Ordinance committee refers proposed kratom sales ban to council after public testimony and sheriff's office backing

Councilman John Mangus introduced discussion on April 15 of a proposed local ban on the sale of kratom in unincorporated areas of Livingston Parish and asked the committee to consider forwarding an ordinance to the full council.

Megan Joswick, a Denham Springs resident, urged the committee to consider a ban on sales while saying she did not favor criminalizing possession: "I don't think it should be criminalized and there should be charges for possession. I just I don't want it in this parish." She told the committee she had family members who became dependent after using kratom to self-medicate and said kratom products are widely sold without medical oversight.

Sergeant Cody Jaro of the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office described enforcement experience and supplied data the committee referenced, noting kratom can have stimulant effects at low doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses. He cited federal and public-health sources: the Food and Drug Administration has not approved kratom for medical use and warns against its use; the Drug Enforcement Administration lists kratom as a drug of concern; and Louisiana Department of Health has recommended banning kratom from general consumption. Jaro also said several neighboring parishes and municipalities have enacted local bans.

John Love, who identified himself as a 10-year kratom user, told the committee he had relied on kratom after opioid use but experienced severe withdrawal. Committee members discussed that a local ban would restrict sales only in unincorporated parish areas (not within municipal limits) and that some nearby local governments had adopted bans; the committee voted to forward the proposed ordinance to the full parish council. Committee members said an ordinance draft was available and that the parish's district attorney's office had been consulted.