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How COVID-19 Changed Kratom Advocacy (And What You Can Do)

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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way that many aspects of the world work. While many industries are becoming more streamlined and continue functioning without problems, the same cannot be said about how kratom advocacy will fare as we move into the new future.

Traditionally, kratom advocacy has relied on meeting with politicians, local leaders, town hall meetings, and other types of events that aren’t happening as frequently in the current climate.

To put it bluntly, kratom advocacy has changed dramatically.

What can be done to ensure that advocacy for kratom doesn’t disintegrate during these difficult times? Today, we’ll talk about how you can continue to advocate for kratom throughout the pandemic.

Problem: False Claims About Kratom & COVD-19

One problem that could shed a negative light on the kratom industry at large as the claim that is being made by some uninformed vendors that kratom can be used to positively treat or protect against COVID-19. This claim has no basis in reality, and it should not be spread.

Misinformation such as this type of rumor can severely damage the overall credibility of kratom and what it can actually do for people. Vendors that use this type of rhetoric to try to drive sales during a pandemic are part of the problem, and it’s important to look out for this type of predatory behavior.

Additionally, the FDA has been known in the past to actively work against the kratom community. The FDA has already given a warning to some CBD vendors for false COVID-19-related claims, so it is important that kratom vendors do not attract negative attention by making such claims.

Solution: Look For Honest Vendors

Honest vendors that make sure their practices align with current and factual science will not use these types of false claims in their marketing, and they will always do their part to represent kratom in an honest way. By supporting vendors that rely on science and high-quality testing, you will be supporting the future and growth of the kratom industry.

If you buy from vendors that use underhanded tactics or spread false information about kratom, you may be accidentally contributing to the culture that will harm society’s view of kratom in the long run.

Take time to research vendors before purchasing, and try to only support vendors that use honest science. Additionally, consider reporting any vendors that you see making false COVID-19 claims to an organization like the American Kratom Association that might be able to reach out to the vendor to try to get them to change their stance. While the vendor may not be receptive to those types of changes, it is always worth the attempt.

Problem: Scientific Backlash

As fears that are rooted in the uncertainty of the current world take hold, many pseudo-science theories are becoming popular. They get spread around social media with little vetting, and many people become fearful of these unsubstantiated “facts” that they see in the latest popular image.

The problem here is that these rumors are rarely, if ever, rooted in science. As people realize this, they become more and more unlikely to believe anything they see online. Whether or not the information is factual, it’s hard to know if the anecdotal experience you read about online is true.

In the past, many kratom users would share their stories with others to explain what their experiences have been like. That form of advocacy, however, is less effective in today’s online world due to the uncertainty of information.

Solution: Know Your Facts

If you want to share your stories about kratom online as a means of advocating for its benefits, it is important that you know what the facts of kratom are and what current research says about its uses. By knowing this information, you can include important, fact-driven messages in your anecdotes as well, and that will make your overall message more reliable.

Of course, you cannot be expected to know everything that is going on in the world of kratom!  For information about the latest research and facts about kratom, check out the complete blog that we have on our Left Coast Kratom resources page.

Problem: Limited Political Meetings

Much of the advocacy that is done to improve the legal issues that surround using kratom in America are done through political meetings on the local, state, and national level. As COVID-19 has caused many social distancing measures to be put in place around the country, the opportunities for these types of political issues to be limited if not for emergency situations.

This means that the advocacy groups that have been working on the full legalization of kratom and protections for kratom users are being limited in what they can do, and it will take time for new methodologies of handling advocacy to emerge.

Solution: Support AKA & Other Advocacy Groups

Despite the holdups, advocacy groups such as the American Kratom Association are still working hard to ensure that the movement for safe and legal kratom in America does not end here. They continue to do their work as diligently as possible, and their goals for getting consumer protection laws in place are still in progress.

One great way to support kratom advocacy is to give direct monetary donations to these organizations. Alternatively, purchasing your kratom from vendors that donate to these causes is another way to provide some support.

Stick With Kratom

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that the world is a complicated and constantly changing place. The ongoing changes are affecting the effectiveness of kratom advocacy as well, and that is something that we don’t believe we should risk. The efforts of kratom advocacy groups over the last decade have made a huge difference in how kratom is perceived in America, and we don’t want those efforts to go to waste.

Even if you aren’t prepared to get fully involved in advocacy efforts, we are committed to doing what we can to support these efforts. By supporting us here at Left Coast Kratom, we’ll pass on your support to the groups that are doing what they can to make a difference. Thank you for joining us in this mission!

