Chicago, IL – The U.S. Marshals seized 90,000 bottles of a dietary drink containing a herbal supplement that has been growing in popularity as a natural painkiller.
In a news release by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 90,000 bottles of Relakzpro was seized by the U.S. Marshals at the request F.D.A. The value of the supplement was more than $400,000.
The seizure happened in South Beloit, a northern IL. city on the Wisconsin border. Dordoniz Natural Products LLC, had the product manufactured and stored it.
Relakzpro is sold as herbal dietary drink. It contains the herbal supplement kratom, which has been known in Southeast Asia for mild pain relief.
The legality of kratom is mixed throughout the U.S. The reason that the F.D.A. seized the Relakzpro was because it was marketed as a dietary supplement. Since there is inadequate information to assure that kratom is safe for consumers, any dietary supplements with it is banned.
Raw kratom is regulated on a state level since it is not controlled under the Federal Controlled Substances Act.
In Illinois, raw kratom is not illegal. In a Fox 32 News news story, kratom was found for sale in Chicago smoke shops.
“The pain relief is the ultimate goal and that’s what’s there, that’s what people come back for,” said Amit Ahlowalia, who owns The Smoke Shop.
The owner of The Smoke Shop in Lincoln Park says he sells a lot of kratom, but he’s selling it in it’s pure form, which is legal in Illinois. When kratom is mixed into drinks that are labeled as a dietary supplement, the FDA says those drinks can’t be sold, because they’ve got a new ingredient hasn’t been proven safe.
Kratom has been growing in popularity in some drug markets as a heroin alternative. The problem is that users can get addicted to kratom, leaving users with another addiction to worry about.
