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Residents urge La Habra to regulate — not ban — kratom, citing pain relief and withdrawal support
Summary
Multiple public commenters told the council that kratom provides chronic‑pain relief and helps with opioid withdrawal; callers urged the city to avoid blanket bans and instead pursue labeling, third‑party testing, age limits, or regulatory frameworks.
During the public‑comment period multiple callers told the council that kratom has been critical to their pain management or recovery and asked the city to prioritize regulation rather than an outright ban.
Allison Smith, director of government affairs for the Global Freedom Coalition, said she has been a chronic pain patient for about 20 years and urged the council to improve labeling and testing rather than prohibit kratom, noting that symposium participants did not call for bans. Jennifer Gillis said she discovered kratom in 2019 after years of struggle with chronic pain and called it “a second chance at life,” urging the city to coordinate with federal and local actions to protect access while implementing age restrictions and third‑party testing. Misty Brown described surviving the overprescribing opioid epidemic and said kratom helped manage withdrawal; she told the council that removing access could cause people to suffer severe withdrawal symptoms.
Speakers repeatedly urged targeted regulation — testing, labeling and age limits — and asked the council to differentiate between naturally derived kratom and synthetic products that federal authorities are scheduling. The staff presentation had expressly noted that the ordinances before the council did not address kratom or nitrous oxide, and public speakers asked the city to study kratom policy options and consider safeguards for people who depend on it.