Keeping Kratom: How To Support The Kratom Industry From Home

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are staying home as much as possible, limiting their travel and shopping to as few stores as possible, and buying online whenever possible. The same can be said within the kratom industry, and many kratom lovers were already doing most of their shopping online before these changes took place.

Though the use of kratom has not changed because of the pandemic, the way that people are shopping, spending their money, and buying from small businesses has been put into a new perspective in our industry and beyond.

If you want to keep supporting the kratom industry from home, here is what you can do.

Shop Online For Easy Shopping

The easiest way to continue to support the kratom industry during this time is to keep shopping for kratom as you normally would! Though some vendors have had delays due to shipping and warehouse delays during the COVID-19 pandemic, most kratom vendors are still working hard to ensure that their customers are able to easily get the products that they want to order.

Seek Reputable Sites

As always, it is important to make sure that you are shopping from reputable vendors during this time.

In addition to the usual safety measures that need to be taken to ensure that your kratom supply is handled safely, vendors are now taking into account the safety measure necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at their offices and warehouses. Suppliers and vendors that are doing this properly are taking the well-being of their employees into concern, and that is something that is worth supporting.

Try Different Products

If you want to expand the amount of kratom that you usually buy during this time to give an extra boost to your favorite seller, one unique way to do that would be to buy a few different products than you usually try! There are a lot of different strains of kratom, and there is a good chance that you haven’t tried every kratom product that your favorite vendor carries.

It’s a great time to explore new strains and see what else you might enjoy!

Social Distancing & Kratom

If you live in an area where the guidelines for COVID-19 management have been loosened to allow for in-person shopping at your local brick-and-mortar store, you can head there to shop for kratom as well. Stores like this have lost a lot during these difficult times, and shopping from local small businesses can be a good way to support your local economy.

Should you choose to do this, however, it is important to make sure that you follow your local guidelines and the store owners’ requests as far as social distancing, cleaning, and protection measures. These measures allow for the stores to remain open during this crisis, so keep that in mind when you choose to visit a physical store.

Curbside Pickup & Other Services

If you prefer to shop for kratom in person or you simply want to be able to get your supply faster than waiting for shipping to come in from online, it might be possible to do curbside pick-up. To do this, you’ll need to find what local shops sell kratom if you aren’t already sure.

Often, CBD and smoke shops will stock kratom, so give these local stores a call and find out what type of kratom they carry. From there, see if you can place a no-contact or curbside order. Many small businesses that have limited online stores are allowing for these types of transactions to expand their business during lock down, so you should be able to find a shop that can make the necessary accommodations for you.

Once you’ve made your order, follow the store’s directions to arrive and pick up your supply. Doing this once will help you to figure out how easy it is, and then you can decide if you want to do more orders in this way in the future or not.

Constantly Evolving Situation

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of change in America. Things are constantly changing based on the spread of the virus, and each area of the country has different rules and guidelines in place.

It’s impossible to give a cut-and-dry way to handle the situation. The best that we can advise is to ensure that you are following the guidance of local and state leaders as necessary while still supporting local businesses that sell kratom. The kratom industry is strong enough to survive this pandemic but only with the help of consumers like you.

Support Kratom Advocacy

The last thing that you can do to ensure that the kratom industry feels your support during the COVID-19 pandemic is to support ongoing kratom advocacy efforts.

You might be familiar with the fact that kratom is legal but not very well protected or monitored in America. This means that disreputable kratom vendors can get away with selling subpar products to consumers without their knowledge. Organizations such as the American Kratom Association have been working to protect consumers, but many of those efforts are now delayed due to pandemic.

While those organizations are going to continue their work as much as possible, they need more support now than ever before. Here are some ways that you can help ensure the future of the kratom industry is a good one:

  • Monetarily support the American Kratom Association
  • Write letters or make phone calls to your local legislatures about kratom protections
  • Support initiatives in your local and state communities that protect kratom
  • Join local kratom advocacy groups to find out what types of actions are needed nearby

Don’t Give Up On Kratom

If you’ve enjoyed kratom and feel that it improves your quality of life, the ongoing pandemic doesn’t need to take that away from you. Your usual shopping methods might need to change, but remember that there are other ways that you can gain access to kratom during this time.

Consider shopping here at Left Coast Kratom if you are looking for a reliable and reputable seller to use for your next batch of kratom. We’re happy to help you find what you’re looking for and explain anything that you might be curious about our products as well.

