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Committee advances kratom regulation bill after hours of debate and testimony
Summary
House Bill 253 would regulate kratom sales, labeling and registration, set a 21‑year minimum purchase age and restrict concentrated semi‑synthetic derivatives; the committee advanced the bill after extensive expert and public testimony.
House Bill 253, sponsored by Representative Boyer, would impose restrictions on the sale, labeling and registration of kratom products in Louisiana, set a minimum purchase age of 21 and restrict certain concentrated or semi‑synthetic derivatives that scientific witnesses described as having opioid-like respiratory-depressant effects.
The committee heard lengthy testimony from multiple witnesses: Dr. Christopher McCurdy, a University of Florida medicinal-chemistry professor who has studied kratom for more than 20 years, described the plant’s complex pharmacology and supported limiting concentrated 7‑hydroxymitragynine products and adulterated semi‑synthetic isolates, which he said should be regulated as drug products. He recommended a label warning against use during pregnancy.
Dr. Pete Krogan, deputy secretary at the Louisiana Department of Health and an addiction medicine practitioner, told members he sees kratom addiction in clinical practice and said available treatment for kratom dependence is typically medication-assisted treatment such as buprenorphine (Suboxone). He said 2023 data showed 43 death reports with kratom in the toxicology report, though many involved multiple substances.
The panel also heard multiple personal testimonies from users and retail operators who said kratom helped them avoid or recover from opioid use disorder. Supporters urged regulation rather than prohibition, citing the Kratom Consumer Protection Act model enacted in other states; opponents and some clinicians cited public-health and perinatal concerns.
Committee staff read a technical amendment set and members adopted amendments. Members discussed alternatives including bans in some parishes and the bill’s fiscal implications; staff later noted a fiscal note greater than $100,000 and said the bill, if advanced, would be dually referred to appropriations. Representative Steven Jackson moved to report the bill favorably with amendments; the motion carried with no roll-call recorded in committee.
