The Drug Enforcement Administration is reversing a widely criticized decision that would have banned the use of kratom, a plant that researchers say could help mitigate the effects of the opioid epidemic. Citing the public outcry and a need to obtain more research, the DEA is withdrawing its notice of intent to ban the drug, according to a preliminary document that will be posted to the Federal Register Thursday. The product pictured is one of many the FDA has pulled off the market because of ‘”undeclared drug ingredients.” But researchers say that their work with kratom could eventually lead to the development of nonaddictive alternatives to powerful opiate painkillers. The DEA had announced in August that it planned to place kratom in schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, the most restrictive regulatory category, as soon as Sept.