State officials are warning Iowans not to buy a product called kratom (KRAY-tum) that’s being sold in some Iowa convenience stores and gas stations as well as shops that sell cigarettes or vapes. Leaves from a kratom plant are crushed to make an organic version and Governor Kim Reynolds says some synthetic versions of kratom are 46 times as powerful as morphine.
The governor says in the first seven months of this year, there have been 16 kratom-related deaths in Iowa.
Last Tuesday, the U-S Drug Enforcement Agency classified three synthetic kratom derivatives as illegal drugs and three days later an undercover agent bought the illegal products in an Iowa store at a discounted price. Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Bayens (STEE-ven BAINS) says ignorance of the law is not a defense and retailers should yank the products from their shelves.
It’s not just the synthetic versions of kratom that are a concern. Dr. Robert Kruse (like “CRUISE”), the state’s Medical Director, says one of this year’s kratom-related fatalties was a person who took the organic version.
In March, the Iowa House passed a bill to ban the sale of kratom — but the Senate never debated it. Governor Kim Reynolds says she advocated for the ban and is hoping lawmakers approve it next year.
The state will launch a public relations campaign in October with warnings about kratom and share information with Iowans about where they can go to get help. The effort will be targeted to men, as data shows it’s primarily men who are overdosing on kratom.
