The FDA has warned the American people not to use kratom, a dangerous plant-based product that in small doses acts as a stimulant, but in larger doses has opioid effects and is addictive.
Kratom is not the sort of product that the Secretary of Health and Human Services should be taking money from or giving favorable policies to, but that is what HHS Secretary RFK Jr. is accused of doing.
Kratom products are sold in gas stations around the country, and they have been linked to liver toxicity, seizures, and thousands of deaths.
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According to a New York Times investigation published in June:
Mr. Kennedy, as health secretary, called the governor of Ohio to try to head off a state ban on kratom in the fall of 2025. Months later, Botanic Tonics donated $1 million to a political committee associated with Mr. Kennedy.
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The administration’s receptiveness to kratom comes as Mr. Trump has also expressed a willingness to loosen rules covering other drugs backed by influence campaigns, including cannabis and psychedelics. The permissive posture stands in contrast to Mr. Trump’s baseless skepticism about highly regulated and widely used medications like Tylenol and vaccines.
When Kennedy was asked about this $1 million donation, it did not go well.