Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano asked city staff to look into ongoing legislation to remove kratom out of stores across the state, saying it is a potential gateway “drug” that leads children into “more serious” alternatives.
The matter was briefly discussed by the mayor and City Manager Pete Lee during the Ocala City Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday.
“There’s been legislation on making kratom illegal. I don’t know if there’s a timeline on that, but I do know that we have a lot of gas stations that sell a lot of kids [kratom],” said Mayor Marciano.
The mayor was referring to an emergency rule by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier that was issued in August.
Uthmeier’s emergency ruling classifies the isolated compound of hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a Schedule 1 controlled substance in the state of Florida.
The compound, which is present in kratom, is the primary active ingredient that causes the drug’s special effects, including opioid-like stimulation. A Schedule 1 substance in Florida is defined as having a “high potential for abuse” with no “currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.”
Uthmeier’s rule, which took effect on August 13, makes it illegal to “sell, possess, or distribute any isolated or concentrated form of 7-OH in the state.”
Mayor Marciano, who has openly and regularly cited his own battle with drug addiction in the past, said he believes that kratom acts as a gateway drug for the city’s youth.
“It’s like their introductory drug into more serious stuff, but it [itself is] serious stuff, so what can we do as a city to address that?” asked the mayor of City Manager Pete Lee.
Lee, who said he wasn’t sure that the city could regulate it without guidance from the state, said his staff would look into what proposals have gone through the state legislature.
“I know that there were some proposals last session, and I know that there will be again this time. I’ll find out what the status is,” said Lee.
Kratom is derived from a tropical tree in the coffee family and contains more than 50 chemical compounds.
According to the Mayo Clinic, kratom has not been shown to “be safe or to treat any medical conditions.” The United States Food and Drug Administration also has issued warnings on kratom because of possible harm that it may cause.
What are your thoughts on the topic? Would you like to see kratom off retail shelves in Ocala and Marion County? Share your thoughts in a comment or, if you have more to say, write a letter to the editor.