URGENT – Protect Access by American Consumers to Natural Botanical Plants and Herbs

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6 on Friday that combined 58 different bills that attempt to end the scourge of the opioid epidemic in America.

The sponsors of H.R. 6 in the House admit it’s not perfect, and they are dead right on that point.

In the rush to show how serious the Congress is in addressing the opioid crisis prior to the mid-term elections, several of these 58 bills contain provisions that will actually deny Americans access to safe natural plants and herbs that help Americans manage their health and well-being.

I am asking you to contact your U.S Senators immediately and ask them to support amendments to these proposed bills to exclude natural botanical plants and herbs from the wide swath of substances presently included in many of those bills.

Two of those bills, the SITSA Act (Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act of 2017), and the SCREEN Act (Stop Counterfeit Drugs by Regulating and Enhancing Enforcement Now) both attempt to stop deadly synthetic opioids from being shipped into the United States from other countries.

But both of these bills contain such broad definitions of the substances covered under the proposed legislation they will actually ban natural botanical plants and herbs.

It is critical that the Senate support amendments to exclude natural botanical plants and herbs.

Your Senators need to hear from you immediately!

If you don’t know your Senator’s contact information, please click HERE or call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Millions of Americans safely and responsibly use natural alternatives to dangerously addictive and often deadly chemically formulated drugs, including opioids, and these bills will literally block consumer access to safe natural plants and herbs.

On Monday, please call your Senators and ask them to support every amendment that exempts natural botanical plants and herbs – that are in no way synthetic analogues of an opioid – and protect the right of consumers to have access to safe alternative products to manage their own health needs.

The Senate needs to support the amendments to SITSA and SCREEN to exclude natural botanical plants and herbs.

Thank you,

Dave Herman

Chairman

American Kratom Association