Idaho Falls considers banning local kratom sales
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IDAHO FALLS — The City of Idaho Falls will be considering prohibiting the sale of kratom within city limits in the coming weeks.
This comes after the city council briefly discussed a draft ordinance during a work session on Monday afternoon. The council decided to table the discussion until those who were absent from the meeting, including the mayor and a council member, could be present. The council also wished to have experts, including the county coroner, speak on kratom.
“There are at least four or five individuals who have weighed in on this at a state level who I’d like to hear from who are from our community,” Councilman Brandon Lee said during the meeting. Lee made the motion to table the discussion. “I’d like to understand their positions, their research, and what they have learned.”
Last November, the Bonneville County Coroner’s office issued a public health alert on the “dangerous and potentially fatal consequences of using kratom.” It was done in response to a “concerning increase in deaths” across the county directly linked to the herbal substance.
RELATED: Coroner issues warning following six kratom-related deaths in Bonneville County
The corner’s office reportedly investigated six kratom-related deaths in 18 months. This meant kratom was implicated in 18% of drug overdose fatalities during this time frame. The youngest of the deceased was 19. The oldest was 42.
EastIdahoNews.com called several shops in Idaho Falls to get comments on the potential ban. One Idaho Falls vape shop employee, who wished to remain anonymous as it could affect his employment, said he supports the city banning the sale of kratom.
“I personally work with people who use it all day long, I find it really worrying,” he said.
“I think that substance abuse is very high with it, I see a lot of people being average builds and then kind of looking like they’re on heavy drugs a couple months down the line,” he said.
The vape shop employee said he personally has only tried kratom once, and it had him “in the fetal position for like six hours.” He was also very concerned about the sale of 7-hydroxymitragynine, also called 7-OH, which is derived from kratom.
“There are a lot of people who are super heavily addicted, we’re talking probably 10 times the amount they should be taking,” he said.
“Probably 50% of my sales, at least, have swapped over to those (7-OH),” he said.
Last July, the FDA recommended a scheduling action to control certain 7-OH products under the Controlled Substances Act, though no such action has been taken.
The Idaho Falls City Council will revisit the discussion on banning kratom within the next two work sessions, as they requested in their motion to table. Those next work sessions will be held on May 18 and June 1, according to the city’s online schedule.
However, the city council likely won’t pass the ordinance until a regular meeting is held.
“The city council typically passes ordinances during regular city council meetings, so there is an opportunity for community input,” the Idaho Falls mayor’s office told EastIdahoNews.com in an email.
Residents can see what is coming up during regular city council meetings on the city’s agenda center.