Phytoextractum has long prioritized the treatment of kratom on the political and social level in America. Using kratom legally and easily in America has been a problem for decades as the policies surrounding its use are constantly evolving. We feel it is important to continue to be involved in pro-kratom advocacy efforts to ensure that our customers can continue to safely access kratom.
However, many of the traditional routes for advocacy in America have been changing in recent months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As the spread has affected how groups can meet with politicians and other important advocacy resources, the fight for kratom protections is forever changed.
What can you still do to ensure that kratom advocacy can continue with gusto despite the pandemic? Let’s find out together.
Goals of Kratom Advocacy in 2020
Though the world has changed a lot, the ultimate goals for kratom advocacy by large groups like the American Kratom Association continue to be the same today as they were before:
- Pass KCPA laws in states where no kratom protections exist
- Continue to enroll vendors in the GMP compliance program
- Ensure vendors are testing their products properly
- Set up more third-party independent testing
- Educating consumers about how to buy kratom safely
COVID-19 & Advocacy
How exactly has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way that kratom advocacy works in 2020?
Fewer Political Meetings and Legislative Sessions
The thing that has probably had the biggest effect on kratom advocacy is the simple fact that most politicians, legislators, and local leaders are not meeting as frequently with advocacy groups. This is due to the strict social distancing requirements needed to slow the pandemic spread, but it is causing a variety of side effects.
Earlier this year, AKA expected to move forward with KCPA proposals in more than 20 states, but many of those states have had to push back the review of such proposals until next year. While this is understandable, it presents a big roadblock for kratom advocacy.
Other Issues Take Priority
Once sessions do resume, it is to be expected that other issues such as health and budgets will take priority before any outside proposals, such as KCPA protections, are able to be brought up, discussed, and voted on. To keep these proposals relevant, advocacy groups like AKA are going to have to work overtime to ensure that they do not get passed over in the confusion that is 2020.
Misinformation
Another problem at this time is misinformation that is being spread by counter-kratom organizations in some regions, particularly in local jurisdictions. Typically, advocacy groups would fan out to try to address this misinformation in real-time, but that is not always possible due to the pandemic, so it has fallen to local citizens to argue for their right to use kratom safely and legally.
How Kratom Lovers Can Help
Are you worried about the future of kratom? Do you want to make sure that it is still both safe and legal to keep using kratom for years to come? If so, it is time to see what you can do to get involved in kratom advocacy efforts. Getting involved in 2020 might look a little different than it did in 2019, but there are still a lot of ways that you can make a difference.
Support the American Kratom Association
We’ve supported the efforts of the American Kratom Association (AKA) for years, and we plan to continue to do so for years to come. It’s not just organizations or businesses like us like that can get involved; you can also get directly involved in their efforts to make things better.
If you visit the AKA website, you can find more about many ways to get involved:
- Join the AKA forums to discuss and interact with ongoing issues
- Read the latest updates about kratom legislative actions
- Find out if any initiatives are ongoing in your state
- Join the Kratom Advocacy Council to be a more direct helper
- Donate to support their efforts
Even if you just use AKA to become better informed about the issues that are affecting the kratom community at large, you will be making a difference in the way that kratom is perceived and received in society.
Contact Your Legislators
While AKA and similar advocacy groups can do a lot by working with legislators and local leaders to change the way that kratom is treated, their efforts only mean so much if there aren’t also local residents sharing their views on kratom as well. Legislators are far more likely to support a movement if they know that their constituents are in support of the movement, so using your voice in favor of Kratom in your community can make a huge difference.
Contact your local, state, and national representatives to share your opinion as much as possible. Pay attention to what issues they are voting on and how they are voting. Send letters and emails to explain your support or dissent with various opinions. Doing these things does not take a lot of time, but it does make a huge difference.
Get Educated
Finally, one of the most important things that you can do is to get educated about kratom and current kratom science. Not only does having this information benefit you, but it also makes it possible to refute misinformation publicly whenever you come across it. Having knowledge is power, and that is why we have a complete resources blog to help share what we know with our customers!
Phytoextractum
We want to protect kratom and kratom lovers now and for many years to come, and that is why we have always prioritized ensuring that our standards and processes are held to the highest degree of safety rules. We want to see that become the standard across the entire kratom industry, and that is why we support the work that kratom advocacy groups are doing.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, advocacy has taken on new forms, but it is still just as important as it ever was.
