Public‑health official outlines kratom risks, options including retailer licensing

Jason McCoy, Clay County public‑health substance‑misuse lead, briefed the board on kratom during a joint Clay‑Becker presentation on Sept. 1, citing the county’s first local addiction report eight months ago and national regulatory activity. "On a national level, kratom is being looked at by the DEA," McCoy said, and he noted a recent North Dakota action that temporarily scheduled kratom in response to a string of deaths.

McCoy described kratom’s active alkaloids (mitragynine and 7‑hydroxymitragynine), warned that "natural doesn't mean harmless," and explained that product potency and contamination vary widely in the unregulated supplement market. He recommended several local policy considerations—licensing retailers, restricting sales to 21+ retail environments, standardized point‑of‑sale health information, zoning limits and a possible prohibition on retail sales—while stressing that these were “considerations” and that education and treatment access should accompany any regulatory change. "We can help people with withdrawal...we have the medications to help the people with that," McCoy said, urging public awareness alongside any policy deliberations.