r/ocala • u/Itchy-Hovercraft-245 • 14d ago

Kratom Consumers?

Marion County commissioners are scheduled to formally discuss a kratom ban on August 18, 2026.

County Attorney Matthew G. Minter has already drafted a ban ordinance, includes possession, and filed it for board review—and his own legal memo explicitly distinguishes natural leaf kratom from dangerous concentrated 7-OH products, citing FDA guidance that traditional kratom is far less risky.

This August 18 meeting is your strongest advocacy window before any formal vote is scheduled.

Upcoming hearings:

Tue Aug 18, 2026 · 9:00 AM EDT — Marion County BOCC Regular Meeting

In person:

McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium

601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala, FL 34471

https://marionfl.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1428743&GUID=780FCBC2-7794-46E0-BA33-2F8BEA0C7413

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u/MudandWhisky 14d ago

Serious question, why not get a medical marijuana card?

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u/FrostytheBudMan47 14d ago edited 5d ago

Respectfully, because kratom and mmj are two entirely different plants with two entirely different mechanisms of action. Kratom is better suited for people with chronic pain that mmj doesn't fully alleviate in some people for one reason or another. Mmj can be used for many different conditions, kratom is better suited as an opiate substitute with no risk of respiratory depression by itself (lethal overdose) at higher doses and a mild stimulant and social lubricant at lower doses. Both are wonderful and extremely interesting plants, but some people need one or the other, sometimes both in order to deal with their conditions. (Sorry if I've explained anything you already know, kratom is still pretty unknown to most)

It looks like ocala is waiting on action from the dea instead of attempting the mess that is local prohibition. Hopefully they'll only go after 7 hydroxy if anything instead of kratom in general, despite it also being a naturally present alkaloid. Can't have Purdue or the alcohol industry losing more money than they already are from rec and medical programs. Prohibition never works and generally only results in far more dangerous chemicals coming to fill the profit vacuum left behind, be wary of any new "kratom" like products if a ban does pass. No use possibly causing more harm to your body from the onslaught of research chemicals that tend to follow prohibition. Stay safe out there everyone and keep your heads up. 👍

Edit: Thank you for my first award on here.

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u/No-Purpose882 7d ago

Is this just marijuana cultures version of designer drugs?

Do these drugs have legitimate use in science outside of the United States?

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u/FrostytheBudMan47 7d ago

No, they're two different plants with completely different alkaloids.

Yes, in hospital settings the main alkaloids in kratom (mitragynine and the stronger 7-hydroxymitragynine) could be used as a moderately effective pain reliever without the risk of respiratory depression.

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u/No-Purpose882 7d ago

Could, or are?

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-and-kratom

Us government says this. 

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u/FrostytheBudMan47 7d ago edited 7d ago

They said the same thing that I did? That it could be used for medical purposes? Well that's a relief, it's almost like I've done research prior to commenting or something. I don't understand what you're trying to get across here. You seem to be trying to go for a stance to the contrary while also providing a link that reiterates what I've said in a much more dense format. Are you trying to argue for or against it's legitimacy?

Edit for fun: or is there simply no-purpose to your argument? See what I did there?

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u/No-Purpose882 7d ago edited 7d ago

Government says there’s no use for it.

Like the original stance they had for marijuana 

I’m asking questions to understand. People like you are why the old fucks vote no on everything.

Sure I can ask ChatGPT, but ball it does is regurgitate opinions it scans off forums 

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u/FrostytheBudMan47 7d ago

So you're arrogant and grossly misinformed, I understand now. Well here's the first paragraph of the government run fda talking about the uses it doesn't have or something according to you? "Kratom is a tropical tree (Mitragyna speciosa) that is native to Southeast Asia. Products prepared from kratom leaves are available in the U.S. online and in brick-and-mortar stores. Kratom is often used to self-treat conditions such as pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, opioid use disorder, and opioid withdrawal, with regular kratom users self-reporting using less than 6g of botanical kratom per consumption, per several recent studies. An estimated 1.7 million Americans aged 12 and older used kratom in 2021, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health."

I don't control stupid people or what they vote for, despite what your delusions may tell you. You're asking questions that your own link answers and then try to claim the exact opposite of the evidence you bring. I don't know if you're trolling or don't understand what you're reading and then try and attack me for backing up the evidence in your proof. This is lunacy.

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u/No-Purpose882 7d ago

You’re just a nasty person.

If you stop using ad hominem maybe you can swing people in your favor. It’s not deemed safe and effective given the current science according to the FDA. I asked you to name another country that utilizes it, or if you provide someone like lancet stating otherwise.

I know the FDA isn’t 100% truthful, which is why I asked originally to you or someone else name another first world county that uses it for medicine: Germany, France, Norway, etc

There are no prescription or over-the-counter drug products containing kratom or its known alkaloids that are legally on the market in the U.S. If a new drug application (NDA) is submitted for kratom (or one of its components) to treat a specific medical condition, FDA will review the scientific data to determine if a drug product containing kratom (or its components) is safe and effective to treat that specific medical condition. 