Safety Alert: Why Buying Kratom On Amazon May Be Dangerous

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Buying kratom can be dangerous if you don’t know who you are buying from. Disreputable vendors may sell products that are not fully tested or properly stored. These issues could have implications for their customers.

Reputable vendors put a lot of time and money into ensuring that they only sell safe and well-tested products to their customers; the same cannot be said for vendors that are only looking to make quick money.

When it comes to kratom that is being sold on Amazon, it’s not a great idea to purchase through this sales portal. There are a few primary reasons why you should avoid buying kratom on Amazon, if at all possible.

Buying Direct Supports The Industry

The first reason that you might want to consider buying directly from kratom vendors rather from third-party vendors like Amazon is that you can more directly support the businesses in the kratom industry that you like.

While buying from third-party sellers such as local small businesses that sell kratom can still have great impacts, buying from a huge third-party reselling conglomeration like Amazon can take some momentum away from the industry itself.

By supporting businesses that are more directly entrenched in the kratom community, you are supporting better research, better products, and better information for everyone in the community. Many businesses are intertwined with other businesses, but it is good to try to support business at its source as much as possible.

The Seller May Not Be Honest

A problem that is specific to buying from Amazon is that there are too many sellers for Amazon to be able to actively police every single listing that is put up on a daily basis. They have software that scans for problems and enables its customers to report suspicious listings. Still, the vetting process is hard to scale when a company is as big as Amazon.

This means that while some sellers are very clear, obvious, and honest about what they are doing on the platform, there are also a variety of dishonest sellers. It can be difficult to research each seller and find out what their motives are when they are on a third-party platform like Amazon. That can make the overall process of purchasing from the site more stressful if you are worried about honesty and quality.

Hard To Confirm Product Information

When ordering on platforms like Amazon, it is hard to know the specifics of the products that you will be receiving. In some cases, not even the seller will be fully aware of the exact product that you receive as many sellers have their products stored and shipped from Amazon warehouses, and that removes a letter of quality checking and direct seller accountability.

Additionally, it is very easy for sellers on Amazon to change their product listings, which means that all of the reviews that you see about a product might not actually be for the product that you receive. While there are some ways to look out for this change, it is not always possible to be sure of what you are going to receive when you order.

Reputable vendors put a lot of time and effort into making sure that each of their listings thoroughly gives the necessary information about the kratom. Because vendors typically have a close relationship with their suppliers and do their own third-party testing, this information is clear and accurate. The same cannot always be said on Amazon.

Using Amazon For Kratom May Have Legality Issues

Another problem with buying kratom that you find listed on Amazon is that from a legal perspective, kratom products should not be available on the site due to terms of service and how Amazon chooses to stock dietary-type products.

If you’ve ever searched for kratom products on Amazon, you’ve likely come back with no results that actually use the word kratom in the listings. That is because they are not supposed to be sold. While it is possible that some products are making it through the listing process by using alternative product titles, that is a big issue not only in terms of safety but also in terms of the best interests for the community at large.

Products being sold with false names and properties can hurt the image of kratom, That can cause a lot of problems for the future of kratom advocacy. If these types of listings end up creating dangerous situations for consumers, that could reflect badly on the industry as a whole in addition to hurting people.

If you were to buy a listing from Amazon that is for a kratom product not advertised as kratom, you would also have a very difficult time getting any help from Amazon if there is a problem with the product. This would be due to the inaccurate listing, so it is not a good idea to buy products that are listed as kratom-adjacent in hopes that it will be what you’re looking for.

Buy From A Reputable Seller: Left Coast Kratom

The best thing that you can do to ensure that you are getting a safe supply of kratom when you purchase is to buy from a reputable seller. Here at Left Coast Kratom, we do our best to ensure that everything we list has been properly described, listed, tested, stored, and shipped so that our customers only get the best products that we have available.

When you’re choosing from various suppliers, you want to look for a company that does these things that we prioritize:

  • Thoroughly vet our suppliers
  • Do frequent third-party testing
  • Follow all GMP guidelines for the industry
  • Make ourselves available for customer problems and questions
  • Store and ship all product properly
  • Keep up with the latest research

It is essential that vendors like us do our part to ensure that customers are only receiving high-quality, unadulterated kratom supplies. By choosing to buy from reputable and well-vetted vendors, you can ensure that your personal supply is as safe as possible as well!

How The Future of Kratom Relies On The GMP Program

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The kratom industry in America has always been a bit shaky, especially from the outside looking in. Due to strict rules, importation problems, and changing laws, the status of kratom is not always clear or consistent. This can lead to some fear and discomfort among both kratom vendors and kratom consumers.

