Daryl Simpson

Pennsylvania has truly been embracing alternative health products in recent years and one of those natural botanicals is known as the Kratom leaf. Kratom is an herb that is native to Southeast Asia and sold all around the world. It is hailed for its ability to increase your energy, enhance your mood, and relieve stress. This herb fits perfect into the fast-paced Philadelphia or Pittsburg lifestyle, but will Pennsylvania soon have to endure legal battles that may eventually ban the use of kratom? Let’s take a look at Kratom’s present legality in this state as well as the USA.

Is Kratom Legal in Pennsylvania?

Because kratom has no harmful side effects like chemical prescriptions, illegal opiates, and other legal substances like cigarettes and alcohol, it has high potential in the herbal health movement. Pennsylvania has had its share of drug abuse thanks to a lot of recent cultural movements. But now, residents are looking towards natural alternatives to harmful substances and prescription drugs—namely herbs like Kratom. This herb is known to provide stress relief, pain relief, and increased energy, a nice fit for the perils and upheavals of modern living.

The internet makes a lot of herbal medicines available to Pittsburg and Philadelphia residents. However, with each new alternative, herbal substance comes a new fear of the unknown that is often not supported with sound evidence. It’s because of misinformation that many people are prevented from benefiting from helpful alternative therapies.

At present, Kratom is legal in Pennsylvania and people are able to buy it, keep it in their homes, and use it as they see fit. Of course, people who market kratom can’t make health claims about the herb, but they can get by with selling bulk kratom powder as an ethnobotanical or a pure research compound. That way, they avoid violating government restrictions on the use of the product.

Should Kratom be Regulated as a “Legal High”?

There is some uproar about “legal highs” being sold in some head shops across the United States because they tend to be derived from harmful compounds. Many groups are pushing for Kratom to be regulated in the same way, but this natural plant shares little in common with these other artificial or synthetic drugs. Since kratom doesn’t fit this category, people who use it enjoy the freedom of being able to access it without any issues. Kratom has been documented as highly safe to use and has been prepared as a folk remedy for many centuries. To lump kratom with other harmful substances would be unfair; so, make sure you keep an eye on legislation to make sure further restrictions on kratom won’t catch you by surprise.

Which are the Better Strains to Buy?

When you decide to order Kratom from a store based in Pennsylvania for the first time, you will be pleasantly surprised by the amount of choice there is in the marketplace. What are the best strains that you can buy? Many kratom fans enjoy the Malaysian strain because it has been known to produce an extended euphoric feeling when used. Red Bali is favored because it has the highest promotion of that anxiety-relieving feeling.

To combat the stress of everyday living and to relax on a cold and rainy day many users fans love to drink Red Thai Kratom Tea. Indo is another Kratom strain favorite that comes from Indonesia and is known to heighten stimulation in social environments. It helps people come out of their introverted shells and helps them socialize better. Whichever strain you choose, you cannot go wrong with ordering your supply of Mitragyna Speciosa online to have it shipped to Pennsylvania.

Kratom is a natural herb that has been getting a lot of publicity in several US states. Many people in Illinois ponder whether their state will allow them to take advantage of using this highly sought after herb. For now, powder and extract forms of Kratom are still available in Illinois, and the federal government still considers these forms of the substance to be legal. That means it doesn’t matter which city in Illinois you are in—Chicago or elsewhere—you can still buy and use Kratom. This article will address the legal aspects of Kratom products and provide insight on how to purchase the herb in your location.

Kratom Laws in Illinois

It’s no surprise Kratom is legal in Illinois, a state known for its philosophy of personal freedom. Currently, there’s not one law monitoring or restricting the use of the plant and its derivatives. There are no limits on how much of the substance can be bought, and there is no talk of trying to impose laws on the use of the herb in the near future – at least at the state level. On the federal level, there are forces in the FDA that want to prevent Americans from being able to use this herb, but for now it is legal and uncontrolled.

This means you can buy, have on stash, and consume as much Kratom as you want. And why shouldn’t it be this way since Kratom is a natural herb with many extensive beneficial effects? Customers rave about how this herb has greatly improved their health and ability to enjoy their lives. People have used it to boost their energy, to relieve pain, to focus their attention, to relieve anxiety, and to combat depression. It is even being used to help wean drug addicts off of pain medications and other opiate substances by easing withdrawal symptoms.

