Supervisors will vote on the ordinance again in two weeks, after a review period. If approved, it would bar the sale of kratom derivatives to people under 21 in Riverside County.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors has taken a step towards limiting the sale of kratom derivatives, which are sometimes sold as synthetic pain-relievers. During a unanimous vote on Tuesday, supervisors voted to tentatively approve an ordinance that would further look into implementing a set of regulations that would deter the sale and marketing of kratom, especially to people under 21.
Their decision came after consultation with the Riverside County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office. Highly concentrated and synthetic kratom-based products — marketed in the form of powders, capsules, gummies and 'energy shots' — have proliferated in the U.S,' said a statement from the Riverside County Executive Office. 'These products are commonly sold online, in smoke shops and at convenience stores, often with no quality control or labeling standards.'The review board will mainly look at 7-OH products, or 7-Hydroxymitragynine, which county officials said contain alkaloids produced by using biosynthetic methods. The derivatives are based on kratom leaf or kratom leaf extracts, which originate from a tropical plant native to Southeast Asia.'I had never heard of kratom before this came to us earlier this year,' said Jeff Van Wagenen, the county's chief executive officer, while addressing the board. 'Kratom is becoming more widely used. Is there an opportunity to act now before it becomes more widely abused? We've tried to identify the most dangerous aspect of this 'gateway drug,' this is an opportunity to limit the exposure of folks to it.'Related: Popular supplement kratom faces scrutiny over addiction concerns: 'It's ruining people's lives'The U.S. Food & Drug Administration requested that the DEA formally review kratom derivatives and consider placing them on a list of controlled substances. Riverside County would be one of several California counties to adopt a similar measure if the board votes to approve the ordinance after another hearing in two weeks. If formally approved, it would ban the sale of kratom-based products containing more than 2% of alkaloids to anyone under 21. It would also ban any marketing of the derivatives via advertisement or brand packaging targeting youths. Violations could result in fines or charges, county officials said. In August, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a measure that prohibits 7-OH marketing and sales, following similar proposals from cities across Southern California, including Jurupa Valley, Oceanside, San Diego, Solana Beach and Newport Beach. California legislators are also working to implement statewide restrictions on 7-OH sales. A similar proposal recently died in the state Senate and was not signed into law. 'The 7-OH concentrated synthetic products are often promoted as dietary supplements,' said Ryan Sherman, a legislative advocate with the California Narcotics Officers' Association in Sacramento. 'These products come in various forms, like concentrated liquid extract, and can significantly increase adverse potential life-threatening effects, especially when 7-OH is combined with alcohol and sedatives. Unknown concentrations of these synthetics bear an increased risk of unintentional overdose. There is no approved medical use.'In September, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a warning to the public after several overdose deaths were linked to 7-OH and alcohol. A month later, they reported an additional three overdose-related deaths to the compound.
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