cGMP

How Does Kratom Benefit Local Economies Around The World?

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Every single customer that buys a kratom product is not only supporting the business that they are buying from, but they are also supporting a variety of other businesses as well.

When you buy from a local shop, that shop has sourced the kratom from a larger manufacturer. The manufacturer has sourced the kratom from overseas suppliers and possibly even from farmers directly. The supply chain goes much farther than many people realize!

Kratom as an industry supports small businesses on many levels. From local to national to international, let’s take a look at how the industry supports these businesses.

Kratom: From Sourcing To Customers

What does the kratom supply chain look like?

The chain will vary for different companies and policies, but the general outline usually goes likes this:

  1. Local Farmers
    Local farmers grow or harvest kratom. Some may do this on their own properties; others will work at larger farms where kratom is being grown.
  2. Distributors
    Local or international distributors will broker deals with these farmers to send their unprocessed kratom exports to kratom vendors or manufacturers.
  3. Kratom Vendors
    Once they have the kratom, vendors will process, test, and blend their kratom products.
  4. Local Shops
    While most vendors sell directly to customers, they also sell directly to smaller smoke shops that carry kratom. These shops then sell directly to customers as well.

Most kratom vendors have specific arrangements with farmers and distributors so that they have a secure, steady supply of reliable imports. Once they receive the product, however, they must still test it to ensure the quality.

Supporting Local Businesses With Kratom

The local economy has benefited from the expansion of the kratom industry in the US. We can expect those benefits to continue as kratom becomes even more commonplace. How is kratom having an effect on businesses and economies in America?

National Companies

Many kratom vendors operate primarily online, but that does not mean that they do not employ people and positively affect the economy.

Vendors that important unprocessed kratom must set up:

  • Facility for kratom processing, packaging, and shipping
  • Sales team
  • Marketing team
  • Supply chain management team

Each of these sectors requires that the company hire people. Most kratom vendors ship to all states where kratom is legal in the US, so they are also helping to continue the movement of money between small businesses in America.

Local Stores

Local smoke shops and other companies that carry herbal products may decide to stock kratom on their shelves. Typically, they’ll stock those products directly from national kratom vendors. Purchased in bulk at a discount, these local vendors then sell at MSRP for a profit. In this way, you can also support local business by buying from your local shop.

Supporting The Right Laws

Even if you don’t purchase kratom or you only want to buy from one shop that you rely on, it is possible to support the business that works at all parts of the supply chain in one go.

How do you do this?

Kratom’s legal status has been constantly evolving over the last few years, and the lack of regulation in the industry is causing unreliable vendors to create more problems. By supporting kratom consumer protection laws in your area, you can help to ensure that businesses who profit from kratom will continue to see those benefits.

Choose The Right Vendors

Some vendors are more interested in the overall well-being of the kratom industry than others. When a vendor chooses to put profits before safety, they are jeopardizing the entire industry. Kratom advocates are still fighting for legal protections in the US, and low-quality kratom sales put that legal status at risk.

Do your research before you purchase kratom. Look for vendors that have not only a positive effect on the economy, but also vendors that adhere to good manufacturing practices. The American Kratom Association has a program that vendors can join for this type of guidance known as the GMP Compliance Program, and we are happy to be members. 

Supporting Kratom Production Abroad

As mentioned in the supply chain above, kratom production is not just limited to America. Kratom is a tropical tree native to certain parts of the world, so the actual kratom will always need to be imported from Southeast Asian farms.

When purchasing kratom, you support the farmers that grew and harvested the kratom and the international distributors that connected those farmers to vendors in the US.

Choosing High-quality Production Companies

Choosing kratom vendors in the US that care about the kratom farmers that they buy from is essential. There are no official fair trade practices in the kratom industry yet, but the idea should still prevail. Fair trade prevents farmers from being undervalued or ripped off for an exported product. 

Helps Local Workers

Many Kratom farmers joined the industry as other industries were dying out there. Farmers were unsure what to turn to as some industries were no longer viable. In the kratom industry, they found a great, new living. As a profitable export industry, their farms and lifestyles are revolutionized.

Environmental Effects

Kratom farming is also less dangerous for the environment than palm oil, a common type of plantation seen in Indonesia. By farming kratom instead of palm oil, the farmers are making good money and also keeping their land healthier.

Left Coast Kratom: People First

From our customers to the farmers that we buy kratom from, Left Coast Kratom is devoted to acknowledging the work that creates high-quality kratom. Through your support, we can compensate everyone that works on our products fairly. 

Additionally, the local shops that stock our products are able to continue the supply chain into the local business arena, and we know that this can have a positive effect in many communities. From start to finish, the kratom industry provides opportunities and support to people that might otherwise be left behind, and we are proud to be a part of that.

