Kratom Concerns, Synthetics, and Bans

States across the nation are passing laws this summer banning the sale and possession of kratom.

In Tennessee, as of July 1, 2026, the manufacturing, delivering, or selling of kratom will be a Class C felony. The delivering or selling of kratom to a minor is a Class B felony.

Once this new law goes into effect, anyone who knowingly possesses the substance would face up to a year in jail and a fine up to $2,500.

The law is named after Matthew Davenport, a Chattanooga man who died from an interaction involving the drug.

In Utah, Senate Bill 45, signed by Gov. Spencer Cox, took effect on May 6. The new law bans all forms of the botanical, except for kratom-leaf-only products sold in retail tobacco specialty businesses. However, The Salt Lake Tribune reports the exception could be temporary.

The Salt Lake Tribune report states there is “no proof that natural kratom leaf products, in other formats, present risks to public safety or put a strain on Utah’s law enforcement resources. Even local police have acknowledged the supposed enforcement crisis fueling support for the new law isn’t matched by ground-level encounters.”

USU Police Department Lt. Scott Murray says he has never seen a case involving the substance. He asked a sergeant on the Cache/Rich Drug Task Force if the drug was an issue on a larger scale and was told, “In their investigations and the work they have done, they have seen very few incidents of it.”

Lora Romney says she has lived with atypical trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic nerve condition that causes relentless, debilitating pain for more than a decade. She has tried every conventional treatment available: nerve blocks, surgery, and strong prescription medications.

Romney states these options were not helpful. They either made her feel sedated or hopeless. Natural kratom leaf gave Romney her life back. They allow her to function, to participate in her community, be present with her family, and live with dignity.

The new law requires consumers who do not smoke to purchase their plant-based pain control product in tobacco stores.

What Is Kratom?

Kratom is a plant-based substance sold as capsules, powders, vapes, energy drinks, gummies, and herbal supplements in vape stores, smoke shops, and gas stations.

The product comes from an evergreen tree that grows in Southeast Asia called Mitragyna speciosa. Users can chew the leaves, add the extract to a liquid, or swallow or brew the dried leaves.

In low doses, the substance acts as an upper, helping the person to feel more alert and energetic. Higher doses help with pain, calmness, and less anxiety.

Additionally, it can aid with withdrawal symptoms that come from stopping the use of opioids and is easier to obtain than prescription medications. However, it has its own addictive risk.

It is fast-acting, often taking effect in minutes. The more the user ingests, the stronger the effects.

Not all of these plant-based products are created equal.

The leaves contain mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) that create opioid-like effects in higher doses. Because of this, kratom has been referred to as “gas station heroin.”

In the last few years, a new category of products has emerged under the name “kratom” in smoke shops, gas stations, and convenience stores. The lab-made kratom derivatives like synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) are dangerous, according to Romney. They are “highly potent, chemically altered street drugs designed to mimic the effects of prescription opioids.” These are the products behind the concerns raised by regulators and public health experts.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended scheduling concentrated synthetic 7-OH and similar compounds. The Commissioner for the FDA has made it clear that the focus is on the harmful synthetic byproducts, not the natural leaf.

Romney asserts that the crackdown on kratom product types that fails to distinguish between natural leaf and concentrated synthetics does not solve the problem; it creates one.

Kratom has not been proven safe to treat any medical conditions. The FDA calls it a “drug of concern.” According to the Mayo Clinic, between 2014 and 2019, Poison Control received more than 3,400 calls about the substance, including reports of death.

Side Effects

• High blood pressure
• Confusion
• Seizures
• Weight loss
• Dry mouth
• Nausea and vomiting
• Constipation
• Liver damage
• Muscle pain
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Depression
• Trouble breathing
• Tremors
• Psychosis
• Anorexia
• Skin darkening
• Insomnia
• Weight loss

People who have taken kratom for more than six months reported having withdrawal symptoms similar to those of opioid use. People have also reported developing cravings for it. This may require prescription treatment, such as Suboxone or Sublocade.

It will also affect babies during pregnancy, causing them to be born dependent.

Additionally, products contain heavy metals and harmful germs. Salmonella poisoning can be fatal, and 35 deaths have involved tainted kratom.

State Regulations

Connecticut has added the substance to the state schedule of controlled substances. Recently, a bill passed in Kansas that will put kratom on the Schedule I drug list.

Rhode Island has banned the drug, along with Vermont, Wisconsin, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and California.

The states that have banned concentrated and synthetic 7- OH include Utah, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Mississippi, and Florida.

Almost every state in the U.S. has introduced legislation on the status of the substance.

News 19: Statewide kratom ban approved by Tennessee lawmakers takes effect July 1
The Salt Lake Tribune: Voices: I finally found something to manage my chronic pain. Utah’s working to ban it.
Rockefeller Institute of Government: The Evolving Kratom Policy Landscape

Featured Image Courtesy of Michael Kray’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License