Council members heard a presentation on Dec. 1 proposing an ordinance to prohibit the sale and distribution of kratom within the city of Spokane.

Adam McDaniel introduced the proposal and three experts presented public-health and public-safety concerns. One presenter (identified in the record as Dr. Lutz — the transcript also later refers to "Dr. Lentz") said kratom contains two alkaloids of concern, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, and described the latter as acting "more as an opiate." Sarah McNew (West Spokane Wellness Partnership) and Officer Mike Thomas (Spokane Police Department) joined the presentation to outline youth access, marketing and enforcement concerns.

Presenters urged adding a new Chapter 10.83 to the Spokane Municipal Code to prohibit sale and distribution of kratom in the city. Proposed enforcement measures discussed included escalating civil fines for repeat violations and potential business-license impacts (denial or revocation) for retailers who sell kratom.

Presenters cited national and state-level activity: they said seven states have bans and several more have kratom consumer-protection acts or age-related regulations; the presenters said Washington legislation to regulate or classify kratom has been proposed in prior sessions but did not become law. They told the committee that retail kratom is commonly sourced from overseas and is often available in vape shops, grocery stores and coffee stands, creating youth access points.

Council members asked several probing questions. One asked whether banning the product in Spokane would simply shift sales to neighboring jurisdictions; presenters said they had shared materials with the health district and substance-abuse advocates who could coordinate with other municipalities. Another council member asked for more scientific data pointing to harms and noted published studies and surveys suggesting some users adopt kratom as a harm-reduction strategy (for example, to reduce opioid or alcohol use); that member said he was not yet persuaded that an outright ban was the right step and would prefer age restrictions if possible.

Staff and presenters also cautioned that national death tallies for kratom are limited because toxicology testing does not always include kratom unless specifically requested. Presenters provided several numerical figures during the presentation (industry-size projections and counts of exposures and deaths) but the numbers in the record are inconsistently reported in the transcript; the committee requested follow-up with clearer, sourced data.

No committee vote was taken on the ordinance at this meeting; presenters and staff said they would provide additional data to the council.