CLINTON TWP. (WWJ) -- Clinton Township is now the first community in Michigan to attempt regulations on what authorities say is highly addictive and potentially dangerous substance.
The board of trustees Monday evening voted to introduce and publish an ordinance that would prohibit retailers from selling kratom to anyone under the age of 21.
Kratom, known as "gas station heroin," has effects similar to opioids, with addictive qualities and deadly potential.
It is not controlled substance in the U.S. at this point, and police have said its use among young people is a growing concern.
The Clinton Twp. measure also requires retailers to post signage clearly stating age restrictions and to verify customer identification before purchase.
Trustee Shannon King, who wrote the proposal, said the Macomb County community hopes to be a leader on this issue in the region.
"We're dealing with a substance that's coming from far away. It's not regulated. We don't understand what's in it, the purities — the impurities, I should say — that it's packaged with," King said.
"There's a lot of uncharted territory here that we have because this is an unregulated drug, because it's not tested," he said. "You know, there's so much of our population that could get really caught up in this, and because it has those same receptors, again, as opioids does, it poses a health risk, I believe, to individuals out there that we need to be very, very mindful of."
The City of Warren has also considered a ban on kratom, but the issue has since been tabled.
Legislation introduced in Landing [House Bill 4969] to restrict kratom sales to 21+ has also stalled.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia and consumption of its leaves can have opioid-like effects. Kratom is most often sold in pills, but can also be smoked.
While it has been praised by users and in the media as effective for alleviating depression and anxiety, and useful as substitute for prescription pills, kratom is not FDA approved.
Read more about Kratom from the FDA at this link. For more details about associated side effects and health concerns, the Cleveland Clinic has information published here.
Related
