KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas cited a recent overdose death “in which kratom was detected” in a push to ban “gas station drugs.”
The ban would cover substances such as kratom, Delta-8, Delta-9 THC edibles, nitrous oxide and other synthetic cannabinoids typically found in convenience stores, vape shops and smoke shops.
Lucas introduced the ordinance on Wednesday.
“Unregulated gas station drugs are substances that are sold with virtually no oversight or accountability,” Lucas said in a press release Wednesday afternoon. “These products are marketed as legal alternatives but often just as dangerous as controlled substances and have no place on our shelves when they contribute to addiction, overdoses, and neighborhood instability, particularly impacting our children.”
Wednesday’s news release said the Kansas City Health Department recently reviewed a “polysubstance overdose death” in which kratom was detected. Additional information about the death was not provided.
“The Kansas City Health Department’s data shows clear connections between these products and adverse health outcomes, including overdoses,” Kansas City, Missouri, Public Safety Director Lace Cline said Wednesday. “When you combine the health risks with the documented public safety issues we’ve observed at businesses selling these substances, the need for regulation becomes undeniable.”
The proposed ban comes as state and federal officials are also targeting the manufacture and sale of synthetic substances such as 7-OH.
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Last month, U.S. Marshals and agents from the Food and Drug Administration seized 73,000 products suspected of containing 7-OH from three warehouses in KCMO. The products were seized from Shaman Botanicals LLC (American Shaman) and Relax Relief Rejuvenate Trading LLC.
Also last month, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced an investigation into kratom and 7-OH retailers across the state.
Kansas City’s proposed ban calls for fines between $750 and $1,000 per day, with business owners facing suspension or revocation of their business licenses.
The ordinance would not apply to FDA-approved drugs distributed according to state and federal laws. Uses of nitrous oxide would be permitted in medical, dental, food service and industrial settings.
The City Council’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee is set to review the ordinance at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
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