The New York Times reports that three months ago federal health officials
planned to ban a potent opioid extracted from kratom; Health Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. had said the substance “endangers Americans' lives.” This month the
administration reversed course: Kennedy and DEA officials announced the
compound, referred to as MGPI, will be allowed within specified concentration
thresholds on the grounds it occurs only in trace amounts in other natural
products. Andrew Kolodny, medical director at Brandeis University, said the move
was driven by industry lobbying rather than scientific evidence.
