PROPOSED LAWS IN IOWA, TENNESSEE TEST NEW ERA OF KRATOM REGULATIONS

As the science and guidance around kratom continue to evolve, attempts to ban the plant have to overcome new stumbling blocks that favor reasonable regulations.

Those new developments are already on display during the 2026 legislative session.  

Lawmakers in both Iowa and Tennessee have introduced attempts to criminalize kratom, and advocates are keeping an eye on the developments as a signal of where the conversation around kratom currently stands. Although federal authorities have switched their stance on natural leaf kratom, the ongoing discussions at the state level will show how well that guidance is trickling down. 

Both attempts to target kratom make no differentiation between natural leaf kratom and artificially enhanced products, a clear distinction that was made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Last summer, FDA leadership announced plans to target products with artificially enhanced chemical concentrations, while leaving natural leaf kratom products out of their proposed disciplinary actions. 

The back-and-forth around the attempts at state-level restrictions offers a glimpse into how the FDA’s refined approach to kratom can affect policy surrounding the plant. 

Amendments in Iowa

Iowa was the first state to target kratom with an attempt to make all forms of the plant a Schedule I substance in the state. 

Bills were introduced in both chambers of the Iowa legislature and recommended out of committee in their original form. As introduced, both bills were straightforward measures that designate kratom as a “hallucinogenic schedule I controlled substance.” 

House Study Bill 508 passed through the Public Safety Committee by a vote of 18-5 and was renumbered as House Bill 2133 (HF 2133). The bill in the Senate advanced through the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 17-1, and was renumbered as Senate Bill 2192 (SF 2192). 

Iowa's attempt to target kratom appeared to set the stage for a debate on keeping kratom legal. That was before the House of Representatives included an amendment that changed the course of the conversation. The first line of the amendment called to strike “everything after the enacting clause,” and the rest of the amendment introduced a regulatory structure for kratom in place of the proposed ban.

Those regulations included requirements for lab testing, strict rules on how to label/market kratom products and rules for kratom processors and retailers. The amendment also included language specifically targeted at making sure kratom products are not labeled or marketed in a way that appeals to children, and would limit kratom sales to retailers and locations that restricted entry to individuals 21 years and older. 

In the section on requirements for producers, the amended law also said that certificates of analysis “shall demonstrate that the finished kratom product is in compliance with the concentration limits established by statute or rule.” Those limits include “alkaloid and alkaloid metabolites” as levels monitored through the certificates of analysis. 

There are no specific limits included in the proposed amendment, although there is a requirement to label the amount of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) contained in each product. Although 7-OH does occur in trace amounts in the natural kratom plant, other states have set limits on the amount of 7-OH to favor kratom products derived from natural kratom leaves. 

Per the amendment, the rewritten measure is titled the Iowa Kratom Consumer Protection Act. 

What You Can Do

Contact your Iowa House representative and key leadership directly. Urge them to oppose the ban language in HF 2133 and support a regulatory approach.

Find your representative: legis.iowa.gov/legislators/house

Full action toolkit: protectkratom.org/iowa

Iowa House Key Leadership

• Speaker Pat Grassley — (515) 281-3221 | pat.grassley@legis.iowa.gov

• Speaker Pro Tempore John H. Wills — (515) 281-3221 | john.wills@legis.iowa.gov

• Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann — (515) 281-3221 | bobby.kaufmann@legis.iowa.gov

• Majority Whip Henry Stone — (515) 281-3221 | henry.stone@legis.iowa.gov

• Minority Leader Brian Meyer — (515) 281-3221 | brian.meyer@legis.iowa.gov

For a full list of Iowa House Representatives by district, visit: legis.iowa.gov/legislators/house

What to Say

Use this as a starting point — personalize it with your own story:

• You are an Iowa resident asking them to oppose HF 2133 in its ban form

• You support the regulatory amendment — regulate kratom, don't ban it

• A blanket ban makes no distinction between natural kratom leaf and dangerous synthetic concentrates

• The FDA has explicitly stated it is not targeting natural kratom leaf — Iowa's law should reflect that

• The Kratom Consumer Protection Act, adopted in 18 states, is the right model

• If kratom has supported your wellness, share your personal story — it matters

Tennessee Targets Criminalizing Kratom

In Tennessee, a similar attempt to target kratom is still in the early stages of making it through the legislature. 

Rather than introduce bills in both chambers, Tennessee lawmakers introduced a pair of bills with slightly different approaches to addressing kratom. Both bills explicitly criminalize all forms of the plant, with variations in the penalty structures for certain aspects of the law. 

In House Bill 1647, it would be a felony to possess, sell or manufacture kratom in the state. Possessing kratom would be a Class D felony, and penalties for selling or manufacturing kratom would fall in Class B or Class A, depending on the circumstances. The second bill, House Bill 1649, is a near carbon copy of the first. Instead of making possession a felony, it would be a Class A misdemeanor, and distribution penalties would drop to Class C and Class B felonies. 

Beyond the structure for criminal penalties, the two bills also included a clause that would require toxicology reports to test for kratom in the case of suspected overdose or in the case of babies being born in withdrawal. 

Both bills were steered toward the Criminal Justice Subcommittee. While waiting for a hearing, the two bills continued to add sponsors to show support for the proposed attempts to criminalize kratom. The more lenient approach, HB 1649, generated 62 sponsors, while the more punitive approach had 30 representatives sign onto the bill. Tennessee’s House of Representatives contains 99 members. 

After more than a month of waiting, the Criminal Justice Committee followed that support and took up the bill with lesser penalties. That bill was recommended to pass onto the full Judiciary Committee and was placed on the calendar. The more punitive approach to regulation is yet to be heard by the committee. tene

Contact Tennessee Leadership Directly

Calls and emails to House and Senate leadership carry significant weight — especially when they come in volume. Here's who to contact:

Find your Tennessee legislator: capitol.tn.gov/legislators

House Leadership

• Speaker Cameron Sexton — (615) 741-2343 | speaker.cameron.sexton@capitol.tn.gov

• Speaker Pro Tempore Pat Marsh — (615) 741-6824 | rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov

• Deputy Speaker Jason Zachary — (615) 741-2264 | rep.jason.zachary@capitol.tn.gov

Senate Leadership

• Lt. Gov./Senate Speaker Randy McNally — (615) 741-6806 | lt.gov.randy.mcnally@capitol.tn.gov

• Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile — (615) 741-1999 | sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov

• Deputy Speaker Joey Hensley — (615) 741-3100 | sen.joey.hensley@capitol.tn.gov

• Deputy Speaker John Stevens — (615) 741-4576 | sen.john.stevens@capitol.tn.gov

What to Say

Keep your message firm, personal, and respectful. Make these points:

• You are a Tennessee resident asking them to oppose HB 1649/SB 1656

• You are urging them to support HB 2594, the Tennessee Kratom Consumer Protection Act

• A blanket ban makes no distinction between natural kratom leaf and dangerous synthetic concentrates — that is bad policy

• The FDA and leading researchers have identified synthetic 7-OH as the real concern, not natural kratom

• Regulation — not prohibition — is the approach that protects consumers and keeps irresponsible products off shelves

• If kratom has supported your wellness, share your personal story — lawmakers remember real people, not talking points