Due to this uncertainty, the GMP program was established by the American Kratom Association in an attempt to organize and plan for the future of the kratom industry. Varying laws and disorganization were putting the industry’s future at risk. The GMP program has, in many ways, smoothed out many of those risks.

In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into understanding the GMP program and what it is all about. How can a single program change the future of the industry forever? Find out today!

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All About The GMP Program

If you aren’t familiar with the GMP program run by the American Kratom Association, don’t worry! We’ll cover it (and why it matters for consumers like you) today.

The GMP Program, also known as the Good Manufacturing Practices Program, is a standards program that was set up to help kratom vendors establish a high level of manufacturing. The program sets up certain industry standards that help to ensure every batch of kratom sold is safe and reliable for consumers.

What Guidelines Are Established?

The specific guidelines established by the GMP program are very detailed. If you want to read the full guidelines, you can check them out on the AKA website here.

Generally, these guidelines set up provisions to ensure the following:

  1. Kratom is being tested regularly
  2. Kratom is being tested in batches that are tracked with proper documentation.
  3. The facilities are being managed in safe, secure ways.
  4. The workers are in safe conditions and are also being encouraged to follow safety procedures properly.
  5. The labeling on kratom is not misleading for consumers.
  6. The business is being properly audited by a 3rd party every year.
  7. There are systems in place to track the complete kratom supply chain being used.

Each of these areas, as well as all of the others covered in the complete guidelines, are important to ensure that the kratom sold to customers is being monitored for safety. Before these guidelines existed, there were discrepancies within the community about what level of testing was necessary.

With industry standards like the GMP rules in place, it makes it easier to share and apply all new research about what is best for kratom processing as well.

How Are Vendors Added?

If a vendor wants to join the GMP program, they have to make sure that they are compliant with all of the guidelines. That, however, is just one step of the complete process. Joining the GMP isn’t necessarily simple, but it is a worthwhile time investment for vendors.

Here is what vendors have to do to join the program:

  1. Enroll on AKA’s website.
  2. Complete the initial 3rd party audit within 90 days.
  3. If the 90-day audit window is missed, AKA will work with the vendor to find out if this was a reasonable mistake or if their practices are out of the GMP requirements. The AKA will update their participant list accordingly.
  4. Every year, the vendor must complete another 3rd party audit.

As long as a vendor remains in line with the guidelines laid out by the AKA’s program, they will be able to stay in the program for many years to come.

Why Does GMP Matter?

Has it become clear to you why the GMP is so important yet?

If not, that’s okay!

It can be confusing to pay attention to the behind-the-scenes workings of an industry when you are just a consumer in that area. Let’s focus on why the GMP program should matter to you.

There are a few major reasons why having this program in place is so important for kratom consumers:

  • Gives you an easy way to check if your preferred vendors take safety seriously
  • Ensures that only safe and tested kratom is being sold
  • Helps track any contaminated batches and who bought them if that should happen
  • Builds up the community into a respected, safe place

Kratom’s status in the United States can be scary and confusing when the laws are different depending on where you live. A program like GMP helps to ensure that regardless of limited state laws and actions, the industry as a whole is being held to a level of high-quality.

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Left Coast Kratom and GMP

Left Coast Kratom is a proud member of the GMP program. In addition to passing the initial screenings after we made sure that our business was in line with the guidelines, we continue to update our processes to follow the best practices as they are updated by the GMP program.

As time goes on, we believe that having such high standards in the industry is going to make it a better place for consumers and vendors alike.

Support The GMP Program

The best way that you, as a consumer, can support the GMP program is to make sure that you are only buying from vendors that are actively working towards accreditation or are, even better, already participants.

The complete list of qualified vendors is updated on AKA’s website regularly.

Buying from vendors on this list rather than those that do not take these protections seriously helps to ensure the future of safe kratom in America. When low-quality products make it to the market, they put the entire industry at risk.

Shopping Locally

Kratom lovers that love to shop for kratom locally can still follow this rule by checking out the list of vendors before they hit up their local shop. In the shop, you should be able to find more than one brand option for kratom. And if your local shop doesn’t carry any qualified vendors, you can strike up a conversation and find out why not!

In some cases, they may not be able to source from those vendors, or they may not be aware of the program’s importance. Either way, getting involved with kratom advocation at the local level is a great thing to do.

FAQ: Does Growing Kratom Have A Positive Environmental Impact?

