UNION PARISH BECOMES LATEST LOUISIANA COMMUNITY TO BAN KRATOM UNDER LOCAL LOOPHOLE

A variety of reasons have been given by communities in Louisiana looking to ban kratom. 

Union Parish skipped that step and instead relied on vague generalities and concerns already addressed by state law in its attempt to ban sales of the supplement. 

And it worked. 

By a unanimous vote, the Union Parish Police Jury passed an ordinance at the Dec. 3, 2025 meeting banning the sale of kratom, adding to the patchwork of policy in the state. With advocates worried about the potential for further steps against kratom, such as criminalizing possession or use of the plant, the lack of reasoning presented by the parish signifies a looming threat for kratom consumers in Louisiana. 

Since these local decisions are operating in a loophole carved out by the state legislature, all eyes will be on the capitol in the upcoming session to level the playing field for kratom consumers. 

On paper the measure passed by the Union Parish Police Jury looks similar to other kratom bans:  A simple ban on selling products that contain the active alkaloids in kratom leaf, including a slight typo when labeling 7-hydroxymitragynine as ‘hydroxy-mitragynine’ in the text. The maximum penalty for violating the measure was a fine of $500 and six months in jail. 

In addition, the measure contains wording that repeat violators may be subject to a review of their business license in the parish. 

The measure is limited because it only applies to unincorporated areas in Union Parish. With such a small scope in a parish of only 21,107 residents, the ban only applies to a handful of businesses in the area, making the measure a largely symbolic gesture with kratom readily available nearby and through online markets. 

Even the logic behind the ban doesn’t quite add up. 

“It’s more so about the safety of our children and our community,” said Ben Bridges, a representative on the Police Jury. “We’re trying to target this for the under-21 crowd.” 

Examining the Evidence

The only issue with Bridges' stance is that Louisiana recently passed a law that set an age requirement to buy kratom, requiring anyone in the state to be at least 21 years old to buy products containing kratom. That state law is even referenced in the reasoning of the ordinance passed in Union Parish. 

With local lawmakers in multiple parishes discussing “next steps” in terms of restrictive action against kratom, advocates for the plant are worried that the local loophole could allow certain parishes to criminalize kratom in ways beyond simply banning the sale. 

Per the official ordinance, the reason given for the ban is “health risks” that could include “products containing harmful contaminants.” Again, this is out of step with how kratom policy played out at the state level. Advocates for kratom pushed for more restrictive measures, including wording that would make it a crime to sell adulterated kratom products. That wording was removed and instead replaced with a local option for smaller communities to ban kratom. 

Three different bills were introduced during the 2023 session, as the two sides of the issue clashed in committee hearings. It appeared a bill to create a Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) was going to prevail over a bill to ban kratom. The KCPA-style bill passed through committee after a series of compromises. At the same time, the attempt to schedule kratom that was introduced in the state’s House of Representatives was defeated in that same committee. 

Subverted Through the Senate

Not to be denied, opponents of kratom rushed a ban through the Senate, and instead of letting that effort be defeated, the bill removed language that scheduled kratom as Schedule I and swapped it out for the age restriction. That was also when legislators that opposed kratom carved out a “local option for mitragynine speciosa,”--a compromise put into the bill to enable this flurry of local bans and action against the plant. 

With a bill addressing kratom already on the books, the KCPA bill slipped out of contention and fell short of becoming law. That bill would have banned additives, required specific labels and addressed other safety concerns. Now those same reasons are being used as the logic behind this flurry of local action and scare tactics about kratom. 

This method allows parishes to bypass the state house and set their laws; even if they are using the same logic that was defeated multiple times when passing kratom legislation. 

The good news for kratom advocates is that the flurry of local municipalities that have banned kratom does not affect the path forward for kratom at the state level. 

Unfortunately for those in affected areas, it’ll have to wait until April before this matter is resolved to address loopholes and inconsistencies in the current law. The first day of the legislative session is April 14, 2025 and the session must end by June 12. 

As it stands the ordinance in Union Parish went into effect on Dec. 3, the same day as the meeting.