SCRANTON, PA KRATOM BAN: TAKE ACTION TODAY

Scranton, Pennsylvania is moving forward with a full kratom ban that would criminalize possession — one of the most extreme local kratom proposals we have seen anywhere in the country. The city council meeting is tonight, and public presence makes a real difference at the local level. If you are in the area, show up. If you are not, call and email the council right now.

Take Action Now

There are two ways to make your voice heard. In-person attendance tonight is the most powerful action you can take.

• 📅 Tonight — Monday, April 7 at 6:30 PM EST

• 📍 Scranton City Hall, Council Chambers (2nd Floor), 340 N. Washington Ave, Scranton, PA 18503

• 📞 Call and email Scranton City Council: scrantonpa.gov/citycouncil

• 🔗 Full action toolkit: protectkratom.org/pennsylvania

What to Say

Write and speak in your own words. Personal stories are especially powerful at the local level. Make these points:

• You are opposing a full kratom ban in Scranton

• Criminalizing possession punishes responsible adults, that is not public safety, it is prohibition

• You support reasonable regulation that protects consumers, not criminalization

• If kratom has supported your wellness, share your personal story — local council members respond to real constituents

What Scranton Is Proposing

The proposal before the Scranton City Council tonight is not a sales restriction or an age limit. It is a full ban that includes criminalizing possession of kratom. The push is being led by the Scranton District Attorney, who is aiming to ban kratom from Scranton stores, putting it among the most extreme local kratom proposals in the country and going further than most statewide ban attempts by targeting consumers directly.

The penalties are significant: fines of up to $300 per violation and up to 90 days in prison. The ordinance would prohibit the sale, possession, distribution, and manufacturing of kratom and its derivatives in Scranton.

It is worth noting that the ordinance itself cites concerns about products "sold in concentrated, adulterated or chemically modified forms not traditionally associated with raw botanical material" — including extract shots, ultra-enhanced products, and synthetically derived derivatives. These are exactly the kinds of products that the FDA has already moved to target, specifically identifying enhanced 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) concentrates as the real public health concern, not natural kratom leaf.

The concern raised by advocates at the press conference — concentrated extracts, liquid shots, and synthetically enhanced products sold without age restrictions or labeling — is a legitimate one. But the ordinance's response is a blanket ban that sweeps up natural kratom leaf alongside the problematic products it is actually targeting. The AHPA has warned against exactly this kind of conflation. As research discussed on the Huberman Lab podcast and confirmed by an FDA-supervised dosage study makes clear, these are fundamentally different products. A blanket ban that criminalizes possession ignores all of that and punishes responsible consumers who have done nothing wrong.

Councilman Flynn has also called on other municipalities across the region to follow Scranton's lead, saying "the sale of kratom will not stop at our municipal borders." That makes tonight's meeting particularly significant — what happens in Scranton could set a precedent for communities across Pennsylvania.

The Right Path Forward

The Kratom Consumer Protection Act is the proven framework that states across the country have adopted to address legitimate public health concerns without criminalization. It combines lab testing requirements, age restrictions, clear labeling, and limits on synthetic alkaloids. It targets the products that pose real risks while keeping natural kratom accessible to responsible adults.

Criminalizing possession is not regulation. It is prohibition at its most extreme, and it does nothing to address the actual public health concerns that reasonable regulation could solve.

The Bigger Picture

Local bans set local precedent, and that precedent matters. States that have chosen regulation over prohibition have consistently produced better outcomes for consumers and public health alike. Scranton has an opportunity to follow that example tonight.

Show up if you can. Call and email the council if you cannot. Visit protectkratom.org/pennsylvania for the full action toolkit. For the latest on kratom legality in Pennsylvania and other states, visit our kratom legality map.

The meeting is tonight. There is no time to wait.