Haney introduces proposal to regulate herbal product kratom amid safety concerns
A state assemblymember from San Francisco introduced a new bill this week that aims to regulate kratom products sold in California.
On Monday, Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, announced Assembly Bill 2365, the Kratom Safety Act, which would ban the sale of adulterated kratom in California, enforce rigorous testing and registration with the California Department of Public Health, and prohibit those under 21 from purchasing the product.
Often used as a stimulant to increase productivity, kratom is a tropical tree in the coffee family. Its leaves have historically been used in Southeast Asia for medicinal purposes.
However, product contamination and unregulated amounts of the leaves' naturally occurring psychoactive compounds—mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine—have led policymakers like Haney and even the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which cites it as a drug of concern, to raise eyebrows.
The Congressional Research Service, the body that assists congressional committees and members of Congress through the legislative process, notes that some kratom products intended for sale in the U.S. have been found to contain dangerous contaminants, such as salmonella and heavy metals.
"There are enough risks that it shouldn't be a total free-for-all," Haney said. "People should know what they're buying. Kids shouldn't buy it. And we should make it clear that there's a difference between a bottle that may seem the same size—but may have exponentially more potency."
A news release from Haney's office said the lack of regulations in the U.S. has led to very potent and dangerous products being developed by manufacturers and sold unregulated to consumers.
Matthew Lowe, executive director of the Global Kratom Coalition, said synthetic products being marketed as kratom have high levels of 7-hyrdoxymitragynine.
"It certainly isn't kratom as nature intended," Lowe said. "Kratom products should have the same ratios as the alkaloids found within nature."
The federal government has warned users of the dangers of kratom, but the substance remains unregulated at the federal level, leading states to regulate the substance individually.
In California, AB 2365 would require kratom to be manufactured according to best practices and to include health warnings on the label so consumers understand how to safely consume each product.
While many have cited the harm kratom can cause, some have highlighted its benefits and future potential.
Noting that it has not been proven safe or effective, the National Institute on Drug Abuse states that some use kratom for relief from pain, anxiety and depression, and some early studies suggest it could be used as an experimental treatment for substance use disorders, specifically opioid use.
"Such treatments are urgently needed to help curb the drug overdose epidemic in the United States," NIDA states on its website. "NIDA and its partners conduct and support research evaluating kratom and related compounds as potential treatments for chronic pain and for opioid withdrawal and opioid use disorder."
Haney acknowledged that researchers are still learning more about kratom.
"And in the meantime, we need to give consumers all the information to protect themselves," he said. "We need to make sure we can draw the lines about what products should be allowed."
