The Fight for Botanicals

The American Kratom Association (AKA) has issued a nationwide consumer alert over products containing 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), warning they are being misleadingly marketed as “kratom” despite posing significantly higher safety risks. According to the group, these chemically engineered compounds differ sharply from natural kratom leaf, which contains only trace levels of 7-OH.

The alert highlights concerns over high-potency formulations, including dissolvable tablets and strips designed for rapid absorption. Federal health authorities have previously drawn a clear distinction between natural kratom and synthetic derivatives.

The AKA also warned that misleading labeling and unverified health claims could confuse consumers and policymakers. It is urging regulators to take targeted action against these products while preserving access to natural kratom.

Read the full release.

Kansas City, Missouri, is introducing stricter oversight for shops that sell kratom, requiring them to secure a dedicated Kratom Retail License before stocking the product. The newly approved ordinance sets the license fee at 500 dollars and makes unlicensed kratom sales illegal, with city regulators tasked with enforcement.

Mayor Quinton Lucas framed the change as a public health measure, citing the need for transparency. Kratom is derived from a Southeast Asian tree and often promoted for pain relief or easing opioid withdrawal. City health and regulatory agencies say they will keep analyzing data and coordinating with partners as they assess the impact of the policy.

In a new testimonial video, a Las Vegas veteran describes how a natural leaf, kratom, helped her reclaim her health and rebuild a life of service. She recalls moving to North Las Vegas in 2015, where she and her husband met Kelly, the provider behind the kratom they had relied on for years, and learned it was a simple plant used for millennia. After using it for fibroid pain, she says the relief restored her ability to be active and deepened her relationship with her husband. That renewed strength, she explains, allowed the couple to grow their veteran nonprofit “Forgotten Not Gone,” which fights suicide by maintaining a fleet of recumbent trikes for peer-support rides. “Kratom saves lives,” she says in the video, crediting it with saving both hers and her husband’s as they now work to “stomp out veteran suicide.” Watch the full story at Protect Kratom.

Michigan’s move to ban kratom could push a controversial but widely used substance into far more dangerous territory. House Bill 5537, passed without committee hearings or expert testimony, would outlaw the sale and distribution of kratom and its synthetic variants statewide. Critics argue that prohibition will not erase demand; instead, it is likely to drive consumers toward unregulated markets with no potency limits, age checks, or labeling standards, increasing the risk of overdoses and adulterated products. They point to past bans on synthetic cannabinoids and illicit opioids that fueled spikes in emergency room visits when more potent formulations filled the gap. Reform advocates say Nebraska’s Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which restricts sales to adults and licenses manufacturers, offers a safer regulatory blueprint than an outright ban. Read the original opinion in The Michigan Daily for a deeper look at the case against Michigan’s proposed ban.

Synthetic kratom products, known as 7-OH, will soon disappear from Utah convenience stores under a new law aimed at curbing overdose deaths linked to the supplement.

Under SB45, which takes effect May 6, only whole-leaf kratom will remain legal in Utah, and only for customers over 21 buying from smoke shops. Synthetic and enhanced versions, frequently sold in blister packs or pills, will be banned from retail shelves, and in 2027 it will become illegal to manufacture them in the state. Read the original report at KSL.

Idaho lawmakers have revised a proposed kratom regulation bill after hours of emotional testimony from families, police, medical professionals and industry representatives. The Idaho Kratom Consumer Protection and Safety Act, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, would limit sales to adults 21 and older, restrict products to natural leaf, and ban adulterated or synthetic kratom containing high levels of 7-hydroxymitragynine.

Amendments approved Thursday add stricter labeling rules, including batch numbers, ingredient lists and prominent medical warnings that kratom may be habit-forming and has not been evaluated by the FDA, and push the effective date to Jan. 1, 2027. The debate runs alongside a separate House bill seeking an outright ban, leaving Idaho’s kratom policy hinging on upcoming Senate and House votes.

Read the original report from the Lewiston Tribune.

Kratom will become legal to sell in Rhode Island on April 1 under the Rhode Island Kratom Act, which restricts sales to adults 21 and older and already requires products to be kept behind the counter, accessible only to store employees. Now, a new bill, H7518, would go further by mandating that all kratom products be stored in locked cases until the point of sale. Supporters frame the move as a security measure aimed at preventing theft and youth access, noting that Rhode Island recorded 10 overdose deaths involving kratom between 2020 and 2024. The proposal comes as other states tighten rules, with Louisiana banning kratom and Connecticut designating it a Schedule 1 controlled substance, underscoring a growing national divide over the herb’s place in retail. For more, see the original USA Today coverage of the debate over kratom security in Rhode Island.

