FDA chief warns about kratom to treat opioid addiction; will seek more regulatory power

Citing 36 deaths, the Food and Drug Administration chief warned consumers Tuesday not to use the herbal supplement kratom to ease opioid withdrawal and announce plans to step its regulatory oversight to combat the opioid epidemic. The FDA public health advisory on kratom follows the Drug Enforcement Administration's reversal or at least delay of plans to classify kratom as a controlled substance on the same level as heroin and LSD. -- More...