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Patients and retailers urge regulation, warn a ban would harm users and local businesses
Summary
Multiple patients, retailers and industry representatives told the committee that natural leaf kratom provides pain relief and livelihoods; they urged a Kratom Consumer Protection Act–style regulatory approach rather than a Schedule I ban.
Retailers, long‑term consumers and patient advocates asked the committee to distinguish traditional leaf kratom from concentrated or synthetic derivatives and to pursue regulation rather than criminalization. Andrea Jackson, president of Jackson Bevco, said her company has sold natural leaf kratom for 15 years with no customer complaints and called for mandatory supplier testing and age restrictions: "Kratom needs to be regulated, not banned."
Several patients said kratom was the only effective option that let them reduce opioid use and function daily. Laura Romney, who said she had used kratom daily for nine years to manage trigeminal neuralgia, told the panel that losing access would be "terrifying" for patients who rely on the plant for basic functioning. Industry and consumer witnesses raised economic concerns about jobs and tax revenue, warned that prohibition would push demand to unregulated black markets, and urged a tested‑product, age‑restricted framework similar to measures enacted in other states.