Click Here To Browse Our Catalog Of Superior Quality, Ethically Sourced Kratom!

What We Say: How and Why Kratom Advertising Is Restricted

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Kratom is classified as a food in many parts of the United States. This classification puts limitations on what we as kratom vendors can and cannot say about our products. The FDA limits what is permitted, and we must follow those guidelines if we want to be able to continue to market and sell our products legally.

How exactly do these restrictions come into play, and why aren’t we fighting against them?

Let’s talk about kratom, kratom labeling, and how advocacy organizations are working to improve the misinformation surrounding kratom.

What Can And Cannot Be Said

Ultimately, the FDA has made it clear that they are willing and able to send cease-and-desist letters to any kratom vendor that is publishing what they deem to be unsubstantiated claims.

Even in the articles that we publish, we have to be careful about our language and how we talk about kratom.

In the past, companies selling kratom have made huge claims about what kratom can do, and the FDA pushed back against these. But it wasn’t only bold claims that the FDA warned about; simple, seemingly common knowledge statements have also attracted their attention. 

Risky Statements

What type of statements do we have to be careful about when using on our site? There are many, and it is also difficult for us to follow these limitations. We want to be as open, clear, and helpful as possible for our customers, but FDA rules make this difficult at times.

These are just a few examples of statements that have got kratom vendors into trouble with the FDA in the past:

  • Claiming that people use kratom as an alternative to some medications.
  • Claiming that people prefer kratom over their other medication options.
  • Claiming that people use kratom to help them stop using other things.
  • Claiming that kratom has specific benefits.

We know that these examples are vague, and that is intentional as not to catch ourselves in this trap. As you can see from the breadth of those examples, however, it becomes difficult for honest vendors like ourselves to share any information or evidence with our customers without risking trouble.

What Are Unsubstantiated Claims?

Let’s talk a little more specifically about what the FDA considers “unsubstantiated claims,” which is the most common reason they send out warning letters. We’ve given a few vague examples above, but let’s look at direct news from the FDA to see how they frame their approach.

Specifically, a press report from the FDA states the following:

  • Vendors are selling kratom “with deceptive medical claims for which there’s no reliable scientific proof to support their use.”
  • Vendors “ take advantage of consumers by selling products with unsubstantiated claims that they can treat opioid addiction.”

If the FDA is truly against products that are not backed by science and willing to support kratom research, that would be an understandable position. However, the statement goes on to say that Kratom is an “opioid analog that may actually contribute to the opioid epidemic,” which may be an unsubstantiated claim by the FDA’s own rules.

Additionally, the FDA report states that the FDA is willing to look into how kratom may or may not relieve pain or opioid addiction symptoms if people believe that kratom’s active ingredients show that potential. However, the AKA states that FDA has refused to support that type of research for years.

Simultaneously, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has refused to support scheduling kratom as a drug because NIDA’s own research has not borne out that claim according to NIDA’s standards.

As you can see, it is a very confusing field for kratom vendors like ourselves to navigate. Our goal is always to provide safe, high-quality products to our customers. We want to support those products with information, but it isn’t always an easy thing to do.

The Standards We Follow

How do we handle the labeling and advertising of our products when faced with limitations and concerns about what we can and cannot say?

As members of the American Kratom Association’s GMP Compliance Program, we ensure that our labeling fits these things’ standards. AKA is up-to-date with the FDA’s latest requirements, and they are also at the forefront of helping to implement Kratom Consumer Protection Acts in states across the country.

In short, they know what they’re talking about when it comes to labeling, advertising, and more.

As of June 2020, the compliance program has laid out the following guidelines for vendors and marketing:

  • Labels may not include:
    • Any disease-related or unauthorized health claims
    • Any reference to a “high”
    • Any reference to clinical or research data
  • Labels must:
    • Be fully compliant with FDA claim rules
    • Include a batch or lot number
    • Affirm that mitragynine and 7-OH alkaloids haven’t been altered from their original allocation
    • Advise consumers to talk to a physician about dosing
    • Include a statement that pregnant women should not use kratom
    • Include this exact statement:  “This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition.”

These same rules apply to the descriptions, websites, and advertisements used when marketing kratom products.

New: The Truth in Labeling Program

Recently, the American Kratom Association has started a reporting program known as the Truth in Labeling Program.

Due to the rise in vendors directly going against the guidelines expected by the FDA, the American Kratom Association and other advocates have seen a need for a program to keep track of and improve improper labeling practices.

Through this program, the AKA hopes to educate vendors that are putting the industry at risk through dishonest practices. If the vendors refuse to change their ways, the industry will start to self-regulate by reporting offenders to the FDA. To read more about how or why the Truth in Labeling Program is meant to work, you can check out AKA’s statement.