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West Frankfort council adopts ordinance banning kratom sales
Summary
The West Frankfort City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance to ban the sale of kratom in the city after police described a juvenile incident linked to the product and the mayor said the measure was modeled on other local ordinances.
The West Frankfort City Council voted unanimously Jan. 13 to adopt an ordinance banning the sale of kratom within city limits.
Mayor Arbew, who introduced the item, said the mayor’s office had discussed the measure with the deputy police chief and described kratom as a dangerous synthetic product. A police department representative told the council the substance had recently been sold locally to juveniles and that one incident led to a burglary spree. “We had 1 major incident that we were involved with,” the police official said during the discussion, arguing the city should “get ahead of it.”
City staff told the council the proposed ordinance was modeled on language adopted by nearby Marion and other towns, and Jonathan, the city attorney, said he prepared the draft ordinance for council consideration. A councilmember moved to adopt the ordinance; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote with all members present voting yes.
The ordinance’s supporters said the ban aimed to limit youth access and community harms; council members noted the measure is preventive and modeled after peer municipalities. No public-comment speaker objected during the council’s deliberations, and staff did not report any immediate enforcement plan details at the meeting.
The council approved the ordinance at the meeting; implementation steps and any enforcement guidance were not specified in the discussion and will be handled by staff and counsel going forward.