Kratom and the FDA

You probably won’t get detailed information or usage information from the places where you buy it. This is because there are some FDA regulations that place restrictions on the places that sell Kratom. Right now, Kratom is not considered an FDA-approved substance. And it won’t be for a while because of the limited market for the product and the lack of $100 million available to help with the FDA approval process.

Despite proven evidence of the herb’s effectiveness, no one can sell the product and boast about its health benefits since the FDA won’t let Kratom be advertised as a substance made for human consumption. So for now, it has to be marketed as a research compound or ethnobotanical substance since it can’t be mentioned as a consumed substance. However, this still doesn’t keep people from using the herb as they see fit.

Where to Purchase Kratom in Illinois

Kratom is sold in powder, extract, and capsule form in many markets and smoke shops in Illinois. You can Google search for Kratom and probably find a seller in your own neighborhood. Although this may sound like a good idea having a head shop or local retailer in your neighborhood, we do not advise you to go that route because you may end up paying an extreme price with a local vendor. Here’s why…

Order it Online

Most Chicago area stores sell Kratom by the leaf at between $5 – $15 per dose since they cater more to the “legal high” crowd and also have higher overhead due to the costs of running a physical store. Online, you can order the same thing at a significantly lower price per dose (like $0.50 to $2.00). Brand name OPMs Kratom capsules sell at two pills for $15.95 in the stores. You can get the same amount from another brand for only a portion of that price online. If you buy in bulk, you can find even cheaper deals awaiting you on the internet

You also have to worry about getting stale and B-grade products when you buy from a local store, which will more or less have a somewhat limited selection of Kratom forms. The local stores are only interested in trying to sell a brand name. They are not trying to establish high quality Kratom from reputable farms in Asia. That’s why we recommend directing people to online botanical vendors who specialize in this herb and offer a better product without all the brand name hype. A lot of these companies offer free or reduced shipping rates to Illinois and you can expect your package to arrive in Chicago within days. The cost of Kratom is very low depending on how many grams of powder you use on an ongoing basis.

Two terms that you may come across in your research on Mitragyna Speciosa are “Kratom Isolate” and “Full Spectrum Isolate Extract”. While many vendors use these terms, few offer a complete product description to define them and explain what they are. Furthermore, not all Kratom isolate extracts are made the same. In this article, we will explain the fundamental difference between a single alkaloid isolate and a full spectrum isolate and help you to understand why one of these is greatly favored over the other.

Kratom Isolate

An isolate refers to any type of Kratom product that has been processed in such a way as to remove the alkaloids from the leaf. The effects of the Kratom herb are powered by the nearly 25 alkaloids and 40 total active compounds that have been discovered in the leaves of this tree. Each of these natural alkaloids may contribute to the experience when ingested, but the three main chemicals are mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, and mitraphylline. These substances are unique to Mitragyna plants and they are also known to occur in different amounts across different Kratom strains. This is why some strains may be cited as more stimulating and concentration-enhancing while others are more relaxing, mood-lifting and analgesic in their effects.

The best way to benefit from using the alkaloids is to consume the Kratom leaf as a powder. But you need to consume quite a large amount of this raw leaf powder in order to begin feeling the effects. Typical dosages will fall anywhere from 4 grams to 8 grams at a time. Kratom powder is also known for having a bitter taste and there are some who may feel nauseous or develop stomach discomfort when swallowing this much at a time. As a result, some vendors started offering Kratom isolates that extract the alkaloids from the natural leaves so that you avoid consuming some of the unnecessary plant matter. This means the alkaloids are much more concentrated in the final product so you will require a smaller dosage.

Kratom FSIE

There are quite a few different isolates sold today and they do not all produce the same effects. Some companies will sell isolates of one specific alkaloid such as mitragynine or 7-hydroxymitragynine isolate. Many of these are actually synthetic products and not natural extracts. Other vendors provide non-standardized isolates which do not guarantee the alkaloid content present within. The final type available is known as a Full Spectrum Isolate Extract or Kratom FSIE. This product is a standardized extract which contains the full range of alkaloids present in the Kratom leaf according to their natural proportions.

