KDSN RADIO News
Bill to ban stimulant kratom moving through Iowa legislature
(Radio Iowa) – A bill that’s cleared a committee in the Iowa House would ban the sale of kratom — a plant-based stimulant that’s being sold in some Iowa gas stations and vape shops. Kratom trees are native to Southeast Asia, and the crushed tree leaves are being used in teas or sold as a powder or pill — plus a new synthetic version has been developed. Seven states have banned the sale of kratom. Bill backers say the adverse effects of kratom are profound. Katie Hall of Clive told lawmakers she’s witnessed someone get addicted to kratom.
They’re going to say it’s a botanical like coffee, and it’s just not,” Hall said. “I have personal experience with a young adult under 21 getting access to this product because it was billed as safe, because it was billed as a mood enhancer.” Jen Rathje, a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Corrections, says kratom is being smuggled into Iowa prisons and represents an escalating threat to security and public safety. “The physiological and the behavioral effects that it has had on individuals is often times more severe and volatile than other synthetics, such as K2 that we’ve seen historically.”
Paper soaked with K-2 — sometimes called fake marijuana — has been used to send letters to inmates. Seth Brown of the Iowa Medical Society says doctors are increasingly concerned about the widespread use of substances like kratom. “Currently, there are no FDA-approved prescription or over-the-counter drug products containing kratom,” Brown said, “so in our opinion, until the FDA says it’s safe, keep it out of the marketplace.”
Sheldon Bradshaw, an attorney representing a group called the Scientific Association for Botanical Education and Research, is urging Iowa legislators to reject the bill. He says the natural botanical version of kratom has been used in Southeast Asia for centuries and that form of kratom should remain available for sale in Iowa. ”It’s consumed for its pain-relieving properties,” he said, “and it’s currently used by 20 million Americans.” The Trump Administration is considering a ban on the synthetic version of kratom by classifying it as a controlled substance that’s highly addictive, like heroin.
Bradshaw’s group supports a ban on SYNTHETIC kratom. “Synthetics absolutely should be banned,” he said. “They’re dangerous. They’re opioids. They have no business being in the marketplace.” Bradshaw says his group would support the same kind of age restrictions for natural kratom that are used for alcohol and cigarettes. Susie Sher, head of the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy, says the synthetic version of kratom is relatively new, and most of the kratom-related overdoses her office has tracked IN IOWA are related to the natural version of kratom.
“In Iowa, we’ve had 92 cases reported by our state medical examiner where mitragynine, that primary compound in the kratom plant, was a contributory factor in that death,” Sher said. “We’ve seen increases in Poison Control Center calls. They’ve got up over 120% just in the past couple of years. Most of those are intentional abuse, misuse, or withdrawal.” And Sher says Des Moines hospitals have recently notified state officials about newborns.
“Where the mom is saying, ‘I was using kratom because I thought it was safe,'” Sher said. “…Babies are being born in opioid withdrawal because those compounds act in the brain the same way as other opioids do.”
A state ban on natural AND synthetic kratom has passed the House Public Safety Committee on an 18-to-five vote. A similar proposal is eligible for debate in a Senate committee.
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