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Comment by kabdib | Hacker News Reader

Paranoid speculation: The DEA was given a secret brief to ban a substance that would help addicts withdraw from an addiction. Consider who actually benefits from this ban: Various policing powers, and drug cartels, who depend on addicts staying that way.

Having written that, I don't believe it. But on the other hand . . .

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More likely the 12-steppers and religious zealots who feel that all recreational drug/alcohol induced highs are wrong, and should be stopped/illegal. There's been a lot of fighting against anything that works to end addiction through medical research/means. In addition to those who think all recreational drugs should be outlawed.

Like they hate contraception. Party poopers, basically.

It's entirely possible for it to be both.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootleggers_and_Baptists

Followedby another brief indicating such a ban would adversely affect pharmaceutical companies.

"Researchers say that their work with kratom could eventually lead to the development of nonaddictive alternatives to powerful opiate painkillers. Placing kratom in schedule 1 would cripple researchers ability to study the drug, they say."

I don't think there was a conspiracy here. I think the most likely thing is that DEA is sincerely trying to do something about the opiate epidemic in America, and made a misguided and poorly researched attempt to ban kratom because they thought that would help the opiate epidemic.

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