Full Spectrum Isolates are the only form we recommend. Kratom’s benefits are the result of the harmony and interplay of the 25 identified alkaloids in this special leaf. If you design a product that has an artificially high proportion of any one of these alkaloids, you risk throwing off the balance that nature has produced. This tends to lead to a greater risk of side effects, tolerance and other problems related to abuse. This is especially true with some of the mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine alkaloid isolates on the market. When using full spectrum extracts, these dangers seem to be greatly diminished without reducing the potency.

Should you Use Extracts at All?

Before you rush out to buy Kratom extract online, an often dismissed consideration is whether you should use an extract at all. New users are often attracted to the idea of buying the strongest, highest concentration Kratom products on the market. While there is certainly a time and a place for this, for those users who intend to take it on a regular basis, a lower potency dosage of alkaloids is to be preferred. Isolate extracts will accelerate the process of receptor down-regulation leading to tolerance and sometimes causing individuals to take more than what would be considered a safe dosages. Extracts are also more expensive over the long run. This is why most responsible experienced users will purchase either crushed Kratom leaves or un-enhanced powder.

Where to Purchase Isolate Extracts

If you do decide that you want to try an extract, make sure to not over-use it and plan ahead to give yourself breaks so that your receptors can reset. You can buy Kratom isolate extracts in a few different forms online. The most economical is to purchase powdered full spectrum extracts, but you may decide that capsules are more convenient. There are also liquid tinctures available as well as Kratom resins which are popular among advanced users.

Make sure to be on the lookout for products that over-promise or are not what they say they are. You may see some high potency Kratom extracts advertised as containing 50x or even 100x the alkaloid content of the raw leaf. Any of these pills are not going to be full spectrum isolates due to the physical constrains present in the extraction process. There is an upper limit set at about 20x for the amount of alkaloids that can realistically be extracted from Kratom leaf. Generally, authentic FSIEs will fall between a score of 8x and 15x. Anything higher will not preserve the full spectrum of alkaloids and instead will only isolate some lesser fraction.

Kratom is a natural herb that has been the subject of some controversy lately in a number of US States. That has left many Texas residents wondering whether this beneficial botanical is legal where they live. As of 2014, Kratom powders and extracts are legal in the state of Texas and at the federal level in the United States. That means you can purchase and use it whether you live in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth or any other city in Texas. In this article, we will cover some of the legal complexities of Kratom products and help you decide on where to buy it in your local neighborhood.

Kratom in Texas

Texas is a state that believes in personal liberties and this philosophy is reflected in the current legal status of Kratom. There have been no laws enacted so far to control or restrict the use of this plant or its alkaloids. It is not a scheduled substance and it does not currently seem like the legislature is considering a change to this policy in the near future.

This means that there are no restrictions for consumers as to how much Kratom they can buy, possess, or use. This is as it should be. After all, Kratom is an herb with a great deal of meaningful positive effects. There are many reviews you can read online from people who say it has improved their health and enjoyment of life. It can be used as a natural alternative to prescription pain medications, as an anxiolytic, an anti-depressant, an energy booster and even a concentration aid.

However, do not expect any of the companies you purchase it from to be able to tell you how to use it properly to achieve these benefits. There are limitations in place for companies who wish to sell Kratom on the basis of FDA regulations. At present, Kratom has not been approved as a supplement by the FDA. Suffice it to say, the approval process for a new substance like Kratom would require at least $100 million and the market has up until now been too small to warrant this investment.

What this means is that it cannot be marketed as providing health benefits to its users, even though there is much documented evidence of this fact. The FDA prohibits substances that fall into a grey area like Kratom from being advertised for human consumption. That is why it must be sold as an ethnobotanical or a research compound as opposed to a dietary product. But of course, this FDA ruling does not prevent individuals from experimenting with this herb as they see fit.

Where to Purchase Kratom

There are numerous local stores and smoke shops that sell Kratom powders, capsules and extracts in Texas. A quick search on Google might even find you a retail vendor in your neighborhood that carries it. This is certainly a convenient route to go for many, but we do not recommend it due to the fact that you will almost certainly pay an outrageous mark-up on anything you purchase in a head shop.

