Libertarian Party of Florida Opposes Kratom Ban

The Libertarian Party of Florida vehemently opposes HB 183 & SB 424, which would ban Kratom in Florida.
Kratom is a plant-based substance commonly taken recreationally or medicinally as a pain killer and to alleviate the symptoms of opiate addiction. Kratom is one of the only known substances to be able to work in the brain similarly to opiates without the extreme negative effects and risks of actual opiates. According to the Florida Department of Health, “no pervasive health issues have been attributed to the ingestion of Kratom products in Florida.” Kratom has enjoyed a surge of use in the United States and is becoming increasingly popular as people ingest it as an alternative to alcohol, opiates, and pharmaceutical drugs, as it comes with far lesser side effects and a long history of safe human consumption.
“This is a move by the state to protect the big pharma monopoly at the cost of all Floridians,” said Chairman Braden.
The choice to consume drugs and other substances comes with its own inherent risks. The Libertarian Party of Florida holds that it is up to the individual to make a calculated decision when choosing what to put into one’s own body. We believe that it is ultimately up to the individual to take responsibility for their own actions and it is not the job of government to interfere with the lifestyle decisions of individuals. Neither is government intervention an effective means in protecting the individual from drugs or decisions that may be harmful. The Libertarian Party stands for the protection of the rights of consenting adults to participate in activities that may be harmful to the self as long as those activities do not violate the rights of others. A Kratom ban in Florida will only result in a black market for the substance while turning otherwise law abiding users into criminals and denying them possible medical relief.
The Libertarian Party of Florida is opposed to all vice laws, including the ability for consenting adults to purchase, manufacture, and consume drugs of their choice. Government prohibition always results in a violent black market that lacks quality control and legal protection for the consumer. We believe that by ending the war on drugs and treating drug addiction as a medical, rather than a criminal condition, it will lower the rate of drug abuse across society and increase the viability of treatment. An end to drug prohibition is cheaper for the tax payer and is compassionate to the addict and abuser. At the same time,  ending drug prohibitions allows individuals who suffer from ailments that diminish their quality of life to take drugs that may alleviate their symptoms without worry of criminal penalties that are often more dangerous. As such, the proposed Kratom ban is diametrically opposed to our platform. While we do not condone the use of Kratom or other substances, we oppose the government’s restriction on adults who wish to use them.