The Corruption is Clear: Louisiana's Kratom Ban and Big Pharma's Bloody Money

What we're witnessing right now is corruption so blatant, so shameless, that it would make a mob boss blush. Governor Jeff Landry just signed off on criminalizing 325,000 law-abiding Louisianans who use a natural plant that has saved countless lives—while simultaneously having his pockets lined by the very pharmaceutical company that profits from the opioid crisis he claims to be fighting.

Let me break this down for you, because the timeline tells a story of corruption that should have every American's blood boiling.

The Setup: When Landry Was Still Playing Attorney General

Back in 2017, when Landry was Louisiana's Attorney General, he struck what he called a "unique" settlement deal with Pfizer—not for cash, but for $1 million worth of naloxone (Narcan). Sounds noble, right? **WRONG.** This wasn't altruism; this was the opening move in a calculated scheme to create a dependency cycle that would make Pfizer billions.

Here's what they don't want you to know: He has accepted $25,000 in political donations from American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Pfizer as of 2024. That's right—Pfizer literally bought this man, and now he's delivering on their investment.

The Racket: Create the Problem, Sell the Solution

Think about the sick genius of this operation for a minute:

1. **Ban a natural, safe alternative to opioids** (kratom) that thousands use to stay OFF dangerous pharmaceuticals

2. **Force those people back to dangerous prescription opioids** or street drugs

3. **Profit from selling Narcan** to "save" people from the overdoses you helped create

4. **Rinse and repeat** while positioning yourself as a "public health hero"

This isn't healthcare—it's a protection racket. "Nice sobriety you got there... shame if something happened to it."

The Human Cost of Corporate Greed

SB 154 is based on misinformation and political favoritism, not science. During debate, proponents of the bill relied on incomplete and demonstrably false claims—ignoring the expert evaluations that led the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to decline scheduling kratom. The DEA—the same agency that scheduled everything from marijuana to MDMA—looked at kratom and said "nope, this doesn't need to be banned." But that didn't stop Landry and his pharma puppet masters.

As Louisiana bans kratom, the state is also cutting opioid treatment funding—pushing thousands toward fentanyl with no support system in place. Read that again. They're cutting addiction treatment while forcing people back to deadly drugs. This isn't incompetence—this is malice with a profit motive.

The numbers don't lie: Recent research continues to reinforce that kratom does not behave like traditional opioids. A 2024 study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that mitragynine—the primary active compound in kratom—did not cause respiratory depression in animal models, even at high doses. This is a crucial distinction, as respiratory depression is the primary cause of death in opioid overdoses.

The Science vs. The Scam

While Landry and his pharmaceutical sugar daddies spread fear and misinformation, the science tells a different story. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and peer-reviewed research have shown that kratom is rarely the sole cause of overdose deaths. In nearly every case where kratom has been listed as a contributing factor, other substances—such as fentanyl, benzodiazepines, or alcohol—were also present.

But facts don't matter when you've got $25,000 in Pfizer money burning a hole in your campaign account, do they, Governor?

The Criminalization of Healing

Starting August 1, 2025, if you're caught with more than 14 grams of kratom in Louisiana, you could face **up to five years in prison**. Let that sink in. A plant that helps veterans manage PTSD, chronic pain patients avoid opioid addiction, and recovering addicts stay clean will now land you in a cage for half a decade.

Meanwhile, This year, instead of flu vaccine events, the medical directors were told to pivot to Narcan giveaways. The state is literally replacing preventive healthcare with overdose response—because overdoses are more profitable than wellness.

The Resistance and What We Must Do

"The tide is for proper regulation on kratom, not banning it. Banning it is a horrible public policy," Haddow said. The American Kratom Association and thousands of Louisiana residents fought this corruption, but corporate money speaks louder than human voices in Landry's Louisiana.

By: Daniel Pitta

Co-owner | MitraSpec LLC