(Valley News Live) – County commissioners in Clay and Becker counties met Tuesday morning to evaluate the safety and potential regulation of Kratom, a controversial herbal drug marketed as a natural supplement.
While commissioners took no formal action or votes on ordinances, officials are studying whether local regulations are needed to protect public health.
Kratom is a plant-based substance marketed online for energy, pain relief, sleep, and opioid withdrawal. Despite its marketing as a natural supplement, health officials warn that “natural” does not mean safe. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved any Kratom products, and North Dakota has classified the substance as a Schedule I controlled substance following dozens of associated deaths.
Local officials noted that Kratom has not yet emerged as an issue in local schools.
“The horror story that I had out of Detroit Lakes was that there was a mom who ended up spending over $60,000 on kratom products over the course of a year when all she wanted to do was treat chronic knee pain without having to take an opioid,” said Jason McCoy, of Clay County Public Health.
Commissioners reviewed several potential regulatory steps for the future, including:
- Retail licensing requirements
- Zoning restrictions on where Kratom can be sold
- Mandatory warning labels for products
- Complete bans on local retail sales
For now, officials stated their immediate priority is community education rather than active enforcement. Leaders plan to monitor regulatory actions from North Dakota and federal agencies while focusing on getting safety information to parents and the public.
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
