Dare County commissioners debate kratom resolution, ask staff to revise draft and press state for regulation

Dare County commissioners on Monday heard an extended public discussion about kratom — a botanical product marketed in some stores as an herbal supplement — and stopped short of adopting a resolution asking the North Carolina General Assembly to ban its over‑the‑counter sale.

The meeting opened with public commenters urging action and evidence presented by a kratom advocate before the board discussed next steps. Commissioners agreed to send a revised resolution and to ask state lawmakers to consider regulation that would target adulterated, high‑concentration products sold in convenience stores while allowing for regulated, lab‑tested botanical products to remain available under stricter controls.

Why it matters

Kratom is widely available in many states and in a range of forms. Supporters said certain products help with withdrawal and chronic pain; opponents told the board some retail products appear unlabelled or adulterated, are sold near schools and lack dosage controls. Commissioners said the county should press the state for coherent regulation rather than adopt a local ban that could criminalize consumers and create patchwork rules across jurisdictions.

What speakers told the board

Jennifer Brandt, a licensed pharmacist from Hampton, Virginia, told the commission she had worked more than 20 years with patients affected by opioid addiction and urged a statewide ban on over‑the‑counter kratom sales. “This is not safe. It is a nuisance and a public threat,” Brandt said, citing poison‑control calls and adverse‑event reports that she said showed severe effects including seizures and death.

John Schindholz, advocacy director for American Veterans for Kratom Safe and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, urged regulation rather than a ban. “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Schindholz said, arguing that many consumers use genuine, lab‑tested kratom products to manage withdrawal or chronic pain and that the public‑health risk chiefly comes from adulterated or synthetic products.

Senator Bobby Haney (R‑NC), participating by phone, described Georgia’s regulatory approach and urged careful drafting by the county and state: “You have to be 21 years old to buy it. It cannot be sold in a way that allows vaping or concentrates above set limits,” he said, reading provisions from Georgia's rules as an example of what regulation might look like.

Board discussion and direction

Commissioner Bateman said he was alarmed by easily purchasable extract products sold at gas stations near schools and said the county needed immediate action to keep such items out of children’s reach. “This stuff should not be sold within a quarter mile of a school,” Bateman said, describing a product he had shown the board that lacked labeling and dosing guidance.

Other commissioners expressed concern about harming people who report clinical benefit from unadulterated, lab‑tested kratom. Several commissioners — including Bateman and Vice Chairman House — said they favored an approach that would ban adulterated and extract products sold over the counter while urging the General Assembly to regulate plant‑based kratom products, manufacturing standards and retail practices.

Outcome and next steps

Rather than vote on the resolution that the county manager read aloud, the board directed staff to rework the language. The board asked staff to: - Revise the draft resolution to distinguish adulterated or concentrated kratom products (often sold at convenience stores) from unadulterated, GMP‑tested botanical kratom; - Request the North Carolina General Assembly and state health agencies pursue regulatory standards covering age limits, labeling, batch testing and permitted product forms; - Work with the county public information officer and the health department to issue a public notice warning about adulterated retail products and advising residents where to find verified consumer‑safety information; - Return to the board with a revised resolution and proposed local steps; staff also agreed to schedule a special meeting if needed to consider a revised draft before the board’s next regular meeting.

The board did not adopt the resolution on Jan. 6 and took no formal enforcement action.

Ending

County staff said they will circulate a revised draft to commissioners and coordinate with state legislators. Commissioners asked that staff also prepare suggested language the General Assembly could use to separate manufacturing and retail standards for plant‑based kratom from prohibitions on adulterated extracts and vaping formulations.