Although kratom products are legal and unregulated in Missouri, they are facing scrutiny on multiple fronts.
That pressure reached a new height last month when state Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced a sweeping lawsuit against Kansas City-based CBD American Shaman. The lawsuit says the company is violating Missouri law by knowingly marketing and selling addictive products that contain the kratom compound 7-OH.
"7-OH, put simply, is a synthetic opioid that is being distributed over the counter in Missouri," Hanway said during a press conference on March 31. "We believe it is deadly."
But treating kratom like a dangerous opioid isn't so simple, said addiction prevention specialist Jenny Armbruster. She leads the substance abuse prevention nonprofit PreventEd, which has been following the use of kratom for nearly a decade.
Unlike opioids, kratom products are widely available in stores, gas stations and smoke shops, often advertised as energy boosters. That access, Armbruster said, creates the perception that kratom isn't harmful. The availability also sparked many questions from users, some of whom believed they could use kratom to kick addictions to other drugs — leading to a spiral of addiction.
"They might be thinking that they were using a product that [did] not necessarily have the same type of dependence or addiction," Armbruster noted, "and then finding themselves in a place where they are struggling."
The challenge of regulating kratom is complicated by the differences in the products themselves. Not all kratom contains the same amount of 7-OH. Some kratom companies have sought to distance themselves from the compound and the related products under legal fire.
That includes CBD Kratom, a company that operates 14 retail stores in the St. Louis area. A blog post on its website last summer asserted that it does not sell "or endorse" any products with added or isolated 7-OH. The post noted, "While 7‑OH is a natural metabolite found in kratom, we only offer full-spectrum, natural kratom products."
As in Missouri, kratom remains legal in most U.S. states. Kansas recently banned kratom 7-OH products. In Missouri, the City of Rolla made it illegal to sell products with the compound last month.
While Armbruster supports laws that prohibit kratom sales to minors, she cautioned, "There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the long-term impact of these types of products."
"We don't want to villainize people who are using substances, and there can be ways that any of these products might be beneficial," she said. "The issue is that we just don't know that for certain; there has not been widespread studies on different symptoms, [the] appropriate dosage or amount that someone might use."
The future of kratom is uncertain in Missouri. Lawmakers this session considered a bill to restrict kratom sales to people 21 and older and outlawing products that mimic candy or appeal to children. The legislation ultimately stalled in the Senate.
Regardless of its legal status, kratom is already making an impact. For Armbruster, the challenge is reaching the most vulnerable potential users — children and adolescents.
"When we look at the availability and the advertisements of these products, that's really where our concern lies," she said. "We know young people. The earlier they start using a substance, the more likely they are to suffer lifelong consequences related to substance use disorder."
To hear the full conversation about kratom and 7-OH with PreventEd Executive Director Jenny Armbruster, listen to "St. Louis on the Air" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
"St. Louis on the Air" brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Layla Halilbasic is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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