LOUISIANA KRATOM BAN ENACTED

Louisiana became the first state in years to ban kratom when SB 154 was signed into law on June 4, but there’s more to this story. 

It wasn’t based on science, data or any reasonable metric that would pose a threat to public safety–it was an action that came as the result of gaslighting, outright misrepresentations of the truth and an idea that responsible kratom users are to blame for the bad actors in the industry. 

Rather than listening to a recent study by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a growing amount of research into natural kratom products, the state with a for-profit prison industry decided to lash out. The crime? Taking dietary supplements that have been proven to have a low risk of adverse events. The truth? Louisiana’s lawmakers lied at every step of the process to criminalize a product that has been regulated by more than twice as many states as those who currently ban kratom.  

Rather than listening to the experts and opting for regulation against bad actors and products that researchers say ARE NOT kratom products, Louisiana consumers have now lost access to responsible, safe products from reputable vendors that are willing to play by the rules. 

Here’s how we got to this point… 

FACT: Dr. Smita Prasad testified that, “7-hydroxymitragine is a synthetic alkaloid, and it’s another alkaloid found in kratom, and it’s even more potent than morphine. This is what is being synthetically produced and being sold in gas stations in many parishes around Louisiana without much oversight.”

MISINFORMATION: That didn’t stop Rep. Villio from directly misrepresenting the statements of Dr. Prasad, a witness testifying in favor of the bill. 

“You might see an amendment that talks about synthetic kratom, it’s an insult to all of us. In effect, we’d be banning a product that doesn’t exist. The reality is, the leaf itself can be adulterated, it’s not synthetic–it’s just by virtue of heat, by virtue of lighting, etc.” Villio said. 

That’s the logic that Villio used to shut down amendments and attempts to ban 7-OH products. 

MISINFORMATION: Villio also misrepresented recent findings by the FDA in the same comment before doubling down on the misinformation she had already presented: “(Natural leaf) can become the very dangerous kratom that is on the market. We don’t know what dosage you can take safely. There is no synthetic kratom.”

FACT: In a dosage study conducted by the FDA, (Dr. Chad Reissig presented the findings in February of 2024) participants reported “no serious adverse events” and no subjects reached “stopping criteria,” leading to the conclusion that “kratom appeared to be well-tolerated in this study.” 

An important caveat to this study is that the kratom used in this material study was “taken from a single source and well-characterized as to composition and impurities. The kratom used did not have alkaloid levels found to be present in some marketed kratom products.” As was confirmed during testimony on SB154, Super Speciosa provided the kratom for the FDA study. 

MISINFORMATION: Grant Parrish sheriff Steven McCain offered a presentation was shown that included inaccuracies throughout, starting with the first slide that stated: “mitagynine(sic) is the primary alkaloid and is many times more potent than morphine.” 

Also included in the presentation were six photos of what McCain said were kratom products. Included in that lineup were “Pump-It! Powder” and “X-Treme N.R.G”. Neither of those products contain any alkaloid of kratom. The powder supplement shown is a synthetic drug containing methylhexanamine and other unknown ingredients. “X-Treme N.R.G.” is a dietary supplement that contains Vitamin B12 and a variety of other natural products that DO NOT come from the Mitrgyna speciosa plant. 

FACT: In truth, research has shown that mitragynine does not have similar effects to opioids, rather, it is 7-hydroxymitragynine, which occurs in trace amounts in the plant, that can be synthesized and artificially enhanced. As part of a documentary, Dr. Christopher McCurdy said that 7-OH was shown to affect opioid receptors in a way that caused researchers to label it “legal morphine.” 

McCurdy said: “We’ve learned that mitrgynine has this unique pharmacology–it doesn’t effect opioid receptors fully. Its metabolite, 7-hydroxy, does.” 

During a study in rats, test subjects that had been exposed to morphine were NOT attracted to mitragynine but did respond to 7-OH, which McCurdy labeled a “much more potent compound than morphine.” 

Super Speciosa opposes 7-OH products and offers batch testing results on all of its product that indicate a natural balance of mitragynine and 7-OH in accordance with KCPAs across the country.  

MISINFORMATION: McCain’s presentation was ACCURATE in stating that research has shown that 7-OH “Won’t show up in urine and post-mortem toxicology screens” but still attributed deaths to kratom due to toxicology screens that showed kratom was the “only reason that the boy died.”

McCain also included that kratom is associated with symptoms NOT associated with opioids, despite no link to more information or research studies to confirm his findings. That same slide said kratom is often used with other drugs, including “heroin, Neurontin, cocaine, benzo’s (sic), and fentanyl.” 

FACT: Per the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “fatal overdose from kratom use alone is extremely rare.” During a period between 2011-2017, only two deaths were associated with kratom exposure alone while more than 200,000 died from opioid-related overdose. 

Dr. Kirstin Smith, who testified during SB 154’s hearing in the Senate committee, published a study that is referenced by NIDA about the motivation of kratom users that directly contradicted McCain’s claims that kratom is used alongside intoxicating drugs. Smith has repreatedly testified across the country that kratom users report a low rate of recreational use, instead opting to take kratom as a dietary supplement for various reasons.