KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues in Overland Park and Johnson County and around government accountability. This story follows months of reporting on kratom and its synthetic derivative, 7-OH, in the investigative series Strong High Weak Laws. Share your story with Isabella.
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The Blue Springs, Missouri, City Council took steps on Wednesday night to regulate "intoxicating" hemp and kratom products within city limits.
Kratom, a traditional herbal remedy hailing from Southeast Asia, has been at the center of multiple Kansas City metro cities and attempts to regulate the product. It's unregulated at the federal level, leaving it up to individual states. Neither Missouri nor Kansas has officially regulated the product.
A synthetic derivative containing a high dosage of one of the naturally occurring alkaloids in kratom, known as 7-OH, has caught the attention and concern of numerous city leaders, lawmakers and medical experts. Referred to as "gas station heroin," the unregulated and unrestricted product has been reported to be 14 times stronger than morphine and highly addictive.
Blue Springs voted to regulate kratom products, limiting high dosages of synthetic alkaloids, like 7-OH.
A similar ordinance that would restrict kratom sales to only buyers 21 and up was presented at Wednesday's council meeting. However, councilman Kaylor requested to postpone the ordinance indefinitely, making a motion to ban the product outright.
City staff is expected to present the new ordinance with a complete ban on kratom products at the upcoming March 2 meeting.
Blue Spring's legislation comes after Kansas City, Missouri, voted to ban synthetic 7-OH and regulate natural kratom to those 21 and up.
Missouri lawmakers have proposed several bills in the House and Senate to regulate kratom and ban 7-OH. You can find more coverage on the KSHB 41 News I-Team series, Strong High Weak Laws, here.
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