covid-19

Advocating For Kratom In Pandemic Times: How You Can Help

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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.

Kratom From Home: What You Can Do To Keep Buying Kratom

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There’s no doubt that the world has changed in the time since the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread. Business has changed; social life has changed. Everything has changed in one way or another, and there’s a new normal that people are beginning to adapt to.

For those who consume kratom and aim to support reputable kratom vendors, it is a great time to consider what you can do to help these businesses survive these difficult times. Vendors that work hard to ensure only the highest-quality kratom makes it to their customers and buying from them directly during this time is more important than ever.

Let’s talk about why buying kratom from home at this time helps the industry, and what else you can do to ensure that you will be able to continue to easily access kratom for years to come.

The COVID-19 Problem

How is COVID-19 affecting the kratom industry specifically?

While much of the kratom industry is rooted in online sales, there are still many physical aspects in the process that are being affected by the ongoing pandemic. From shipping to in-store shopping, delays are affecting the industry from start to finish.

In particular, these are the problems plaguing the industry:

  • Shipping delays
  • Supply chain disruption
  • Importation problems
  • International supply inspection and testing delays
  • Lack of kratom advocacy opportunities
  • Limited in-store shopping possible
  • Extra cleaning required
  • Extra safety measures required for employees

These are far from the only problems that businesses in the kratom industry are having, but they are the problems that are most affecting the industry at large. What can be done to help the industry get past all of these problems so that kratom can continue to be sold safely and legally?

Online Shopping Remains Easy

Regardless of what is going on outside of your door, shopping online remains an easy and safe way to get your kratom supply without having contact with anyone. You can order whatever you want to try out from the comfort of your own home, and it will be delivered to you a short time later.

The only way that this might really change during the COVID-19 pandemic is that there are shipping delays across the country. In addition to some warehouses taking a little bit longer to fulfill orders due to updated staffing routines to keep workers safe, there are also delays within the USPS service itself.

This means that while you might need to wait a little bit longer than usual, you will still be able to get kratom delivered to your house without any problems.

Vet Your Vendors

Regardless of what is going on in the world, it remains very important for you to vet who you choose to buy kratom from. When processed and handled properly, kratom is safe to use, but there are unfortunately some sellers that are not as honorable as others. This means that they do not do enough testing, and that could put you at risk.

It is very important to always check into those that you are thinking about purchasing from. See how they test their products, find out if they are handling things properly, and ask them questions about anything that concerns you. If they cannot give you the answers you seek, look for another company to buy from.

Phytoextractum is proud to be part of the American Kratom Association’s GMP program. This means that we prioritize our customer and product safety over profits. We make sure that we are doing the required latest best practices at all times.

If you are unsure what vendor to buy from, look up the complete list of GMP-compliant vendors on AKA’s website for some ideas of where to shop.

Hit The Stores

If you aren’t comfortable buying online, you can still go to stores and shop in some areas. Depending on local restrictions, you might be able to call around and find what shops you can go in to pick up some items.

Alternatively, many shops may also have curbside pickup. This means that you would be able to drive up, pick up your items without any contact, and then be on your way. This is an incredibly safe way to shop during the ongoing pandemic, and it might be the only way you can physically shop in your area.

Kratom Advocacy Continues

During this time, another important aspect of keeping the industry alive is to continue kratom advocacy. Legislative bodies and most political meetings are on hold at this time, and that means that any progress being made by kratom advocacy groups has been put on hold.

While organizations behind these movements are still working hard to ensure that important things like Kratom Consumer Protection Laws will still be moved through the system, they are going to require more resources and support now.

Community Involvement Is Key

The biggest way that you can help with advocacy is to get involved in the community around you. Find out what type of advocacy is happening in your area. See if there are any laws that are being considered, and do your part to get those passed.

You can help do this by calling local legislatures, writing letters, signing petitions, and contacting local offices about how you feel. Hearing from constituents is a major way that politicians make decisions, so using your voice is very important.

Don’t underestimate the difference that your voice can add to the conversation.

You Have The Power

The kratom industry is going to survive the COVID-19 industry, but you have the power to help the industry come out even stronger than it was. Through your buying power and your support of kratom advocacy efforts, the mission to make kratom safely and legally available in all of America can continue.

If you’d like to learn more about kratom and kratom advocacy, check out our complete resources blog. We pride ourselves on helping to educate curious customers. Feel free to contact other experts and advocacy organizations with your questions as well!