Today, the DEA announced that it is placing Kratom and Mitragyna on Schedule I. This unilateral decision, common in societies that tout themselve as being "democratic," effectively states that the substances have high abuse potential and lack any legitimate medicinal use.
Of course, the opioid epidemic continues to rage across the world. It's okay, though, the CDC estimates that approximately 14,000 people died in 2014 as a result of prescription opiates like hydrocodone, morphine, and fentanyl. The DEA certainly wouldn't want to harm the pharmaceutical industry, now would they?