The comments -- more than 16,500 -- rolled in fast and furious on the federal proposal to temporarily ban the natural drug kratom.
The plant is at the center of a fierce battle between the Drug Enforcement Administration and advocates who say kratom is a safer alternative to the powerful opiates that have fueled a nationwide addiction crisis. While little known in the United States, the plant has been used in Southeast Asia for centuries as a stimulant and pain reliever.
