Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vice Mayor asks city attorney to draft ordinance to ban kratom sales in Port Richey
Summary
Vice Mayor Chris Mayer moved and council approved directing the city manager and city attorney to draft local legislation to prohibit the sale of kratom inside Port Richey; council discussed enforcement, grandfathering, and legal preemption concerns and asked the attorney to research comparable local actions.
Vice Mayor Chris Mayer urged the council to pursue a local ban on kratom sales and moved that the city manager and the city attorney draft legislation to prohibit the product within city limits.
Mayer said community and personal experiences prompted the request and cited a national advocacy group (EndKratomAddiction.org) and local examples. He framed the proposal as a way to reduce harm: "I would move that we would allow the city manager and the attorney to draft legislation to ban this product here from our city," he said. Council discussed enforcement mechanisms, whether existing businesses would be grandfathered or phased out, and noted other jurisdictions (counties and cities) already pursuing similar measures. City Attorney Nancy Meyer agreed to research legal constraints, potential preemption issues, and approaches used by other local governments and return with draft language for council consideration.
The council voted in favor of sending the matter to staff for drafting and directed the attorney to consult case studies and examples from other jurisdictions when preparing the ordinance.
