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Council discusses banning synthetic kratom after health department reports local sales
Summary
City officials debated updating the local controlled-substances ordinance to target synthetic kratom products after health-department checks found synthetic formulations sold in gas stations and smoke shops; alderpersons generally favored prohibiting retail sales while expressing caution about banning natural kratom pending more evidence and state action.
The Washington Committee of the Whole spent much of its March 9 meeting weighing whether to update a local ordinance to explicitly prohibit kratom products sold in retail outlets.
Chief Stevens told the council the city's current ordinance (Sec. 38) dates to about 2018 and was written to address emerging street drugs. "Does the council want language that will explicitly cover natural kratom or synthetic or concentrated kratom or kratom-like products or all of the above?" he asked, noting enforcement and licensing questions if vaping or smoking products are included.
Megan Hanley of the county health department told members that…
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