Statement from AKA Chairman Dave Herman on the Resignation of Scott Gottlieb as FDA Commissioner With the announcement today that Scott Gottlieb will be resigning as FDA Commissioner, the American Kratom Association (AKA) looks forward to working with the new FDA Commissioner when he or she is appointed to set a new path for an appropriate regulatory scheme to protect Americans from contaminated or adulterated kratom products, and respecting the freedom consumers have to make their own choices on their health and well-being. While there is much to admire about the work that Dr. Gottlieb did in public health, his crusade against kratom clearly ignored both the science and sound public policy when it came to addressing how best to serve kratom consumers and their rights to exercise their freedoms in choosing dietary ingredients as an alternative to prescription drugs and opioids. AKA is pleased that agencies within the Trump Administration, other than the FDA, have shown a willingness to challenge the bias against dietary ingredients and supplements that are safely used by millions of Americans to manage their own health and well-being. For example, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has demonstrated its independence with their own scientific evaluations of the FDA claims regarding the deaths and adverse events on whether consumers can overdose on kratom, and those findings directly contradict the FDA's incorrect statements on alleged dangers of kratom. AKA hopes a new leadership team at the FDA will focus on ridding the marketplace of adulterated and contaminated kratom products, and will follow the lead of NIDA in looking at new research that affirms the promising indicators that kratom and its alkaloids may have in future non-addictive pain options for those suffering from chronic or acute pain. Dave Herman Chairman, AKA |
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