Utah lawmakers are debating competing bills on kratom, with some pushing for a full ban and others favoring regulation amid ongoing safety concerns.
SALT LAKE CITY — Over the last decade, marijuana was — and remains — a controversial topic among state legislators regarding how to regulate the drug, both for medicinal and recreational uses. Both sides of the marijuana argument use scientific studies to back their claims.
For some, it can be used like a supplement and help with chronic pain, for others, it can be abused and disrupt cognitive development.Kratom, a less-studied and less mainstream drug, is currently involved in a similar legislative debate, particularly in Utah. Nicknamed "gas station heroin," there are currently two bills being debated in the 2026 legislative session, which began Tuesday. One bill seeks to ban it completely. The other is looking to regulate it.Kratom derives from a tropical tree in Southeast Asia. Depending on dosage, it can have either sedative or stimulating effects. The kratom leaf contains two major psychoactive ingredients, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, the latter better known as 7-OH.Though 7-OH occurs naturally in the plant, some claim many products on the shelves that are labeled as kratom have chemically altered 7-OH or are extracted to be far stronger than what the plant produces on its own.The Food and Drug Administration has not approved the drug for any type of medical use, and the Justice Department's Drug Enforcement Agency has identified it as a "drug and chemical of concern." Last summer, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the FDA was specifically targeting 7-OH, not the natural kratom leaf.Earlier this week, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps prohibited the use of kratom and the active compounds within it and "applies to products that are naturally derived, semi-synthetic or synthetic, regardless of the substance's concentration, claimed or actual, and regardless of whether such product may lawfully be bought, sold, or used under civilian law."The kratom debate in UtahAt least seven other states have complete bans on kratom products. Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, chief sponsor of the bill banning kratom, says completely ridding the product from Utah's shelves is the only solution."I think the industry is abused. ... These products are becoming far more dangerous," McKell previously told the Deseret News. "My goal is to protect the public, not kratom, and I think it needs to be clear that there are hundreds of thousands of dollars flowing to the people pedaling kratom
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