GEORGIA KRATOM HEARING: FINAL BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE HEARING TOMORROW OCTOBER 23 — EMAIL AND SHOW UP

Georgia’s Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Youth Exposure to Kratom and Retail-Available Substances holds its final hearing this Friday October 23 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM ET. This one is different — and it matters more than any hearing that came before it.

The committee has asked to hear directly from people who rely on natural kratom leaf. We are not showing up to interrupt a vote. We have been invited to the microphone.

After Friday the committee writes its recommendations — and those recommendations become the starting point for whatever Georgia does next session. Everything the committee believes about kratom when it sits down to write is what it heard before Friday ends. That makes this the most important moment Georgia kratom consumers have had all year.

Everyone should email the committee today — whether you can attend or not. Form letters are being dismissed. Write your personal testimony only in your own words.

Hearing Details

📅 Friday, October 23, 2026

⏰ 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM ET

📍 Room 606, Coverdell Legislative Office Building, 18 Capitol Square SW, Atlanta, GA 30334

📞 Committee office: 404-656-0178

📺 Livestream: legis.ga.gov/schedule/house

Note: Public comments will be taken throughout the meeting at the Chairman’s discretion between agenda items — not just at the end. If you are attending in person, be ready to speak when the floor opens between agenda items.

Step 1 — Email the Committee TODAY

Get your voice on the record before Friday — whether you can attend or not. Write in your own words. Tell them how natural kratom has helped you and urge them to protect adult access while targeting dangerous synthetics.

📧 Chair Rep. Rick Townsend: rick.townsend@house.ga.gov

📧 Rep. Jordan Ridley: jordan.ridley@house.ga.gov

📧 Rep. Michelle Au: michelle.au@house.ga.gov

📧 Rep. Steven Meeks: steven.meeks@house.ga.gov

📧 Rep. Tyler Paul Smith: tyler.smith@house.ga.gov

📧 Rep. Danny Mathis: danny.mathis@house.ga.gov

📧 Rep. Dar’Shun Kendrick: darshun.kendrick@house.ga.gov

📧 Rep. John Corbett: [CONFIRM EMAIL AT legis.ga.gov BEFORE PUBLISHING]

📧 Copy and paste all (confirm Corbett email before sending): rick.townsend@house.ga.gov; jordan.ridley@house.ga.gov; michelle.au@house.ga.gov; steven.meeks@house.ga.gov; tyler.smith@house.ga.gov; danny.mathis@house.ga.gov; darshun.kendrick@house.ga.gov

Step 2 — Attend the Hearing Friday

Show up in person and share your story directly with the committee. You have been invited to the microphone — use it.

📍 Room 606, Coverdell Legislative Office Building, 18 Capitol Square SW, Atlanta, GA 30334

⏰ 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM ET

Public comments will be taken throughout the meeting at the Chairman’s discretion between agenda items. Be ready to speak when the floor opens.

What to Say

Write in your own words. Be personal, brief, and respectful. Use these points as a guide:

Share your personal story. Tell them how natural kratom leaf has helped you.

Draw the line the DEA drew. The DEA scheduled concentrated synthetic 7-OH while leaving natural kratom leaf alone. Georgia should target dangerous synthetics, not natural leaf.

Protect adult access. Maintain access to natural kratom leaf while supporting enforcement against dangerous synthetic products.

Support smart regulation. Age limits, independent testing, and accurate labeling protect youth without punishing responsible adults.

What This Committee Is

The Georgia House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Youth Exposure to Kratom and Retail-Available Substances was created to study how kratom and retail-available substances reach minors. It is chaired by Rep. Rick Townsend (R-Brunswick). The committee has held multiple hearings across the state and this Friday’s hearing in Atlanta is its final one before it issues its recommendations to the full House.

The committee has invited speakers from the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency, the Attorney General’s office, and the Georgia Poison Control Center — alongside public comment from consumers. That balance matters. Consumer voices are part of the official record of this committee’s work, and Friday is the last opportunity to be part of that record before the committee writes its findings.

Why This Hearing Is Different

Most legislative hearings on kratom have followed a familiar pattern: advocates testify, opponents testify, lawmakers weigh in, and the science gets filtered through political agendas on both sides. This hearing breaks that pattern.

The committee has specifically asked to hear from people who rely on natural kratom leaf. That is an extraordinary opportunity — and it comes at the most consequential moment possible. After Friday the committee writes its recommendations. Those recommendations become the starting point for whatever Georgia does in the next legislative session. If the committee hears compelling, personal, science-based testimony from Georgia kratom consumers this Friday, that shapes what it recommends. If it does not, the recommendations will reflect only what it heard from critics.

This is why every email sent today and every person in that room on Friday matters.

What Happens After Friday

After the final hearing the committee sits down to write its recommendations to the full Georgia House. Those recommendations are not a final law — but they are the foundation for whatever legislation Georgia considers next session. Lawmakers will look to those findings as the authoritative summary of what the committee learned and what it believes Georgia should do.

What the committee heard from consumers before Friday ends is what it carries into that process. A strong showing of personal, respectful, science-based consumer testimony on Friday — combined with emails already on the record — gives the committee a clear picture of who actually depends on natural kratom leaf and what responsible regulation looks like from the consumer perspective.

The Science the Committee Should Hear

The DEA has already drawn a clear line, scheduling concentrated synthetic 7-OH while leaving natural kratom leaf alone. The FDA has specifically recommended that synthetic 7-OH be classified as a controlled substance, not natural kratom leaf. The right approach for Georgia is the same one federal regulators have taken: target dangerous synthetic products while protecting responsible adult access to natural kratom leaf through smart regulation — age limits, independent testing, and accurate labeling.

Kratom advocates have taken this message directly to Washington. In a recent Congressional briefing, advocates urged lawmakers to support natural kratom leaf products while warning of the distinct risks posed by synthetic concentrates — reinforcing the same distinction that federal regulators have already drawn. Read more: Kratom Advocates Brief U.S. Congress in Support of Natural Leaf Products, Warn of the Risks Posed by Synthetics.

As research discussed on the Huberman Lab podcast makes clear, natural kratom leaf has a distinct profile that sets it apart from synthetic concentrates. That distinction was further reinforced by an FDA clinical trial — the first of its kind — which examined kratom’s pharmacological profile and underscored why natural leaf should not be treated the same as dangerous synthetic 7-OH. For the latest on kratom legality in Georgia and other states, visit our kratom legality map. Learn more about kratom legality and regulation nationwide.

The Bigger Picture

This is the most important moment Georgia kratom consumers have had all year. The committee has asked to hear from us — and what it hears before Friday ends shapes everything that comes next.

Email every committee member today in your own words. Attend the hearing Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM ET at Room 606, Coverdell Legislative Office Building if you can. Watch the livestream at legis.ga.gov/schedule/house if you cannot attend.

The final hearing is tomorrow. Make sure the committee hears from you.