US Communities Advance Proposed Kratom Restrictions

Local governments in North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida are considering or advancing restrictions on kratom amid concerns about youth access, addiction, contamination and other health risks. Edgecombe County is seeking public input on a proposed ban on sales to people under 21 and on contaminated products, while Chesterfield Township has advanced a similar age restriction; other Macomb County communities have restricted or banned sales. Plymouth Township has advanced an ordinance that would ban sales and penalize businesses, citing concerns about access by young people and risks from combining kratom with alcohol or other drugs. Pottsville’s proposed ordinance would prohibit kratom and a range of other substances, while Leon County is drafting a measure focused on certain concentrated or synthetic kratom derivatives, with its scope still undecided. Some advocates favor outright bans, while the local proposals differ in whether they target all kratom, sales to minors or selected derivatives.