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Coroner and sheriff tell committee kratom linked to deaths; urge Schedule I classification
Summary
Shante Sanchez (Bonneville County coroner) and Samuel Hulse (Bonneville County sheriff/Idaho Sheriff's Association) testified in support of H 864, saying deaths tied to natural kratom products lacked evidence of synthetic 7‑OH and that the substance acts on opioid receptors. They urged a ban pending federal safety guidance.
Shante Sanchez, coroner of Bonneville County, told the House Health & Welfare Committee that deaths she and others have investigated involved natural kratom products and that toxicology showed no indication of the synthetic 7‑OH compound. Samuel Hulse, sheriff and representative of the Idaho Sheriff's Association, testified alongside her in support of H 864, which would add kratom alkaloids to Idaho's Schedule I list. Committee records note their argument that kratom stimulates opioid receptors and that attempts at regulation have not halted growing use and overdose reports.
Sanchez and Hulse also told the committee they are concerned about product marketing aimed at young people, including sales near high schools and kratom in gummy form. They said penalties for kratom use under the proposed scheduling would be aligned with other opioids. Their testimony was recorded as part of the hearing on March 18, 2026; the committee carried the bill to a March 19 continuation and did not vote that day.
