After two Louisiana parishes banned kratom, Livingston leaders are now also considering whether to prohibit the unregulated herbal extract.
Officials are mulling whether they want to ban or regulate the product that some fear could fuel addiction or worsen the effects of other drugs if they are combined. It is part of a larger discourse gripping Louisiana, where kratom has already been outlawed in two parishes. One state lawmaker plans to file a measure to ban the extract in the upcoming Legislative session.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration calls kratom a “drug and chemical of concern” that has been found to provide an energy boost at low doses but sedative, opioid-like effects at higher ones. While the product is not regulated under the Controlled Substances Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved kratom for any medical use.
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