random brand of supplement in general, not just Kratom.

Yeah, the current legal status of Kratom is in this weird gray area where the FDA hasn't approved it at all for anything, but they also haven't banned it.

So you can get away with quite a lot by just slapping a sticker that says not for human consumption on the packaging and then pretending like your company has done everything required to make clear that this is not something any government body has said is okay for people to consume.

So America, contrary to popular belief, actually has a pretty high bar to clear for drugs entering the market.

You don't just have to prove that drugs are safe.

You also have to prove that they're effective for the specific disorder or illness that you're marketing them for.

First of all, to get a Kratom habit, you're going to have to take large amounts daily, about 10 grams a day or more.

It's not clear how long you'd have to do this before you're addicted.

It also matters what kind you're using, whole leaf versus extract.

We don't have scientific data, but self-reported withdrawal symptoms are pretty much what you'd

Expect anxiety, depression or dysphoria, nausea and vomiting, muscle aches, tremors or restless legs, insomnia and fatigue, sweating and chills, irritability and agitation.

These aren't just general withdrawal symptoms.

They're very similar to withdrawal from opioids, particularly the leg spasms.

I'm sure everybody listening to this knows the euphemism kicking the habit.

And that actually comes from

Do you kick a lot when you're getting rid of a dope addiction?

Really?

Yeah, your legs spasm like crazy.