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While kratom trees have been around for hundreds of years, the worldwide kratom industry is still very young. Supply chains, farming methodologies, and guidelines for safe kratom sales are being developed and altered every month. As of now, there are still a lot of changes happening regarding kratom in the world.

One area of the kratom industry that gets even less attention than the rest of the industry is the environmental impact that kratom farming has. All farming industries put some type of pressure on the land and locality; some programs are able to balance that out and some are not.

How sustainable is kratom, and are there any environmental impacts that the industry is having that we should be concerned about? These are questions that we would like to investigate more deeply as we move into a kratom-friendly world.

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A Brief Kratom Introduction

To understand how kratom might have an effect on the environment, it is important to first be aware of what it is and why it has an impact on the environment at all.

Kratom is a tree. Also known as Mitryagyna speciosa, it is a tree in the coffee family. The tree has grown naturally for hundreds of years in many Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Papua New Guinea.

The leaves of the plant have been used for both traditional and recreational purposes in those regions for many years. The leaves could be chewed on directly for pain relief and focus, or the teas could be turned into a tea to treat common ailments.

Today, this botanical is being used for a wide variety of reasons. It’s growing popularity is leading to more focus on kratom, so the question about its long-term sustainability effect is very important.

Is kratom having an environmental impact? Is it helping or hurting the world and areas where it is grown?

Kratom: The Lesser Of The Evils?

One argument often made in favor of increasing the presence of kratom farming in these regions is that kratom is the lesser of the farming evils.

For many years, the palm oil and rubber industries kept this area alive. Additionally, forests are often being harvested for tree-based paper and timber, and that is leading to an overall reduction in space for forest animals and cultures.

Palm Oil

Palm oil production has played a huge role in the deforestation of forests in this region, and there is also evidence that palm oil production plays a large role in the problem of climate change.

Palm oil is the most highly produced oil – period. More than 60 million tons of the product are made each year, and it takes over 270 hundred million acres of land to do so. Creating these plantations leads to mass deforestation, and there are also many concerns about human rights abuses within the palm oil industry.

Palm oil is used in a huge variety of products that shoppers like you and I buy at the supermarket, and many of the world’s fuel sources contain palm oil even though it does not burn clean.

Many people believe that farming kratom instead of palm oil in regions where farming is a way-of-life could help to reduce the overall negative impact that palm oil has.

Deforestation

Another huge issue seen in these regions is deforestation. The rainforest in these areas is amazing and helps to create some of the amazing biodiversity that can be found in our world. The rainforest, however, is often destroyed to the benefit of the paper and timber industries.

Up to 70% of the paper in the United States already comes from plantations where timber is sustainably managed, but the same cannot be said in some regions of the world where these industries are less regulated. In Indonesia, 70% of all logging that happens is illegal, and yet, it continues.

Often, it is the rainforests that suffer from this addiction to logging. Recent activism in the regions has created small smarks of change, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

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While paper and timber farming require that native rainforests be cut down, the same cannot be said about the kratom industry. Kratom can (and often is) harvested by hand, leaving the trees intact. The plant continues to grow, and the forest around the plant can thrive with it.

Kratom: An Option of Sustainability

One of the reasons it is so important to pay attention to where your kratom comes from is because you want to be sure it comes from a sustainable kratom farm. Despite the potential that kratom farms have to replace industries that are more harmful to the planet, kratom farms also have to commit to environmentally-friendly practices.

While it is a good start to replace industries that are naturally more harmful than growing kratom, it’s an even better choice to make sure that the kratom industry is as eco-friendly as possible.

For example, paying farmers to grow and harvest kratom in their backyards in smaller batches may be a great alternative to setting up huge kratom groves. By planting small amounts of trees in various yards rather than clearing natural forests to grow kratom, the world is a little less damaged.

Additionally, it’s important that kratom continues to be harvested by hand rather than having entire forests taken down just to get the kratom leaves. Handpicking is more common than other methods of harvesting, but that trend needs to continue.

Wild trees can also be harvested to get kratom in some areas; in this case, trees don’t even need to be planted. Through wild harvesting, even less of an impact is made on the forests that kratom is native to.

It’s Up To People Like Us

You have a choice to decide where you will buy your kratom from. We have a choice to decide where we will source our kratom from. Vendors like us and customers like you have the opportunity to make sure that we choose options that are as eco-friendly as possible.

Doing so ensures the future of the kratom industry as well as additional protection for the world around us. What will you do to do your part?

