Montana committee hears competing views on HB 407 to regulate kratom; no vote taken

The Montana House Business and Labor Committee opened a hearing Feb. 25 on House Bill 407, the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which would create state-level regulation for kratom products sold in Montana.

Representative Neli Nickel, sponsor of HB 407, told the committee she seeks to move the state between the current absence of oversight and federal scheduling, and to craft a regulatory approach that protects consumers while allowing lawful commerce. “I am hoping that what we can do is get together with this Kratom Act...and try to find something that all of us in the committee can agree upon,” Nickel said.

The hearing drew industry trade groups and retailers, who generally supported regulation with limits, and a string of public-health, medical and regulatory witnesses who said the bill, as drafted, prioritized industry and lacked clear administrative detail.

Matt Haddow, senior fellow on public policy for the American Kratom Association, said federal regulators have failed to provide a workable framework and urged Montana to adopt state-level rules requiring good manufacturing practices, accurate labeling and age limits. “What this legislation will do is establish a regulatory format for those products sold to Montana residents that says that the products have to be safely formulated. They have to follow good manufacture,” Haddow said, and he cited National Institutes on Drug Abuse research…