EAST PEORIA — The East Peoria City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance to amend provisions of the city code to prohibit the sale, possession, and use of the plant kratom and its chemical by-products.
Illinois law prohibits the sale and possession of kratom by any person under 18 years old. East Peoria city attorney Scott Brunton said several Illinois communities have independently banned the sale and use of kratom.
“I know for a fact this is being sold here in East Peoria,” said Mayor John Kahl. “It’s highly addictive, and why it’s not regulated at a level above us is beyond my wildest imagination. I feel strongly that as community leaders, we have an obligation to protect our citizens.”
The ordinance adds kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) — a concentrated by-product of the kratom plant leaf — to the list of substances illegal to possess, use, or sell in East Peoria except as authorized by the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act, the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act or the Cannabis Control Act.
Violators of the ordinance are subject to fines ranging from $350 to $750.
What is kratom?
Kratom, and especially its chemical byproduct 7-OH, have been identified as causing health concerns including hallucinations, psychosis, and aggression, according to Brunton. The United States Department of Health and Human Services recommends the restriction of 7-OH as a critical step against opioid addiction.
Kratom products are marketed as herbal supplements that users claim relieve pain, boost energy, treat anxiety and ease withdrawal symptoms from opioids, according to a story from USA Today.
The FDA said kratom contains psychoactive ingredients and binds to the same opioid brain receptors as morphine, according to USA Today. A trade group, the American Kratom Association, disputes the claim and says the FDA has “unfairly demonized” kratom for more than a decade, according to the newspaper.
The ordinance will be laid on the table for no less than one week for public inspection.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: East Peoria moves to prohibit sale, possession of kratom and its byproducts
Reporting by Mike Kramer, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