COVID-19 & Kratom: We Can Continue Shipping To You

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During this time of social distancing and great change, we’d like to let our customers know that we are still open for business and will continue shipping kratom and other items to you throughout this pandemic.

Though things are far from normal right now, we are doing our best to ensure that we can safely and efficiently continue to supply our customers while also protecting our employees.

Today, we’d like to share more about how we specifically have been responding to the COVID-19 risks as well as how we will continue to do so for as long as possible as we move back to a new normal.

How We Continue Online Shipping

Though you may not be able to visit your local store to buy kratom if you like to shop in person, you can continue to order from our website at this time. As an e-commerce company, we are able to continue business as long as we are taking the necessary precautions to protect our customers and employees.

Product Handling & Disinfecting Procedures

Here at Left Coast Kratom, we already follow a strict set of safety guidelines through the Good Manufacturing Practices program. These safety guidelines include protective gear, regular product testing, and deep cleaning as much as possible. We have expanded these guidelines to include the guidance promoted by the FDA and CDC for food safety at this time.

More specifically, we have done the following:

  • • Scheduled sanitation and deep cleaning more frequently
  • • Improved cleaning measures with the COVID-specific guidance from the FDA
  • • Amped up how frequently high-touch areas are sanitized
  • • Ensured packing is done with sanitized protective gear on

By doing these four things, we can make sure that our food-safe facility remains safe during this trying time. These actions help to protect our employees, and they also help to ensure that the packages we send out are safe, too.

Employee Safety & Social Distancing

We care deeply about the safety of our team here at Left Coast Kratom, so we have also taken steps to ensure that they are kept as safe as possible. At the same time, we continue to serve customers like you during this time.

There are a few specific things that we are doing to ensure this:

  • • Setting up social distancing policies within the facility
  • • Keeping delivery folks and non-essential visitors out of the facility
  • • Providing free transportation to those that use public transportation
  • • Providing extra PTO to our employees as needed
  • • Sharing guidance we receive from CDC, FDA, etc. with our employees

This situation is always evolving, and we will continue to change our policies as needed to ensure that our employees are kept as safe as possible.

We are also paying close attention to CDC guidance about how to handle any cases should they arise and will use their interim guidance to handle that situation if needed. The health of our team is very important to us, so we are doing our best to keep that in mind as we continue business during this period.

Is Receiving Mail Safe?

Some concerned customers have read about the virus living on surfaces for hours or even days, and this concerns them when they think about receiving packages. Even if we do our part to keep everything disinfected, it can be scary to not know if your packages are safe.

At this time, the CDC and FDA have not made any recommendations to stop receiving packages, and they are encouraging delivery and at-home shopping in order to avoid human-to-human contact.

Though there is some degree of risk of the virus living on a surface, the risk is significantly lower than it is through human-to-human contact, so delivery is going to be a better option.

There are a few things that can be done to give your packages an extra round of disinfection to ease any anxiety that you may have about the virus:

  • • Wash your hands thoroughly before and after touching all packages.
  • • Use a Lysol wipe or another high-alcohol content wipe to wipe down the outside of all packages when you receive them. Alcohol break down the fat layer of the virus and causes it to fall apart.
  • • If you do not have any wipes available, you can leave your packages to sit a designated area for 1-2 days before opening it.
  • • Order less frequently so that you have fewer packages to disinfect.
  • • Keep packages in one area rather than carrying them through your home before you disinfect them. If possible, disinfect them outside and then come inside to wash your hands.

The virus has been shown to be able to live on cardboard for up to 24 hours in ideal conditions; real-world conditions are unlikely to allow it to live that long. Still, you can provide yourself additional peace-of-mind by taking the time to disinfect your packages.

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COVID Support

Beyond updating our internal policies to ensure that we are handling, packing, and shipping your orders as safely as possible, we are also proud to share that we are doing our best to support the community as well.

In response to the pandemic, we have increased our regular donations to these organizations:

  • • Outside In
  • • The Pixie Project
  • • KIVA
  • • Dads4Life 

Additionally, we are continuing our regular support of AKA and AHPA for the work that they do to ensure the safety of kratom lovers around the world, all year long.

Our COVID Policies

If you would like to see our latest response to the COVID-19 situation, please check out this dedicated landing page. Here, we will continue to update any changes in our business that are caused by the ongoing pandemic should they arise.

If you have any specific questions or want to get into contact with questions about our COVID-19 response or anything else, you can contact us through our website here. We have limited our phone operations due to COVID-19, but you can still use our live chat and web contact features!