The American Kratom Association is asking The New York Times to correct or retract an Oct. 28 article about proposed federal controls on two opioid compounds found in some kratom products.
In an Oct. 30 announcement, the advocacy group said the newspaper's account overlooked how the Drug Enforcement Administration's proposal combines concentrations of 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, or MGPI, and applies a separate alkaloid-ratio test.
Association challenges the article's characterization
The group's letter to Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger challenges the headline, “Trump Administration Backs Down on an Opioid Ban After Kratom Industry Lobbying.” It asks for a prominent correction, a revised headline and corrections sent to outlets that republished the story. If the central account cannot be adequately corrected, it requests retraction.
Mac Haddow, the association's senior fellow on public policy, argues that the combined concentration limit and independent ratio requirement strengthen protections that the article did not adequately explain. The group also wants readers told that scheduling thresholds do not establish product safety or authorize marketing.
The Times article, republished by GV Wire, examines lobbying, political contributions and the government's shift from a no-threshold MGPI ban. It reports criticism from researchers who consider the proposed limits too permissive. HHS told the newspaper its recommendation was based on science and was not influenced by litigation or political donations.
What the federal notice proposes
The Oct. 14 Federal Register notice proposes Schedule I controls when either compound alone, or their combined amount, exceeds 1 milligram per gram in solids or 1 milligram per milliliter in liquids.
A separate test would apply when the mass of mitragynine divided by the mass of 7-OH, MGPI or their combined amount is below 100. Either condition could trigger the proposed controls.
The October action is a notice of intent. It says a temporary scheduling order would be published on or after Nov. 13.
That does not remove existing controls. The FDA says the August temporary scheduling of MGPI, MGM-15 and MGM-16 remains in effect during the notice period and until a new temporary order is issued.
The federal notice also says neither HHS nor DEA has found the substances safe at the proposed threshold levels.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