Speaker Matt Hall plans to replace a bipartisan regulatory bill with a sweeping ban on kratom. In a statement, the AKA said the procedural maneuver sidestepped standard committee review and curtailed public testimony from Michigan consumers.​

The original Kratom Consumer Protection Act would have imposed safeguards such as age limits, product purity standards, and clear alkaloid labeling, but was instead converted into a full prohibition. AKA policy fellow Mac Haddow warned that an outright ban could push consumers toward unregulated markets and fails to distinguish natural kratom from synthetic compounds linked to greater health risks. The group cited National Institute on Drug Abuse findings to argue for a regulated market and urged lawmakers to restore a science-based framework.​

Read the full release at Reuters.

Tennessee mother of five Jessica Cosby is urging state lawmakers to reconsider proposed crackdowns on kratom, saying the measures would devastate chronic pain patients while fentanyl continues to drive overdose deaths statewide. Two bills, SB2417 and SB1655, would sharply restrict or criminalize possession and sale of kratom products, with SB1655 elevating simple possession to a felony offense. Cosby, who lives with multiple debilitating pain conditions, says it’s is the only option that lets her stay active with her children and off more dangerous drugs. She argues lawmakers have not presented clear data showing kratom is causing a public health crisis and calls instead for regulated, evidence-based policy. Read the original column in the Clarion Ledger.

Virginia lawmakers are moving forward with House Bill 360, a measure that would sharply restrict kratom products containing the compound 7‑hydroxymitragynine, despite pushback from harm-reduction advocates. Supporters of kratom say the bill, framed as consumer protection, would effectively ban many products that adults currently use to manage pain and opioid withdrawal symptoms, driving demand to an unregulated black market.​

Citing federal data, critics note that more than 1 billion servings of 7‑OH have been consumed in the U.S. with only 82 reported adverse events, and no clear evidence of a unique overdose crisis tied to the compound. They argue Virginia should tighten age limits, labeling and testing standards instead, and urge Gov. Abigail Spanberger to veto HB360 in favor of measured regulation over prohibition.

See The Virginian-Pilot for more.

Kratom, a Southeast Asian plant long used for pain relief and mood support, is at the center of a growing regulatory battle in the United States. Advocates argue consumers need protection from adulterated products, not prohibition, warning that a ban could criminalize users and cut off a potential tool in addressing opioid dependence. The Kratom Consumer Protection Act, already adopted in several states, seeks to mandate testing, clear labeling and age restrictions while banning dangerous additives and artificially boosted alkaloid levels. Federal health agencies, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, are funding studies that suggest kratom may offer pain relief and support for opioid and alcohol use disorders with lower abuse potential than traditional opioids. The fact sheet underpinning these claims is available at kratomanswers.org

An Idaho bill aimed at banning synthetic kratom while creating safeguards for natural kratom products has stalled in a Senate committee, exposing a sharp divide over how the state should respond to the controversial substance. Supporters argue the legislation would regulate labeling, testing, and age limits to keep unsafe, lab-made kratom derivatives off the market while allowing responsible businesses to operate. Opponents are pushing for a blanket ban, claiming kratom in any form poses unacceptable risks. Industry advocates counter that prohibition would drive sales underground and strip consumers of access to regulated products. The bill’s future is uncertain as lawmakers weigh competing public health and economic arguments. You can read the original report from KTVB’s 7 Investigates here.

Kansas City’s council is set to vote today on an ordinance that would outlaw synthetic 7-OH kratom while imposing tighter controls on natural kratom sales. The measure targets lab-made 7-OH and other synthetic alkaloids, which officials say have fueled a wave of dangerous “gas station heroin” products in local stores. Natural, unadulterated kratom could still be sold, but only to customers over 21 and under a stricter licensing regime.

The proposal follows weeks of emotional testimony from residents and warnings from health officials, alongside concerns from others about unintended consequences of a ban. Mayor Quinton Lucas has called the ordinance a step in the right direction and there is broad expectation it will pass. A neighboring suburb, Independence, is considering a similar move next month. Read the original report at KSHB 41.