WHO Decides Against Scheduling Kratom.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided against a critical review and subsequent scheduling of kratom, according to the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) Summary assessments, findings, and recommendations. The ECDD looked at seven substances: Brorphine, Metonitazene, Eutylone, 4F-MDMB-BICA, Benzylone, Kratom, and Phenibut. The first two were added to Schedule 1 of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the third was added to Schedule II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the rest are to be kept under surveillance. The summary noted that the main psychoactive components of kratom are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine , two alkaloids—7-hydroxymitragynine is also a metabolite of mitragynine. Kratom has been under ECDD surveillance since 2020, due to a country-level report indicating the potential for abuse, dependence, and harm to public health, as well as a report from an international organization regarding documented fatalities associate...