The U.S. House of Representatives approved controversial legislation last week to give far-reaching powers to the Justice Department to go after the use and selling of synthetic drugs.
The move came in response to the rising opioid epidemic that has contributed to over 40,000 overdose deaths in 2016 alone–with painkillers, heroin, and fentanyl being the primary culprits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
But the new bill, the Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act (SITSA), seems far more concerned with punishing drug users and low-level dealers than focusing on treatment options.
The new powers given to Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice would essentially give them unilateral control over sentencing–without any congressional oversight.
The medicinal plant Kratom, which is used as alternative pain reliever to prescription pills, might also be a victim of the proposed change of drug laws.
Recently, Kratom has been on the receiving end of a misinformation campaign by the FDA, which falsely labeled it as an opioid. That, in combination with the fact that the House rejected an amendment to SITSA that would protect Kratom’s legal status has many believing that it’s only a matter of time until the drug is prohibited.
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