The DEA bans kratom as the FDA approves OxyContin for kids. Am I the only one that sees the hypocrisy of this? Thank you for joining me on the twelfth episode of The LAVA Spurt, The Kratom vs. OxyContin Edition.

The DEA recently added the herbal substance, kratom, to its schedule 1 list of drugs. Kratom is a plant from Southeast Asia that activates some of the same receptors as opioids but is far less dangerous. Schedule 1 is generally reserved for the most dangerous drugs that have no medicinal benefit, although several of the drugs scheduled that way have shown to have medicinal benefits much to the chagrin of the DEA and the FDA. Schedule 1 includes drugs like heroin, ecstasy, LSD, peyote, and others. Why did they decide to schedule this plant the same way?