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Where To Safely Buy Kratom (Hint: It’s NOT Amazon!)

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The safety of kratom throughout the last decade has been rapidly improved by an overall improvement in community standards, but that doesn’t mean that the quest to ensure that kratom is safe for consumption in America is over.

Though there are many reputable vendors working hard to only provide their customers with high-quality kratom, there are also vendors who are willing to sell subpar products at a lower price. For kratom users that aren’t aware of this problem, they might be unknowingly using a dangerous product.

Safely buying kratom is incredibly important. To make sure that you are safely stocking up on kratom, follow this guide (and avoid Amazon!).

Why You Should Avoid Amazon

Buying from a third-party seller such as Amazon is tempting in a number of industries, and some people might be tempted to try to buy their kratom there as well. After all, it just makes sense to order all of your things from one place to simplify the shipping process, right?

Ordering from one seller for many items certainly streamlines the process, but that doesn’t always mean that you are going to be making a good choice by doing this. Let’s talk about why you might not want to order kratom on Amazon.

Safety Concerns

The primary concern when buying from a selling platform when it comes to kratom is safety. Kratom is a safe product when it is manufactured and sold honestly, but it can be hard to know if that is the case when buying from a large platform like Amazon. While the individual seller may be trying to be an honest seller, confirming that is not always easy.

Shipping Concerns

Even if manufacturing conditions are ideal, does the vendor know what happens to their products after they leave their warehouse and are in control of the third-party platform? The shipping and handling aspects when ordering through these services is often taken out of the seller’s hands, and that means that there is not as much clear regulation or direction.

In the case of kratom, it is very important that the product is handled properly from start to finish. Kratom-specific vendors know what works best and will prioritize it, but that cannot be said about other sellers.

Additionally, customer service issues that come up with shipping may be better handled by individual sellers rather than large conglomerations.

Unknown Vendors

Do you recognize the vendor? Can you find information about them? Do they share their sources and how they ensure product safety? While there is an approval process for Amazon vendors, it is not always strict enough to work for a product like kratom.

Liability Limitations

This is arguably the biggest reason not to order form Amazon. No listings on Amazon directly state the word kratom because they have some liability agreements in place that do not allow vendors to sell products like kratom on the platform.

That means that any vendor selling kratom on Amazon is technically doing so illegally, so you should not buy the products from the site at this time.

Even if a company that you think that you want to try sells its products on a third-party platform, it is often better to buy kratom directly from the source as most vendors have a better profit margin when they sell their own products. If you want to support the industry, buying direct is therefore more powerful.

Where To Safely Buy Kratom

If you want to find a better option of where to buy kratom, there are luckily many other fantastic options today. The kratom industry gets stronger each year, and there are more and more brands that can be relied upon to stock up on good products.

Our company, Phytoextractum, continually dedicates time and resources to ensure that we are compliant with the latest best practices. We are part of the GMP-compliance program, which essentially means that we are doing all that we can to ensure our product is handled safely from start to finish.

Of course, we aren’t the only company that is doing our part to ensure the safety and future of the industry!

How To Vet Your Kratom Suppliers

When shopping for a high-quality kratom vendor, look for the following:

  • See if the company is part of the GMP compliance program run by the American Kratom Association
  • Look up their supply chain
  • Ask them questions about their testing procedures
  • See if they have any educational resources
  • Check reviews

By doing a little bit of research before you purchase kratom, you’ll be empowering yourself to ensure you only receive the highest quality kratom.

Why Kratom Safety Matters

Those that are new to buying kratom might not be sure why kratom safety matters so much, and they might instead look to find the cheapest product available. Unfortunately, not all kratom that is available online today should be considered pure.

As with any product, kratom needs to be properly tested, stored, handled, and shipped to be safe for use. If the vendors or suppliers do not do their part, the product can become cross-contaminated and unsafe.

Many industries have federal or state regulations that ensure proper safety procedures are followed. Because of the constantly changing legal status of kratom, however, such protections are not always in place. Some states have adopted Kratom Consumer Protection Acts, which prioritize kratom safety, but these are not yet a universal measure.

For that reason, kratom consumers need to be careful about who they buy from and ensure that they are doing what they can to buy from vendors that care about safety. The future of the kratom industry depends on this.

Stay Safe With Phytoextractum

As mentioned, we know just how important it is for kratom to be safely handled for the sake of the kratom industry, our business, and of course, our customers. That is why not only make sure that we properly test our products, but we also support the actions being taken on a national scale by the American Kratom Association to protect consumers.

If you ever have any questions or concerns about kratom and how it is being sold by our company, please feel free to reach out at any time.

