Toledo hearing draws divided testimony on kratom; health officials cite synthetic concentrates and coroner reports

The Toledo City Council Public Safety Committee devoted the second half of its meeting to a public hearing on kratom, drawing public-health officials, advocates, treatment providers and dozens of residents who presented conflicting views on whether the city should restrict or ban sales.

Lucas County Health Department representatives told the committee that commercially processed kratom concentrates — commonly referenced in the meeting as “7‑OH” or other synthetic concentrated derivatives — are significantly more potent than natural leaf kratom, can be marketed to resemble sweets or drinks, and may be adulterated. A health-department official said 7‑OH products are roughly 13 times more potent than the kratom alkaloid’s natural levels and have been linked to addiction, liver damage, seizures and overdose fatalities in reported cases. The health department cited Ohio Revised Code 3715.55 when describing enforcement options for adulterated food or drink products and said its food-safety inspectors have found kratom-type products at gas stations and smoke shops styled to appeal to youth.

Maj Berryman, supervisor of injury prevention for Lucas County, said mitragynine (the primary kratom alkaloid) appears in toxicology in the county’s coroner data and that the coroner’s office provided a figure of five deaths in 2024 that included mitragynine. Berryman and health staff emphasized that naloxone (Narcan) reverses opioid-induced respiratory depression and does not reverse effects from kratom or non-opioid stimulants.

Advocates and vendors offered opposing testimony. Walker Gollman (legislative director, Global Kratom Coalition) and Dr. Heidi Sikora (International Plant and Herbal Alliance) argued that whole‑leaf kratom is distinct from concentrated synthetic derivatives, that published analyses (including some university and FDA work cited by speakers) do not support scheduling whole-leaf kratom, and that regulation (age limits, behind-the-counter sales, testing and labeling) would better protect consumers than a blanket ban. Dr. Sikora described clinical and consumer surveys that she said show many users rely on whole-leaf kratom for pain, mood or withdrawal management and urged a local consumer-protection approach used in some states.

Treatment and recovery providers urged strict controls. Matt Bell, CEO of Team Recovery and a longtime addiction counselor, described kratom’s addictive potential from his experience treating people who relapsed on kratom and warned that rapid availability at vape shops and gas stations can create a pathway back to more harmful substances. Physician James Jones, who works in addiction and detox, described patients who required extended detox and said kratom’s unregulated retail availability poses risks, especially for youth and pregnant women.

A number of Toledo residents, including people who said they use whole-leaf kratom for chronic pain or recovery maintenance, described personal benefits and asked the council to avoid banning natural leaf kratom; several vendors described in‑person businesses (kava bars and smoke shops) selling powdered leaf and said they follow safety practices. Other residents recounted personal or family harms they associated with kratom or kratom-like products and supported restrictions or a ban.

Council members noted two separate measures that had been introduced at first reading at the full council: one ordinance to ban sales (which, as drafted, would not criminalize possession) and a resolution asking the board of health/board of control to consider scheduling a product; councilmembers debated whether local regulation can address sale of adulterated concentrates and how to avoid unintended harms such as driving problematic products underground. Several councilmembers asked the health department and coroner to follow up with toxicology-panel details and to supply the requested overdose and death numbers and any available lab confirmations of synthetic concentrates.

No vote was taken; councilmembers said they would continue to gather information. Members of the public who testified were advised to provide written materials to the council and staff. The hearing demonstrated a split in the community between (a) public-health and treatment providers who emphasized risks posed by manufactured concentrates and (b) consumers and vendors who urged targeted regulation of whole-leaf kratom rather than a ban.