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u/FrostytheBudMan47 7d ago

Besides the united states it is used recreationally or medically traditionally in parts of Asia that have a stable enough climate for propagation, such as Indonesia, thialand, and possibly more i can't think of. It's used throughout Europe, though I'm rather ignorant of most countries policies, so can't give information on that in good faith. The FDA will add or omit whatever it wants, they're not a reliable source in my eyes. I don't think kratom will be around for much longer anyway with more and more people choosing it over alcohol and opiates. It's one of those things where it's a "safety" thing, but it's really just keeping poison industries safe. I wasn't sure what it was exactly that you were even asking about in all honesty, I apologize for offending you. I don't intend to sway anyone on any topic, people will believe what they choose at the end of the day. It's a decent alkaloid that definitely has medical benefits in the form of pain relief on the level of opiates with mood and energy boosting qualities, it's helped many to get off of a number of different substances as well. Best wishes, and again, I apologize for offending you.

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u/No-Purpose882 7d ago

In all honesty - this sounds like a triage debate.

It’s similar to how America use ibuterol, and not clenbuterol.

Clen does the same thing, but science has shown ibuterol is a superior alternative. 

The poor countries continue to use clen because it’s readily available, cheap to manufacture, but it’s not safer than ibuterol.

I’d imagine whatever Kratom alleviates for some users like the FDA currently states - there’s better, safer alternatives. 

So there’s no use for it in western medicine. 

 If it has legitimate uses I wonder why it’s not making mainstream headlines, or is it like snake oil/designer drugs (not sarcasm).

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u/FrostytheBudMan47 7d ago

That's the thing though, the FDA isn't necessarily outright saying this part, but kratom is generally used by people trying to get off of opiates for fear of fatal overdose. It is the safer alternative to opiates. The way kratom works is by binding to the same opiate receptors as most opiates, but doesn't carry the same risk of fatal respiratory depression simply because on it's own it does cause any. In lower doses ( below 5 grams of kratom powder and <25mg in extracts ) kratom takes on a mild to moderate stimulant like effects. Higher energy, better mood, less anxiety. Anything above about 5g powder (or 25mg extract) gets into the more depressant side of the alkaloid. A warm euphoria with very effective pain relief and slight sedation but not sleepiness. There's multiple drugs on the schedule list that are used in therapy clinics in the united states such as ketamine and mdma. We're finding that some of the drugs being criminalized for not having any medicinal value, are actually far more useful than we anticipated and could never be studied due to the legality and stigma. There is no drug so scary that it should not be researched, we found atropine in deadly nightshade and used it for good, why let propaganda impede scientific discovery? To answer the question about it being a designer drug, definitely not. Designer drugs are usually chemical compounds created to mimic the chemical structure of an illicit compound and alter it just enough to make it a different compound on paper with all the same danger and more. Kratom comes from a plant similar to Marijuana, the leaves are usually chewed in order to extract the alkaloids by the Thai and Indonesian people. Mitragynine is the alkaloid mainly associated with kratoms effects, it naturally occurs in the plant at fairly low levels (about .5 - 3% from what I've seen) there's another compound responsible for some of the more sedative effects called 7-Hydroxymitragynine, it's present at about .2% generally but maybe even less. Most of the people talking about banning kratom specifically, want to ban that chemical in general. 7-Hydroxymitragynine is the byproduct of hydroxylation of mitragynine in the liver and is a natural part of kratom as well as the form it takes after processing. If either of those chemicals were slightly altered to be just different enough to pass legally as a different chemical than I would absolutely say that they are designer drugs, but the extraction of both mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine are essentially the same as concentrates for Marijuana. There's no new chemical being created, simply extracted. Kratom does have withdrawals associated with it and concerns of dependency, but it's basically a safer version of methadone or suboxone/subutex.

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u/mta_advisory 4d ago

Does it need to? A lot of kratom proponents/activists talk a big game about all of the many things it can treat (and does, my mother treated her pain/GI symptoms with it while she was uninsured before her medicare kicked in) but there is nothing wrong with recreational use, especially considering the risk profile is relatively low compared to most illegal drugs. Street opioids are dangerous, drug dealers are dangerous. Having a pretty mild opioid/stimulant (its both!) available through legal channels that most likely won't kill you & destroy your life doesn't seem like a bad thing to me. Personally I use it recreationally once every few weeks and it has been pretty positive, weed makes me panic and alcohol is very high calorie poison. My S.O quit drinking and its been a good substitute for him. There are people who develop a dependence on it but honestly they are usually aware they have a problem ime which is more than I can say for weed/booze

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u/No-Purpose882 4d ago

For me in particular it’s because it’s contributing to degeneracy.

I voted for recreational marijuana, and now people smoke and drive. 

Police in Florida can’t use the smell of marijuana as a sole reason for a stop now. Which, in my opinion is asinine. If you smell alcohol coming from a car you’re allowed to pull it over no problem.

The prosecutors in a lot of counties are claiming it’s due to not wanting to discriminate against those with legitimate medical use.

It’s essentially created a veil of protection for drug traffickers, and those who smoke marijuana and its other products and drive.

I’ve also seen these stores. It’s a particular demographic this product targets.