The average price per dosage of Kratom leaf in brick and mortar stores will be around $5 – $15 while online you can order the same products at a price per dose of $0.50 to $2.00. Consider the popular OPMs Kratom capsules which sell in many Texas stores in packages of two for $15.95 each. Equivalent non-branded products can be purchased online for a fraction of this price.

Other concerns with buying locally can include limited selection, stale products and low quality. These outfits tend to target the “legal high” crowd and invest more money into branding than developing relationships with the best quality Kratom farms and cultivators in Asia. We prefer to steer individuals towards the online botanical retailers that may use less flashy packaging, but will offer you better quality at lower prices. Many of these stores will also ship to Texas either for free or at very low prices that may even compete with your gas costs.

The legal status of Kratom is currently up in the air in Florida and the rest of the United States. While this medicinal plant is presently legal in the state of Florida, legislators are eying a ban that could make the alkaloids in the Kratom plant illegal to sell or use. There is already one county in the state that has passed such a ban and others may soon line up to do the same. Should Kratom use be legal? Can you still buy this herb if you live in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville or other major cities in Florida?

Kratom in Florida

Kratom is a natural leaf that comes from the Asian Mitragyna Speciosa plant. It has been used for many thousands of years in medicinal contexts among indigenous Thai populations. As a close relative of the coffee tree, it is not surprising that native people would chew this raw leaf for energy, increased attentiveness and to uplift their mood when engaging in demanding physical labor. Among Southern Thai populations, chewing Kratom was viewed as a sign of having a high work ethic and seen as a desirable trait. The herb can also be used as a natural remedy to alleviate pain symptoms, drug addiction, insomnia and anxiety in a drug-free way.

As of the writing of this article in January 2014, Kratom is legal to possess, purchase and consume under both Florida state law and US federal law. The alkaloids present in the Kratom leaf are not classified as controlled substances which means that you are free to buy and use this herb as you see fit. It is not illegal in any way, shape or form in the state of Florida. You can buy it from some local stores based in Miami or order it online to have it shopped to your location.

However, there is an increasing desire among some groups to have this plant labelled as a kind of “dangerous legal high” and to have it banned both in Florida and across the USA. The matter is not helped by Miami and Orlando media who are insistent upon covering Kratom only from one side and fail to recognize the stories of the many thousands who have derived real medical benefits from its use.

Like many of the plant-based remedies that we accept into our daily lives, using too much Kratom can lead to side effects. Some individuals have experienced dangerous side effects when taking dosages many times higher than the recommended safe amounts for excessively long durations of time. While it is an important role of the government to prevent products from coming to market that pose an egregious risk of abuse and dangerous side effects, characterizing this as the normal response to Kratom use does a disservice to the public.

Of the many thousands of Kratom users in Florida, there have been scant reports of serious adverse effects and in most instances those users were taking either enhanced Kratom products or mixing this leaf with other substances. We urge Floridian users of Kratom to speak to their local representatives to explain the other side of the debate and give voice to the benefits that this herb can provide.

Kratom Ban in Sarasota County

In early January 2014, Sarasota County was the first local government in Florida to introduce a ban on Kratom. Their ban targets vendors of this herb, but also lays out penalties for would-be users calling Kratom a “designer drug”. This is a patent mischaracterization of Kratom since we know it to be a natural substance and not synthetic in nature. Their ban also states that, “Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa korth) is an herbal psychotropic stimulant and opioid substitute with no legitimate medical use”. This shows that they have a fundamental misunderstanding regarding who is using Kratom and why they choose to take it.

Other counties in Florida – such as Pinellas County – have also considered banning this herb and more could follow suit soon. And in one instance, DEA agents acting in Florida seemed to be confused about the legality of this substance themselves. It was reported that they seized a large quantity of Kratom leaves from a vendor that was stocking it legally because they thought it was a controlled substance. This does not bode well for the protection of Kratom users’ rights in the future.

If you want to keep Kratom legal in the state of Florida and across the United States, it is important that you make your vote heard. For now, you can help by using Kratom responsibly and demonstrating to local authorities that this plant is primarily used to increase focus, alleviate fatigue, improve mood and reduce symptoms of pain and anxiety. We need to show Florida that this herb does have legitimate medical benefits and that its users are conscientious individuals who are not interested in using “designer drugs” or “legal highs.” In the end, that will be the best argument for keeping Kratom legal to buy in Florida.