Kratom Ads: What’s Allowed and What’s Not? | Why It Matters

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Did you know that there are many limitations put on what we can and cannot say about kratom? Even when new science points out exciting possibilities for kratom, we can often not share that news with our customers due to FDA regulations. 

What can we put on our kratom labels, and why does this matter so much in the industry?

Today, we’ll give you some deep insight into what is and what is not allowed when it comes to kratom advertisement and how we are working to improve that. The restrictions in place may be shocking, but they are the reality of what the industry must deal with.

The Truth About What We Can Say

Here at Phytoextractum, we do our best to keep our customers informed with the latest news in Kratom while ensuring our advertising and labeling first with all current guidelines. It’s not always an easy line to walk, but we do our best.

Our Product Information

When you visit our website and browse the kratom products that we have available, there is certain information that you will always find:

  • Product name
  • Product strain
  • Product strain origins
  • Product active ingredients
  • Testing information

You will notice that our product pages never mention any specific benefits that consumers might look for from kratom, nor do we give guidance about using kratom for any specific conditions.

Avoiding Unsubstantiated Claims

The biggest thing that we have to avoid when writing up any product labels, descriptions, or articles is that the FDA would consider unsubstantiated claims.

Under FDA guidance, there are two types of claims. Health claims are claims that must be pre-approved by the FDA and specifically address how a product or ingredient treats a specific condition or symptom. Structure/function claims are claims about nutrient effects that can be used more generally, but they still must have enough evidence to support these claims.

The FDA does not permit kratom vendors to use either health or structure/function claims as they do not currently recognize much of the ongoing research about kratom and its potential effects.

AKA’s Compliance Guidelines

In addition to paying attention to the latest news about kratom out of the FDA, we use the GMP compliance program rules from the American Kratom Association to guide what we do and do not say about kratom in our advertising and on our labels.

Essentially, this means that we do the following on our labels:

  • We do not say that kratom can treat any specific disease, nor do we include any specific research data, clinical studies, or health claims as the FDA could claim they are unsubstantiated.
  • We always include a disclaimer that our products are not intended to treat any specific disease or condition.
  • We ensure that our products affirm that we have not altered the content of the active ingredient in any way.
  • We make sure our products all have the appropriate batch and lot numbers.

By extension, we are also careful not to make any specific claims about what kratom can and cannot do in our marketing as well. We have seen how the FDA prevents vendors from sharing these types of experiences or ongoing research areas, so we reduce our risk by covering other areas instead.

FDA Pushback

The back-and-forth between advocates for the kratom industry and the FDA has been going on for years. While the FDA continues to try to push for the scheduling of kratom as a drug, the National Institute of Drug Abuse has concluded through their studies that it does not qualify for scheduling at this time.

Still, the FDA continues to ignore ongoing research and considers all claims about kratom to be unsubstantiated. Simultaneously, they affirm that kratom research suggests it may be just as dangerous as opioids, which is an unsubstantiated claim by their own terms.

Ultimately, the FDA’s conflict to settle on reasonable and measured regulation of the kratom industry will continue for years to come.

The Future Of Advertising And Labeling

The restrictions placed on kratom vendors is dangerous, and we’re not just saying that because it can be challenging to know what we can and cannot legally say!

Strict limitations are put in place without giving clarity to the kratom industry at large, leading to a lot of confusion for customers. High-quality vendors like us take these restrictions seriously while other companies ignore them and make bold, inaccurate claims.

As a consumer, how are you supposed to know what is and what is not okay? Without clarity or approved regulation from the FDA, consumers are left in a dangerous position.

Implementing The KCPA

One way that the American Kratom Association is addressing this problem is by working with specific states to implement the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. These acts function on the state level and ensure that kratom vendors working in that state must follow guidelines. These guidelines provide information on how labeling and information should be handled and regulated. 

Truth in Labeling Program

The AKA also recently started a program known as Truth in Labeling. Through this program, companies that are making bold or unsubstantiated claims can be reported to the group. AKA will then reach out to the vendor to help them get their labels under control.

If the vendor continues to risk the industry’s future by refusing to comply with FDA protocols, the vendor will be reported to the FDA. This process will begin the self-regulation that is present in other industries.

Keep Yourself Informed

While we will continue to ensure that we provide as much good information as possible while also creating our high-quality products, we urge curious consumers to stay up to date through other sources.

Kratom vendors like us are limited in what we are permitted to say because unsubstantiated claims could cause the FDA to target our business. Still, other organizations such as the American Kratom Association can share more research, statistics, and information.

To stay up to date with the latest kratom news, visit AKA’s website today.